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AS A PHYSICAL therapist, I’ve spent a large slice of each work day teaching and encouraging patients as they exercise their way to better health. Along with other elements of treatment, each patient pays for a custom exercise program tailored for their specific problem.
These are folks looking for a way past the debilitating effects of injury or disease. Even so, many of them find it hard to follow my plea to “do your exercises”. If they struggle to follow the helpful recommendations of a health professional, what about the rest of us?
Over the years, I’ve found that most of us have at least an inkling of the health benefits of exercise. Still, like my patients, we often fail to act on that knowledge. Why? Maybe we can find the answer in the list below. Here are five common barriers that I’ve heard keep people idle:
1. No time. I’m sure it’s true. Long commutes, lengthy work days and activity-packed weekends leave little chance to carve-out a few minutes for our physical health. Even in retirement, time can be siphoned-off by the endless list of errands, obligations and leisure pursuits that keep us running.
2. No knowledge. Strange environment. Strange vocabulary. Strange people who seem at ease and know more than us about everything. That’s the challenge facing the novice exerciser stepping into the gym for the first time. It can lead to fear–fear of embarrassment, fear of injury or just fear of feeling lost.
3. No support. Going against the social flow can be painful for the lone exerciser. Choosing to head into the gym, rather than out for pizza and beer with friends can be hard. Or, maybe our spouse thinks exercise time is selfish time. Like exercise, social connections are important for health as well. Ideally, we shouldn’t have to choose one over the other.
4. No money. Let’s face it, gym admission isn’t free, and a home equipment purchase can quickly run into thousands of dollars. That price is no sweat for a fitness aficionado with extra cash who’s hooked on the exercise habit, but what about the newbie? Few people want a gym membership or treadmill gathering dust, reminding them of the resolution they didn’t keep.
5. No energy or motivation. Hectic schedules leave many of us drained and dreaming of a quiet moment to just be still. Other folks find themselves stuck in a sedentary rut, never straying off the path that leads from one seat to the next. For those in either camp, any thought of pumping iron or pounding pavement holds no appeal.
That’s my short, anecdotal list of hurdles hindering folks from launching into a new exercise routine. For an in-depth look at more barriers to physical activity for adults over age 70, check out this systematic review of the research literature.
Meanwhile, our bodies are missing the movement that keeps them healthy. What to do? Here are five baby steps to help us past the roadblocks listed above:
1. Minutes matter. It’s easy to get hung up on the notion of needing a set routine of exercises performed within a solid block of time. That may be ideal, but it’s not necessary. We can try weaving convenient exercises into the actual fabric of our lives. By the end of our day, a few, short bouts of five to ten minutes each can add up to meaningful progress toward fitness.
2. Study time. The online world abounds with exercise advice. Experts promise results ranging from building a healthy heart to gaining the perfect glutes. The choices can be overwhelming. I recommend starting tiny. The simple routine I’ve included below can help nearly anyone take the first step.
3. New network. I’m not recommending we dump our motionless friends. Still, our moms warned us about spending too much time with the wrong crowd. Think about who in our circle is already doing a little exercise. Maybe they’d like a partner? Or, maybe there’s someone we could recruit with just a little nudge.
4. Frugal fitness. We don’t have to shell out bucks to a gym to get a workout. Any time we move our body against the force of gravity, we’re exercising. With a little thought, we can round up a robust routine of exercises to perform at home with little or no equipment. Read on to find a starter set of exercises for the true beginners among us. This list costs almost no money and just a little time.
5. Finding a cause. Stuck for a stimulus that rouses us to action? Remember, imagination is often stronger than willpower. Letting our thoughts dwell on the end game can often be helpful. Do we want to cut a fine figure? If so, we don’t have to get swimsuit-svelte to claim success. Even a little slimming and toning from exercise can give our normal clothes a nicer fit. How about feeling better? Researchers from Boston University and the University of Massachusetts found that even a low-intensity exercise program can help older adults improve both physical and psychological fitness. And their study doesn’t stand alone. Reams of other research support their findings, and highlight even more benefits from exercise.
Still, on some days, the only force that will get us moving is old-fashioned discipline. It’s the same determination that moves most of us reading this to make better financial choices most of the time.
No matter what our motivation, nearly all of us can kick off our trek to better health today with the following routine:
1. Wall push-ups. Stand facing a wall at fingertip distance. With arms held straight at shoulder height, place your palms on the wall a little more than shoulder-width apart. Bend your elbows until your nose almost touches the wall. Push back until your elbows are straight. Repeat until you’ve done 10-20 repetitions. When wall push-ups are too easy, progress to push-ups with your hands against a counter. These exercises strengthen the muscles of your chest, shoulders and arms.
2. Shoulder blade squeeze. Sit or stand and place palms together in front of your chest with elbows bent and pointing down toward your feet. Pull your arms apart while keeping your elbows down until you squeeze your shoulder blades together. Do 10-20 repetitions. To progress, add the resistance of an elastic exercise band. This exercise works the muscles of the upper back.
3. Sit to stand. This is a wonderful exercise for buttock and thigh muscles. To begin, sit at the edge of a firm seat. Lean forward from the hips, then stand up without using hands, if possible. Sit down and repeat for 10 or more repetitions. You should stay balanced, with feet in full contact with the floor, during the entire exercise.
4. Calf raises. Stand with your hands on a counter to maintain balance, Rise up on your toes for 20 repetitions to strengthen the muscles on the back of your lower legs. These muscles are important for walking and balance.
5. Easy crunch. Lie on your back on the floor or bed with your knees bent and feet flat on the supporting surface. Slowly curl your trunk forward as you try to touch your knees with your hands, then slowly return to the starting position. Do 10-20 repetitions to strengthen your abdominal muscles, one important part of your muscular “core”.
The last five. This exercise requires a decent set of walking or running shoes. Begin by walking out the front door and up the street for five minutes at a brisk pace. Stop and retrace your steps for the return trip back home, for a total of ten minutes of heart-rejuvenating activity.
Will this workout ready us to run a marathon or toned-up to star in the senior sports league? No. Could it be better? Probably. Still, nearly every muscle–including the heart–gets a little work. And it may just draw us into a habit that keeps our bodies sturdy enough to enjoy the years ahead.
Ed Marsh is a physical therapist who lives and works in a small community near Atlanta. He likes to spend time with his church, with his family and in his garden thinking about retirement. His favorite question to ask a young person is, “Are you saving for retirement?” Check out Ed’s earlier articles.
Thanks for the positive reinforcement, Ed. I tend to do regular exercise for a good 10 months. Then come the holidays. And I’m digging myself out of a hole for a couple months. Current routine is personal training Mondays and Wednesdays, then, depending on the weather, running, cycling or the water rower on the other days. I take Sunday off. At 69, something is always aching,
I met & married my sweetheart in the 70s and we have been walking together ever since. We started out just 30 minutes 3 times a day, into now about 4-6 miles at least 5-6 days a week. We are both in early 70s. We are also doing some weight bearing training now as well.
The point is you must find what you like to do and make it a habit earlier on before your body would “said” no-go. We understand the important not only to live long, but to live long well. Health span is more important than life span.