Fitness After Retirement

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There is a great deal written about health and fitness but very often the over 60s sector is overlooked. However, this is the age where fitness and mobility are most important. After working for forty or more years and being continually active many retirees make the mistake of sitting back and doing very little. This is the wrong stance to take as if your mobility is not taken advantage of it could restrict your basic day-to-day activities.

It has become all too easy to fall into the trap of ready meals and eating at fast food outlets; offers that seem to be financially appealing but repeatedly taken advantage of can have an adverse effect on your arteries. We are all aware that consuming five a day of fruit and vegetables can lead to a healthy life but a few tomato slices on a pizza does not constitute one of the five.

To maintain mobility, an active lifestyle is essential but this does not mean spending hours in the gym pumping iron. Walking, swimming and cycling are three simple ways to maintain health and remain supple. As we all get older the usual aches and pains begin to take hold which is sometimes due to arthritis and many pensioners think that the best way to combat this condition is to rest. This is incorrect as it has been proven that exercise like walking has a beneficial effect on arthritic joints such as knees and ankles.

Taking up any form of exercise after being partially inactive for some time, should be embarked upon, but only after taking the advice of a medical professional. Exercise should also be taken in stages beginning steadily and increasing gradually. Too much too soon, will result in setbacks and unnecessary pain.

As well as having countless physical advantages, regular exercise can also help your brain function as the flow of blood is increased as your heart rate rises. This, in turn, could reduce the onset of dementia and a number of other ailments that can be brought about by inactivity.

It has become obvious that in many countries obesity has reached epidemic proportions and along with this, diabetes and a number of other related medical problems. When you put on weight your waistline generally increases and a good way to check if you could become diabetic is to measure your waist. If your waist measurement doubled is more than your height then you could become a victim of this affliction and face the rest of your days taking medication or having to inject yourself on a regular basis.

So, the answer is simple – use it or lose it! Look after your body and it will serve you well; abuse it and it will let you down when you least expect it.