Boomertitis

You will get older. Even if you are not there yet, (as if there were an exact point that it happens) it will come. It is just a fact.

One of the keys to aging healthfully is to know the limits of your aging body. If you treat your 50 year old body the same way you treated your 25 year old body, you will inevitably meet with some resistance.

Aches, pains, and strains are some of the more mild ways your body can protest being treated like a kid again. Arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, and complete physical blow outs are some of the more extreme.

Doctors are seeing more and more people in their 50s and 60s coming to their offices with joint and muscle issues. In fact, musculoskeletal injuries are the number one reason for a doctor’s visit, with the majority of visits from baby boomers.

This is the generation, now ages 45 to 63, that is determined to stay young forever. They take to heart the idea that aging is all about mind over matter, and because they don’t mind it shouldn’t matter. But it does matter. Your body simply cannot take the abuse it did in your 20s.

Dr. DiNubile from the University of Pennsylvania, prompted by problems with his own aging body, has started to look at the issues surrounding continued physical activity in a maturing frame. He coined the term “Boomeritis” to cover the host of injuries and ailments common to those attempting to get and stay active in this generation.

The main thing to remember is that it is much easier to prevent injuries than it is to fix them once they occur. Although exercise can be a cause of aches and pains, done properly it is also the best means of preventing them. Moderation is vital to avoiding boomeritis.

Here is a brief, top five list of ways to prevent boomeritis:

• Always warm-up and stretch properly with every exercise session.

• Avoid being a “weekend warrior” by cramming a week’s worth of workouts into two days.

• Develop a well-rounded routine including cardio, strength, balance, flexibility and coordination.

• Follow the 10 percent rule and increase the intensity of your workouts by no more than 10 percent a week.

• Listen to your body.

Unfortunately as we age we tend to look backward when training; comparing our 50 year old body to our 25 year body. This is just setting ourselves up for disaster.

Train your 50 year old body like a 50 year old body and you will greatly increase the likelihood that you will continue to train for many years to come. Happy training!