Exercises That Reverse Ageing
As the years march on, many of us may find ourselves wondering how many years we might have left. We may try to avoid these thoughts, but who hasn’t—at some point— speculated about “what percent” of their life they’ve lived? The truth is there are no guarantees, and we never really know how many years are still ahead.
But what if we could shift the focus of those thoughts? Instead of focusing on how much time we hope to have, what if we put our energy into figuring out what kind of time we’d like to have left? Unlike the number of years, the quality of those years is something we have some control over. And the best part is it’s never too late to get started!
Age is More Than a Number
Irrespective of your age, if you reach out to trainers certified in functional fitness, which focuses on your physical health within the bigger picture, you’ll be selecting a wellness path that will truly reverse your physical aging, even as your chronological age continues to increase. It’s not only about how you look it’s about how you move and feel— now and for years to come.
Variety of Movement is the Key
Diversity of movement is critical to exercising all domains of your physical body. When you join one of our programs, you’ll notice that the way we train you is very complex and diverse. In order to challenge the brain and the brain/body connection, you need a lot of variety in exercise activity.
One of the big mistakes from the 1980s aerobics movement and the 1990s home gym infomercials was it got people in the habit of repeating the same activity over and over again. Whether it was running, taking an aerobics step class, dancercise/jazzercise, or some sort of recorded program, you did the same thing over and over and over again which let your brain “check out.” Maybe you’re still doing one or several of these types of activities.
Take Up a New Sports Activity
What we’ve found through decades of research is that humans need a variety of challenging movement patterns to achieve and maintain optimal health. This is one reason why we encourage people to take up a new sport every decade. Whatever your age, you should look for new physical activity every decade. Anything that requires a new movement pattern is valuable because it also forces your brain to engage—and that has countless positive benefits.
An all-inclusive fitness routine will help you deal with stress. And it will fuel your brain and cognitive health, impacting your confidence, your executive function, and your problem-solving skills. This makes it possible for you to maintain your overall health and independence, and it will also help make sure you get to keep doing all those things you like to do—for as long as you possibly can!
Planning for YOUR Fitness Future
What about you? Have you done the math for your life, your family, and your goals? How many more years do you need? What’s on your bucket list and what will it take for you to be healthy, strong, and fit enough to do it? The time to start planning for the future is now. To do that, it helps to consider your physical abilities in terms of what you will NEED to do, LIKE to do, and WANT to do. In the chart below from the Functional Aging Institute, the top/dark line reflects the capabilities of someone consciously investing in their health and fitness. The bottom line is the trajectory of someone who becomes increasingly sedentary as they age (often believing that’s just what old age looks like).
As you can see, it’s the decisions we make right now that determine how we spend the rest of our lives. Do you know where you are on this chart? It’s not just based on numerical age. So, you might be 57 and be very high on the chart. Or you might be 45 and already realizing you’re not where you want to be.
Investing in Your Health
The reality is the functional trajectory of ageing is true for all of us. We’re all born and, at some point, we’re all going to die. As we age, our physical abilities naturally decline somewhat. But it’s not too late to slow that process down. The right personal trainer and program will help keep our abilities on the top line of this chart so that we can continue to do the things we love and want to do into our 80s, 90s, and beyond!
As it is YOU that owns your body, so it also true that it is YOU that has the power to determine the trajectory of the years you have remaining. Think about it. The opportunity to choose which path is up to you, but you don’t have to make that decision alone. We’re here to guide and support to along the way.