Hello World!   I’m getting a late start today as life got in the way this morning, & it’s in the 70’s today! Of course, I got out there for a while & trimmed back some of the dead bougainvillea. I figure if I do a little each day, it will get done much easier than doing it all at once. There’s a lot to do in my backyard…  Plumbago is next.  2 Freezing nights & days will do it!  Since last winter was warmer & nothing died back as a result, there’s that much more to do now… I like being outside in this weather!

Today I am going to share with you some info I found about exercising at any age! We should all be doing it. I don’t care if you are 20 or 80+. It’s good for you. Read the article & you’ll see. I’ve exercised my whole life. It’s a habit that I couldn’t imagine not doing…

Age Doesn’t Matter When You Exercise

Recently, a Frenchman named Robert Marchand set a new world record on his bicycle by riding a little over 14 miles in an hour. Seeing as how the average cyclist bikes anywhere between 12 to 14 miles an hour, that may seem fairly unimpressive. But his speed is not what you should be impressed by.   Marchand is 105-years-old.

Not only is he still riding a bike, but he can still ride a bike at an average speed for an hour! It’s truly incredible. Marchand, who wasn’t an athlete in his youth, has set & broken many records for centurions, this being his latest. While most people regard advancing age as an impediment to fitness, it seems to have had little effect on the unstoppable centurion’s positive mindset.

Unfortunately, Marchand’s active lifestyle is an anomaly for many over 65. Studies have shown that out of the vast American population, almost a third of older adults don’t move enough.  But physical activity becomes more important as you age, not less. According to recent research, older adults who exercise regularly spend 25% less time being disabled & injured than adults who are sedentary. They also recover from injuries & illness more quickly & are less likely to get injured again.

While cycling seems to have worked for Robert Marchand, you don’t have to become a bike racer to reap the anti-aging benefits of exercise. Something as simple as walking has been proven extremely beneficial for heart & memory health, as well as disease prevention. It even has the potential to lengthen your lifespan by up to 5 years, according to a small study. It’s not new news: exercise is paramount for healthy, happy aging.

Getting older doesn’t have to mean becoming less capable & fit. There are plenty of physical activities that you can continue to do, no matter how old you are. Here are a few tips to help you design your own fitness routine that will last you for decades.

Keep moving. “One needs to keep his muscles working,” said Marchand in an interview with the Associated Press. Unfortunately if you don’t use your muscles regularly, you’ll lose them.  That’s especially true as you begin to age. It becomes more difficult to maintain muscle strength with age, meaning that taking a few weeks off could set you back exponentially if not addressed. But if you haven’t been exercising, it’s never too late. Marchand didn’t start biking until he was 68, but he continues to thrive at it regularly to this day.

Be healthy. If you are living off of Twinkies & Cokes, smoking & drinking hard, regular exercise is going to be a challenge. Clean eating & exercise go hand-in-hand. You don’t need to become a chia seed-popping kombucha drinker if that’s not your thing, but we all need plenty of fruits & veggies in our diets. If you look at any diet across the board, increased veggie consumption is undisputed advice. Moving is easier when you’re healthy,& being healthy is easier if you’re active. Each benefits the other, whether you’re young, old or somewhere in between.

Don’t push yourself too hard. Sure, in your 20s & 30s, you can push yourself hard. Really hard. But even younger people need to recover afterwards. Many hardcore ultra-runners & endurance athletes get sick after big races, simply due to the fact that they pushed themselves so hard that their immune system is weakened as a result. The body is more resilient & forgiving when you are young, meaning the repercussions of too-high intensity become more & more apparent with age. Use the wisdom gained with age to understand when your body has had enough. Age does slow you down a little bit, but if you can come to terms with that, you can still enjoy yourself. Push your body as far as it wants to go, & then give it a rest. That means not overdoing the cardio & not pumping the heavier weights until you feel ready. That policy alone will keep you injury-free & moving for decades to come.

Make sure it’s fun. This is perhaps the most important tip for keeping active at all ages. Marchand loves bicycling. That’s why he does it. If you want to be fit & active in your hundreds, perhaps the most important thing to do is to find something you absolutely love doing. Whether that’s biking, yoga, hiking, roller blading, martial arts, tennis, swimming or dancing, loving the movement you do goes a long way to ensure that you’ll continue to do it. Passion is what inspires us & makes life worth living. Find something active that you thoroughly enjoy & it will never feel like exercise or work.

If nothing else, Marchand proves that age is not a barrier to our successes. With will, creativity and determination, anything is possible, whether you’re 25 or 105.

This is good info for all ages! I walk in the morning & use dumbbells twice a day; along with yoga & stretching exercises. I enjoy exercising & walking is social as well a great exercise!  Let me know what exercise you do. I’d love to hear about it.

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