Impact Exercise for the Aging Adult
MYTH: You must stop doing high impact exercise as you age and perform low impact activities instead.
FACT: We know that as we age, it is common to lose strength and power. However, that does not mean you have to avoid higher impact activities.
Many people are active when they are younger through sports, running, and other activities. As we get older, we tend to decrease high impact activities. Sometimes this is due to a previous injury, reoccurring pain, or a fear of getting hurt.
5 Strength Training Exercises for the Older Adult
A common misconception is that strength training is only beneficial for young adults. This is simply not true! Strengthening can be beneficial at any age; in fact there is no age limitation to gain strength. We know that muscle strength can be increased by progressive loads at any age. There is also evidence that suggests muscle strength can help with mobility, such as gait speed, and improving function for tasks, such as standing up from a chair. Increasing strength in the older population is beneficial to decrease risk of injury and has other health benefits as well.
