EXERCISING AFTER 60

It doesn't mean wearing a velvet jacket with dandruff on your shoulders, watching the news at lunchtime and saying over and over again that "things were better in my day". No, that's just a stereotype.In all seriousness, though, ageing means that cells that have lived and worked well during your life are gradually starting to take a rest. It's your senses that feel it first.First there's presbyopia (long sightedness) to a greater or lesser extent depending on the individual, and then presbycusis (age-related hearing loss), which will come and tickle your ears. These declines (I tried to find a softer word, but couldn't) are linked to the ageing of the connections in the nervous system and also involve a slowdown in motor skills and memory loss.

What happens physically? Between the ages of 30 and 70, muscles lose half their weight and bone density decreases, leading to a loss of strength and balance and weaker joints. Similarly, the ribcage loses its elasticity, leading to a reduction in respiratory capacity.But let's put things into perspective: ageing is the same for everyone, and having an awareness of how your body changes, makes it easier to understand why sport helps us to age better.

The good news is that physical activity delays cell ageing, which is why sportspeople often look younger than their age ;). Generally speaking, sport stimulates the brain and coordination, promotes balance and helps to combat memory loss and cardiovascular diseases. Getting old is always better when you're in good health.

 

Protect and strengthen your heart with endurance activities. Long, low-intensity activity combats high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases such as cholesterol and diabetes.

Dr Boudjemaa, a sports physician, gave me his recommendations.There's no risk involved in taking up sport at 60 if the activity in question is adapted to a person of that age, if it's done gradually and the body is given enough time to recover, through rest, diet, hydration and sleep. "The body is like a car: you need to service it regularly, keeping an eye on the engine (the heart), the body (the skeleton and musculature) and the timing belt (the joints)."Preventative healthcare can detect problems at an early stage and limit their consequences. According to Dr Boudjemaa, the best way to do sport is to keep going once you've started and to adapt your physical activity to your age. When getting back into sport or taking it up again, it's advisable to have a full check-up first:

- A resting electrocardiogram (ECG), depending on individual risk factors, every two to three years.

- A cardiac stress test if the activity you plan to return to is intensive

- A blood test

Dr Boudjemaa also stresses the importance of psychological and mental health “You're as old as you feel.Every time of life is extraordinary.Days shouldn't just be 'good', they should be 'wonderful'!"

Fitness walking

Fitness walking, also called power walking or speed walking, is a sport where you walk faster than you would do normally. It's an activity in which you work on your breathing and stamina and engage nearly every muscle in your body. 

In reality, all sports help when it comes to developing coordination and balance.However, there's one energetic form of exercise I want to focus on in particular: Tai chi chuan. As well as toning the body and making it more flexible, Tai chi chuan develops coordination by linking slow, fluid, focused and controlled movements together. This mind-body discipline boosts memory and cognitive capacity.It also helps declutter your mind and reduce stress.

Looking for a new sport? Well, there's no age at which you can't start.Just look for an association, school or group that has a senior or veterans section so you can find your level.

Karate-health exercises boost concentration and the development of cognitive skills, alleviating the memory and coordination problems that come with ageing.

Archery requires precision, control, concentration, physical skill and determination.Archery is an all-round sport that is open to everyone and helps develop strength, coordination, patience and self-confidence. And it might surprise you to learn that archers do plenty of walking as well, because they have to pick their arrows up.

From salsa to rumba and cha cha cha to bachata, dance in general is good for your balance, coordination, breathing and memory.What's so good about Latin dance is that it moves every joint in the body, especially the pelvis, an area that needs to stay flexible because it helps reduce back pain. Dancing in pairs also helps reduce stress and builds friendships.

Dr Boudjemaa recommends you do it every two days. "Ideally, you should be able to include at least three activities a week in your exercise programme: a cardio workout, a muscle-strengthening session and some stretching, all combined with a little rest or some meditation. Sessions should last around 50 minutes. On top of this, you should be doing 10,000 steps a day, as recommended by the WHO.Thirty minutes of activity a day is fine, but 90 minutes to two hours is better if you want to feel the real benefits of physical activity."

It's up to you to decide how intense you want that activity to be. There's no need to suffer. It's all a question of having fun.When you're exercising after 60, it's important to get proper support from sports experts such as coaches or adapted activities instructors.You have to listen to yourself and take care, but without allowing little aches and pains to stop you from exercising, because then you get into a vicious circle:the less you move, the harder it is to move.