When we are younger we exercise to look better and perhaps to perform better at a sport or activity, and of course, to be healthy. When we are older we still want to perform well and look good, but there's other benefits that move to the forefront. At we get older our old injuries begin to haunt us. As we get older we are not as resiliant, and we need an added measure of protection against injuries. At my age I just want to feel good and not get hurt or sick. I am at a point that I have to exercise to avoid the pains that old injuries bring.
You can't measure the decreased likelihood of injury that strength affords. You can't measure the decreased likelihood of sickness, or conditions such as diabetes that exercise allows. You can't measure the diminishment of pain around compromise joints. You can't measure the ability to put in a strenuous day and the next day not be crippled with pain. You can't measure the ability to do things at your age that other people would not even attempt to do. We have an 88 year old client who was still lifting 50 blocks while working in his garden. We have a 67 year old woman who can lift her ailing 60 pound dog into a car without her back be in spasms the next day or the next week or month.
It's great to look good or run fast, but it's some point it is just wonderful not to live in pain. You can't measure improvement in quaility of life, but it is a profoundly real for those who experience it.
A little strength training, an active lifestyle, and better eating choices can have profound effects on one's fitness and health. These changes do not require endless hours in the weight room. Our fitness trainers at New Orleans Personal Trainers and at Austin TX Personal Training can guide you through an effective strength training program that will achieve life-changing results.