Life Span -vs- Play Span
The difference between your life span and your play span is primarily determined by your strength levels. Without strength training we lose 1% of our muscle mass every year after age 30. WOW!!
As we lose muscle we lose our ability to move, our independence and quality of life. Additionally, declining muscle equals declining metabolic health which increase the odds and/or severity of chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes (type 2), and hypertension. This is primarily because insulin resistance increases as we lose muscle and drive diabetes (type 2), Alzheimer’s, heart disease, etc.
No matter how many aches, pains and/or replaced joints you may have, you can still (safely) take a dip into the fountain of youth (strength training)… in fact, the more joint issues you have the more important it is to work on your strength because your muscles are what support and stabilize your joints.
Here are tips from my mother (and super grandmother)and me to help you make the rest of your years the best of your years (no matter how old you are).
1. Listen to your body not your brain: seek the sweet spot where you are both safe and pushing yourself hard enough that your body changes. Learn to differentiate between joint pain and muscular discomfort. If it feels worse as you do a few repetitions then it’s time to adjust, but if it feels better as you keep going then you are good to go.
2. Keep track: if it doesn’t challenge you it does not change you. Over time what constitutes a challenge for your body will evolve. Failing to provide enough challenge means that progress will halt and/or reverse. Keep track of what you’re doing and seek to do more load or reps and/or more challenging versions of the same exercise. For example, in the beginning you might need assistance (to hold on to something) to do 10 body-weight squats, but before long you won’t need that assistance anymore, and in time you will be able to increase your depth, and eventually add some additional weight, and so on.
3. Train movements and muscles: pay no attention to people (including a younger me!) who say that isolation exercises like bicep curls are “bad” or “a waste” of time. Doing both “functional” exercises like push ups that work your shoulders, chest, and triceps and something extra for just the back of your arms (triceps) will (a) help tone up the back of your arms faster than either alone, (b) make your elbows feel better, and (c) allows you to keep going past when you’re too tired to keep doing push ups. The fitness industry is as divided as our political system, but the adults know the truth is in the middle.
4. Balance your strength: To make your joints happier and happier over time it’s important to balance your strength training. For example, your upper body does about 4 movement patterns: vertical pushing (pushing something overhead), vertical pulling (pull ups or pull downs), horizontal pushing (push up – these can be regressed so anyone can do them), horizontal pulling (rowing). Do at least as much pulling as you do pushing and your shoulders will be happy and healthy for decades which also improves your play span.
5. Pick up and carry something heavy: your grandchildren are only getting heavier, but they still love being carried. A weighted carry (a.k.a. a farmer’s walk) is the best core, grip, cardio, hip, balance, posture, etc. exercise you are not doing. It’s as simple as it is effective: pick up a heavy weight in one hand, and walk with it for 30-60 seconds, then trade hands and repeat. Start with 10 min and progress time and load as you can.
New here? We’d love to meet you! Book your free Intro Call with a member of the team now. We offer custom fit personal training for women. All of our sessions are about an hour long and will be a full body strength training session every time. The first step is to set up a quick Intro Call to see if we are what you are looking for and we will be happy to discuss lengthening your play span.
The author, Josef Brandenburg is the co-owner and a coach at True 180 Personal Training, Charlotte’s most effective personal training studio for women. We are changing the way fitness is done to get you the results you deserve!