Investing In your Retirement Health

We all know that financial investing and saving for our retirement is important.  More importantly, investing in our health so we can thrive and enjoy those years of retirement is vital.   Financially, the earlier we begin investing for our retirement, the more substantial and robust our investments will be when it comes time to make withdrawals.  Likewise, the earlier we begin to care for our health, the more resilient we will be when faced with illnesses, injuries and the inevitable process of aging.   Throughout our lives, even with good intentions, habits kick in and subtle changes to our health can go unnoticed for years.  Along with the common health markers that your doctor checks during your annual checkup like blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, questions like the ones below might be asked:

Do you….

·       Struggle to sit and stand from a seated position without using assistance from momentum or the use of your arms?

·        Feel that your balance isn’t as good as it used to be?

·        Hand the pickle jar to someone else because it has become too hard to open?

·        Avoid getting on the floor because it’s too challenging to get up and down?

·        Look for the elevator before considering taking a few flights of stairs?

·        Struggle with insulin resistance, heart disease, hormonal imbalances or headaches?

·        Feel that your body fat percentage is steadily climbing, while your muscle mass is shrinking?

Have you….

·        Ever tried to control your weight with a low-calorie diet, only to find the weight return?

·        Ever had trouble going to sleep and staying asleep?

·        Spent countless hours on the treadmill or elliptical, only to find that you’ve made no progress (literally!)

Healthcare providers recognize the importance of lean body mass and the impact that it has on our overall health and quality of life.  The National Institute of Health states that sarcopenia is a condition characterized by loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength and it is correlated with physical disability, poor quality of life and death.  It is commonly thought that it was an expected result of aging and that there is little we can do about it, but the good news is, nothing can be further from the truth! 

Strength training, applied at the right dose and intensity, along with proper nutrition can help you overcome sarcopenia and can certainly offer you the ability to increase your health span, rather than counting on simply living out your life span.  The difference between the two is in the quality of our life as we age, and the length of time spent with our independence. 

Strength training can come in many different forms.   You can hire a trainer or write your own program and follow a set/rep routine with hand held weights, with body weight or a combination of each.  Strength training can be done at the gym, in your home, at a park, in your back yard, or any other place you can think of!

Things to know:

·        Talk to your doctor before you start any exercise program. 

·        Start with a resistance that you can move through full range of motion, 10-12 times. From there you can increase the weights and lower the reps or vice versa.

·        Allow at least 2-3 days between strength workouts for your body to fully recover, but this doesn’t let you off the hook to revisit those exercises or movements more frequently! Just don’t train the same muscle groups with intensity until they have recovered from the previous strength workout.

·       The idea is to introduce a work load that challenges your body enough, so it must adapt (become stronger) for the next time it encounters that same work load.

·       Allow adequate rest and nutrition after you’ve introduced the challenging work load, so the rebuilding process can be successful.  Recovery & nutrition are as important as the stimulus!

·       More is not always better.  Find the minimal effective dose that challenges you and gives you the results you need.  If you’re unsure, consider hiring a trainer to help you discover the best format and protocol for you at the stage you’re in right now.

·        Strength training is very safe if performed correctly and can be done by everyone. It’s never too late and TODAY can be the perfect day to start!

·        Avoid taking anti-inflammatories to overcome the discomfort from muscle soreness.  Not only are they damaging to your digestive system, but they interfere with your body’s natural repair process to heal from your workout and become stronger! 

Consider flipping your workout routine on its head by swapping your treadmill for a set of dumbbells more often.  Be consistent, rest, eat well, and you will see for yourself why strength training is often referred to as the Fountain of Youth.     

Stay strong!