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5 Myths of Aging and Exercise—Busted!
Don’t let these myths keep you from being your most vital self as you age.
Posted May 20, 2021 Reviewed by Davia Sills
Key points
- Older adults do not have to accept the downhill slide of physical aging as inevitable.
- Myths about aging often keep people from exercise and other physical activity.
- Busting these five myths can be the first step toward motivating older adults to exercise for health, independence, and vitality.
This post was authored by Dr. Beth Templin, PT, DPT, GCS.
My guest blogger is Dr. Beth Templin, aka “Dr. Beth.” Dr. Beth holds a Clinical Doctorate in Physical Therapy and is a board-certified specialist in geriatric physical therapy. Her passion is helping people aged 55+ stay active and independent.
As a physical therapist who specializes in promoting fitness and wellness for older adults, I find that one of the biggest barriers to getting people to exercise regularly is false beliefs about aging and exercise. I spend much of my time busting myths of aging and explaining to people that they truly do have control over their aging path and don’t have to accept the downhill slide of aging as inevitable.
Most of the aging adults I speak to have the same goals: to stay active and independent and to live in their own homes as long as possible. If these are your goals, what could prevent you from achieving them? Usually, the biggest barriers are losing your strength and your ability to walk with ease.
As a matter of fact, difficulty with walking and stair-climbing are top complaints by older adults. When you begin to struggle with these two basic activities of life, you begin to lose the ability to successfully age in place. This is why participating in regular exercise is vital to living your life fully and staying in your own home.
Let me share with you some of the most common myths related to age and exercise:
Myth 1: “I’m too old to start exercising.”
This is completely false. Age does not play a role in your ability to exercise. Research on healthy aging shows that exercise for aging adults is not only safe but beneficial. People can safely begin to exercise in their 70s, 80s, and beyond. It’s never too late to get started, and it does not matter if you’ve never exercised before.
No matter what your current age or fitness level, your body benefits from exercise. In fact, exercise is such an important part of healthy aging that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 150-300 minutes of physical activity each week for all ages, stretching its former recommendation of 150 minutes per week. However, any amount of exercise is beneficial, from formal exercise to "exercise snacks"—just moving around a little whenever you can.
Myth 2: “Walking is enough.”
I tell my clients all the time that walking is one of the single best exercises out there for you. But is it enough? The answer is no. While walking is a great way to work on your endurance, it does not specifically address the other four areas of fitness: strength, balance, posture, and flexibility. In order to stay active and independent, you need to address all of these areas with your fitness routine.
For a well-rounded exercise program, participate in a variety of activities. It’s also important to make sure that the activities you choose are challenging enough to make positive changes in each of the areas of fitness. Too many times, people just don’t push themselves hard enough to reap the benefits. So, while I recommend a walking program to all of my clients, it should not be the only activity in your exercise toolkit.
Myth 3: “I shouldn’t lift heavy weights; I might hurt myself.”
While weight-lifting may be a little intimidating to those who have little or no experience, it can be done at any age with minimal risk of injury as long as it is done correctly. Why do it? Because you need to be able to safely lift heavy things in your day-to-day life. For example, a full gallon of milk weighs approximately 8 pounds, and those super-size laundry detergent bottles weigh about 12 pounds.
When you start to lose your strength, you are more likely to lose your independence. Usually, poor strength will show up as difficulty with going up and down the stairs, trouble getting up from a low chair, or being unable to get up and down from the floor without help. In addition to losing your independence, another concern is risk of injury. As you get weaker and are challenged with lifting something heavier, your risk of hurting yourself increases dramatically.
Myth 4: “Exercise will only make my arthritis worse, so I need to rest.”
This is false. The Arthritis Foundation actually supports exercise as a way to help manage your arthritis! It may seem logical that increased activity will cause more damage to your joints, but research supports the idea that exercise is the best way to manage arthritis pain without the use of pain medications or surgery.
I find myself telling clients that “motion is lotion” all the time, and it’s really true. Our bodies were designed to move. The biggest challenge for most people is finding the right kind of exercise to help relieve their arthritis aches and pains. Another benefit of exercise is it helps you to maintain your independence, even if the pain doesn’t completely resolve. (Learn to talk back to chronic pain here.)
Myth 5: “It’s not safe for me to exercise due to my current health condition.”
Incorrect. Many health conditions can be improved by proper diet and exercise, including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. In fact, there isn’t a chronic medical diagnosis out there that doesn’t benefit from exercise. The key is finding the right kind of exercise to get the benefits.
If you are unsure about the right kind of exercise for your condition, consult a physical therapist. Physical therapists are movement specialists. We are highly trained in various medical issues and know how to safely create, adapt, and monitor an exercise program to meet your needs. We focus on helping you improve your activity level, your independence, and your overall health. When needed, we will work closely with your physician to make sure your exercise routine is safe for you.
I hope that you’ve found this information helpful. Whether you haven’t exercised in a long time, or you’ve never really exercised before, there’s no reason why you can’t start to move more now. Exercise is truly the key to staying active, strong, and engaged in life as you age. Once you realize this and prioritize exercise in your life, you’ll never look back.
© Dr. Beth Templin, 2021.
