Once again, Jane Brody’s right on the money with her latest article in the New York Times. Here are some of her highlights. My comments are in green.
An apology to all baby boomers and beyond: I’m afraid that in our efforts to get everyone to become physically active, we’ve sold you a bill of goods. A 30-minute walk on most days is just not enough.
It’s ridiculous for the CDC or anyone else for that matter to try to give an exercise prescription that’s right for everybody. Sure, 30 minutes might be plenty for the vast majority of coach potatoes out there currently doing absolutely nothing for exercise.
In addition to activities like walking, jogging, cycling and swimming that promote endurance, cardiovascular health and weight control, there is a dire need for exercises that improve posture and increase strength, flexibility and balance. These exercises can greatly reduce the risk of injuries from sports and endurance activities, the demands of daily life, falls and other accidents.
Women, especially, shouldn’t be afraid of strength training. Haven’t you’ve been reading all the women’s magazines for the last few years? For the (I hope) last time, you will not get “bulky.” It’s physiologically impossible for the majority of women.
Musculoskeletal injuries are now the No. 1 one reason for seeking medical care in the United States. And falls, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last month, have become the leading cause of injury deaths for men and women 65 and older.
“By their 40th birthday, people often have vulnerabilities — weak links — and as the first generation that is trying to stay active in droves, baby boomers are pushing their frames to the breakpoint,” according to Dr. Nicholas A. DiNubile, an orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. DiNubile refers to this syndrome as “boomeritis.”
“Baby boomers are falling apart — developing tendinitis, bursitis, arthritis and ‘fix-me-itis,’ the idea that modern medicine can fix anything,” he said. “It’s much better to prevent things than to have to try to fix them.”
Well, thank goodness for these “itises.” My wife (a rheumatologist) and I have tuitions to pay!
Okay, I have to cut off these excerpts from the New York Times before they sue me, but before I go, Dr. DiNubile offers this quiz to see if you need to increase your fitness level:
- Are you not standing as straight and tall as you once did?
- Is walking up a flight of stairs a strain at times?
- Are you getting up from a chair more slowly than you used to?
- Is it getting harder to look to the left and right while backing up [your car]?
- Do you get stiff sitting through a long movie?
- Is standing on one leg to put on your shoe difficult or impossible?
- Do you trip or lose your balance more easily?
- Does walking or jogging a distance take longer than it used to?
Boomeritis is why I developed my 3-4-5 Total Body Fitness System in the first place. (Again, I celebrated my 47th birthday recently. I suspect your card has been delayed by the Xmas rush.)
Scroll up to the top right to get your free report on “The Workout That Worked Wonders” to discover more about the system that led me to be named “Personal Trainer of the Year” and “The Baby Boomer Fitness Expert.”
Tags: anti-aging, exercise, baby boomer, fitness, tendinitis, arthritis
Similar Posts:
Popularity: 1% [?]
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Great article. I am going to the gym again this year, thanks to this.