How to Remain a Weekend Warrior–for Life
Baby boomers may be getting older, but many are still avid, if not obsessive, exercisers. And they want to stay that way. Boomers were the first generation to grow up doing physical activity for its own sake, a phenomenon reflected in Title IX–which opened up high school and collegiate sports to women–Jane Fonda's workout tapes, and the jogging revolution.
"We're not about to be sedentary," says Marjorie Albohm, a 57-year-old athletic trainer and director of sports medicine at OrthoIndy in Indianapolis. "As we approach the aging years, we're saying, 'Hey, I want to be as fit today as I was in my 20s, and I want to be sure I'm still physically active in my 80s.' " That's an admirable goal, but it's important to do it smartly. Here's how:
Be realistic. Face it: You can't do exactly what you did when you were 25. "I have to be the voice of reason," says orthopedic surgeon Nicholas DiNubile, author of FrameWork, an all-ages guide to keeping your body together. He coined the term "boomeritis" to refer to the host of injuries experienced by overzealous boomers. "People tell me, 'I need my knee cleaned out again because the last time it only lasted three months.' I don't mind people exploring and extending their limits," he says, "but when there are indeed limits, you need to respect them. You can't do damage to yourself."
At some point, you'll probably have to cut back or modify your workout regimen. "People say that they did cardio seven times a week in their 20s–that can lead to overuse injuries and too much stress on the musculoskeletal system," agrees Albohm. "I was one of those people who went seven days a week, and I started getting knee pain and foot problems. Your body is talking to you." If you don't like what it's saying, it's probably time to scrutinize your routine and your goals, and make adjustments.
Still, push yourself. With the right precautions, your performance can stay steady–and even improve–well into middle age. Ironman triathlete Karen Smyers, 45, was 12th in the world last year, beating other pros who are decades younger than she is. "If you want to run a few miles at eight or nine minutes a mile, most of the population has the potential to do that into their 60s," says Edward Coyle, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Texas–Austin. And in sports that require technique, like swimming and rowing, it can take years for amateur athletes to develop moves that work best for them. So someone who starts in her 30s may not even hit her stride until she's 50.
Performance doesn't have to really decline until well past middle age. Vonda Wright, director of the Performance and Research Initiative for Masters Athletes at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, did an analysis of the eight top finishing times in each of the 2001 Senior Olympics track and field events. Between the ages of 50 and 75, performance declined less than 2 percent per year. "At 75," she says, 'biology catches up, and performance declines by 8 percent per year."
Cross-train. To stay in the game, modifying your routine may be the answer. "You can't do weight-bearing activities the whole time," says Albohm. Mix things up. If you've always been a runner but your knees can no longer stand your old five-day-a-week routine, ride a bike or hop in the pool every other day instead.
If you're not lifting weights, start. "Around 40 or 45, we can see a decrease of as much as a pound of muscle per year," says Joseph Scott, an athletic trainer with the Sports Performance & Orthopedic Rehab Team at the Southcoast Hospitals Group in North Dartmouth, Mass. Not only that, bone density drops. Weights can help.
In fact, a new study suggests that resistance training actually makes muscle tissue function like younger tissue. "The only thing that we have seen that actually preserves muscle and muscle strength is resistance training," says Miriam Nelson, director of Tufts University's John Hancock Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition. It can also help fight weight gain, since boosting muscle mass also boosts your metabolism.
Rest. Recovery is key, whether within a tough session or in between workouts, says Kathy Zawadzki, who coaches cyclists and triathletes for Carmichael Training Systems, a company that offers online training programs to athletes. When she writes up training plans for her older athletes, she may give them 15 or 20 minutes in between hard sets, compared with 10 minutes for younger folks. And she likes to build in an extra rest day during the week to allow athletes more time to bounce back in between big workouts. Rest is even more important if you've got a nagging injury. "When you're 20, you can rest and ice your injury, take anti-inflammatories, and it will go away. When you're 50 or 60 or 70, those same problems can be debilitating," says Scott.
Watch your diet. Your metabolism slows down when you get older. If you've been working out all your life, that may mean that the same amount of exercise doesn't keep the weight off like it used to. Zawadzki, who's a sports nutritionist as well as a coach, advises her athletes to be vigilant about what they eat when they're not training but fuel up properly immediately before, during, and after a tough workout.
Get good advice. It may be worth your time and money to search out an athletic trainer or another fitness professional with experience dealing with older athletes. That's especially true if you've had a chronic injury. "If you have had shoulder or knee injuries, you've got to be cautious about what you do to a body part that's already been compromised," says Albohm. A pro can help you develop a program that will keep you fit without aggravating your weak links.
Expand your definition of athletic success. Some of the middle-aged cyclists and triathletes coached by Zawadzki are no longer achieving PBs–personal best times–but they get other benefits from their sport, she says. "They probably had to work really hard to be competitive when they were 25. At 50, there aren't as many competitors." Besides having a better chance at picking up a medal, she says, her athletes also focus on other benefits of the sport: the community of other athletes or the novelty of competing at different distances.