Ooh! Ouch! Oh! A 20-Minute Weight Training Workout for Seniors

THE NEXT FEW DAYS AVOIDING IT BY FOCUSING ON THE FEW EXERCISES THAT YOU HAVE SPECIALISED IN OVER THE YEARS. YOU KNOW THE ONES – WRIST TWISTING AND ELBOW BENDING. THEY ARE THE ONES THAT ENABLE YOU TO GET THE WINE BOTTLE OPEN, THE WINE POURED AND THE GLASS RAISED TO YOUR MOUTH.

Well, I recently came across an excellent web page article written by Chris Freytag on verywellfit.com.

This sets out a 20-Minute Weight Training Workout for Seniors. So I suggest that you log on to this web page and study what Chris has said. He stresses the importance of leading an active life as we get older – which in fairness to this website is something that we have long espoused. He quotes the American Council on Exercise, which has published a report stating “As you grow older…regular exercise can help boost energy, maintain your independence, and manage symptoms of illness or pain. Exercise can even reverse some of the symptoms of aging.” None of us will disagree. It’s just getting started that is the difficulty. There is an emphasis on strength training and it is highlighted that this can help lessen the symptoms of the several chronic conditions for most older adults, viz. Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Diabetes, Obesity, Back pain, and Depression.

I am not going to replicate all of the details from the web page, and recommend that you have a look at it. But I will summarise the different activities described. They are:

• The Warm-Up: 4 Minutes;
• Jog in Place – 1 Minute;
• Punching – 1 Minute;
• Knee Thrusters;
• Basic Squat – 1 Minute;
• Squat Curl Knee Lift;
• Shoulder Overhead Press;
• Reverse Grip Double Arm Row;
• Bird Dog (Which involves kneeling on a mat on all fours);
• Glute Bridge (Which involves lying on your back and lifting your hips);
• Kneeling Shoulder Tap Push Up;
• Mid-Back Extension; and
• A Full Body Roll Up

Now, I am pretty certain that this list will have got you excited/ curious/ depressed [Delete as appropriate]. But whatever your personal reaction, the list serves as a good guide to the amount of effort that you need to put in to keep yourself in good shape. Obviously, if you are not particularly fit, then simply going down the list and trying out the different exercises will be helpful. You can then judge what is best for you and then gradually increase the pace until you are doing everything within 20 minutes. It doesn’t matter if it takes 45 minutes or an hour when you start – the most important thing is that you have started! So log on have a look, and just be glad that the pictures are not of me in lycra!

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