Part 1: The Importance of Weight-Bearing Exercise in Adulthood
The benefits of weight-bearing exercises for adults are many: preserving lean muscle mass, improving mobility, endurance and balance, especially as we advance in age.
Muscle mass and strength increase steadily from birth and peak around age 30 to 35. After that, muscle mass tends to decline in linear fashion until about age 65 in women and age 70 in men, after which it tends to fall off more sharply. However, research has shown that this age-related decline in strength and power can be substantially slowed down by maintaining an active lifestyle.
I have this conversation frequently in my practice, and the most common thing I hear when I advocate for increasing activity is “but I don’t want to join a gym, it’s an intimidating environment and I don’t know how any of the machines work”. This is absolutely valid, and not only for older individuals. Lots of people who’d like to become more physically fit feel intimidated, if not downright terrified, at the thought of going to a gym. They’re afraid they’ll look silly, or be made fun of, or injure themselves on unfamiliar equipment.
The good news is that most gyms are very supportive environments. There are obviously always exceptions, but mostly, people are there to work on themselves and not to to judge other people. One way to feel more comfortable in a new gym is to book some sessions with the gym’s trainer to become familiar with the equipment and develop a workout plan. Having said all that, though, do you HAVE to join a gym to get fit(ter)? Absolutely not. You most likely have everything you need at home to get started, and if you don’t, there are some very easy substitutes.
What could you do to start with? Start walking. If you’ve never walked for exercise before, set a small, attainable goal. Make yourself walk for 5 minutes, then turn around and go home. That wasn’t enough? Walk 5 minutes in the other direction and then go home; now you’ve done 20 minutes. Increase from there, depending on how you feel.
Already a walker? Make it a bit more challenging. Wear a backpack with something in it that weighs 5 pounds and go on your usual walk. If that doesn’t feel challenging enough, make it 10 pounds the next day. If 5 pounds is unexpectedly challenging, cut your walk short and gradually increase back to your regular walk. The main goal is to get your body moving to improve cardiovascular health. That’s step one.
Step two is adding resistance exercise - strength training, in other words. You can do modified push-ups, bicep curls, tricep extensions and squats at home, and the only thing you need to buy is a couple of 473 mL bottles of pop (or bigger ones once you get stronger). No dumbbells required!
Here’s how:
Do push-ups against a wall to start. When those get to easy, you’ll switch to push-ups using your kitchen island or counter.
Do bicep curls and tricep extensions using a 473 mL pop bottle - that’s about a pound each. Once those get easy, find something that’s heavier that you can hold. For lower body, lower you bottom slowly down into a chair, either body weight or holding your pop bottles. Plant your feet on the floor, lean slightly forward and stand up again. That’s a chair squat.
There are many more very accessible body weight exercises on YouTube, if you’re feeling motivated. However, one of the most underrated and essential exercises to master is getting up from the floor unassisted, and even better yet, using only one hand or no hands at all. Studies have shown that getting up from the floor unassisted correlates positively with quality of life in older individuals. Many people struggle with getting down on the floor because of knee, hip or low back pain. See your chiropractor or physiotherapist to address ongoing pain, but work on getting yourself down on the floor and getting back up again. Once that becomes easier, start practicing using only one hand to get back up - ideally your non-dominant hand. Then, if you can, progress to using only your legs to stand up. You’ll gain lots of strength without even realizing it, which will help you in every aspect of your daily life.
-Dr. Anuschka Brhelle
*Stay tuned for Part 2