Exercising benefits for everyone even at Christmas time!

Five days till Christmas….and the snow is on the ground and there’s more on the way! T’is the season to eat, drink and be merry! And there’s no reason why you wouldn’t get into the spirit of things, and no need for the guilty complex either. You can still combat all the eating and drinking with a little exercise and fresh air in between the parties!

Have you finished all of your Christmas shopping or are you like me, still trying to find the unique and perfect gift for that certain someone? Have you considered a gift certificate for personal training? There is no greater gift than the gift of self-enhancement. Exercising and being fit and healthy makes you feel better about yourself and improves all aspects of life. It improves your self-esteem helping you to feel more vibrant and confident in everyday life and it also enables you to do more because you have more energy. “Healthy body, healthy mind,” my doctor always says. You could be the facilitator of this lifestyle change for someone you care about by getting them started on an exercise program designed specifically to suit their needs and wants.

An exercise program can suit anyone from your 16 year old daughter to Grandma. It’s never too late to start an exercise program. Research has shown that older individuals who have been confined to walkers, have been able to abandon their walkers for canes after being on a specific resistance training program. Tests have been done to assess the adaptability of older individuals to strength training, and results show that older men and women show similar or greater strength gains compared to young individuals after resistance training. It has been shown that older adults who have been lifting weights for 15 to 20 years are at least as strong as inactive 20-year olds!

These studies show that the reduction in muscle mass can no longer be considered as an inevitable consequence of the aging process. Rather, the adaptations in the aging muscle to exercise training may prevent the wasting away of muscle tissue (known as “sarcopenia”), enhance the ease of carrying out the activities of daily living, and exert a beneficial effect on such age-associated diseases as diabetes, coronary artery disease, hypertension, osteoporosis and obesity.

It is important to note that before starting any type of exercise program, you should have your own individual needs and concerns identified first. A personal trainer can assist you with getting you on the right track with your exercise program but it is important to get a proper physical assessment from your physiotherapist, chiropractor or doctor before beginning any new physical activity. It is sometimes difficult to differentiate between muscle fatigue and damaging types of pain. Without the proper knowledge of your own individual needs and limitations, an exercise program can sometimes do more damage than good. The physiotherapists at Rossland Physiotherapy or Evergreen Physiotherapy in Trail, can start you on the right track to a proper recovery and help to prevent unnecessary injuries from occurring.

Tip for the Week:

Pleasant smells such as peppermint, can improve both morale and performance. When exercising, try to surround yourself in an environment that agrees with your senses. Nice smells, sunlight, the right temperature and good music (or maybe just silence), can all work to improve your physical as well as mental performance. Be aware of the environment you surround yourself in and make sure that you are surrounded by things and people that make you feel good!

Happy Holidays!