Prime Time - Jane Fonda [40]
Get the therapist to help you understand the underlying causes of your problem: what muscle weaknesses and joint immobility brought you into therapy, and what exercises you can do to address them. Treating the cause of the problem is usually much more effective than treating the symptoms. Many such therapists can be reimbursed through health insurance.
For example, I learned from my manual therapist that my posture had contributed to my back, neck, and shoulder pain. The slight rounding of my shoulders (begun, as with so many women, in adolescence) had gradually gotten worse. The smaller back muscles that pull our shoulders back had weakened, causing pressure on my neck and shoulders. Doing something about it after years of neglect is hard, and correct posture feels awkward at first—at least it did for me. But with practice, it has become (almost) second nature. (My therapist says it takes six weeks on average to reeducate the muscles.) I now check regularly to make sure that while I sit at my computer or at the movies, in a restaurant, or in the car, I always use good posture.
Flexibility
How important it is to keep our muscles, tendons, and ligaments flexible is the final point I want to make about physical fitness in the Third Act. Flexibility can protect us from injury no matter our age, but it is especially critical when all these body parts are beginning to lose their mobility and to stiffen. It is best to stretch after working out, and to hold each stretch for at least twenty seconds. It takes that long for the muscle to fully relax and release. Yoga can be an excellent way to maintain flexibility, although you should start with a gentle form. So can Pilates and tai chi.
PILATES
The Pilates method seeks to develop controlled movement from a strong core; it does this using a range of apparatuses to guide and train the body. Each piece of equipment has its own repertoire of exercises, and most of the exercises involve resistance training, since they make use of springs to provide additional resistance.
TAI CHI
The ancient art of tai chi uses gentle, flowing movements to reduce stress, improve balance, and help with a variety of other health conditions. Each posture flows rhythmically into the next without pause, ensuring that your body is in constant motion. The movements are coordinated with your breathing to help you achieve a sense of inner calm. The concentration required for tai chi forces you to live in the present moment, putting aside distressing thoughts.
Tips on Walking
Walking can be as good for weight loss as running. Here’s one comparison: Say you are a 145-pound, sixty-year-old woman. If you run for 30 minutes at 5 miles per hour, you will burn about 285 calories. If you walk for 30 minutes at 4 miles per hour, you will burn 165 calories on a level surface, 225 calories on a slight incline, and 360 calories on a 10 percent incline. Don’t underestimate the power of a brisk walk!
Posture is key: Your shoulders should be back and down, your head high and directly over your neck. Look straight ahead (to anticipate obstacles) and take long, smooth strides, with your arms swinging freely. Be sure to breathe.
Wear lightweight, breathable, supportive, comfortable shoes with a flexible, cushioned sole to absorb impact. Different shoes work better for different feet.
Warm up for a few minutes before you begin your walk.
Try using walking poles. They help with balance, take a little weight off your joints, and encourage you to use more muscle groups, so you will burn more calories. Good ones have rubber tips and wrist straps. (Go to leki.com, bdel.com, or anwa.us for more information about walking with poles, which is sometimes called “Nordic walking.”)
Here-and-There Exercise
It’s not simply doing thirty or forty minutes of moderate exercise every day that will keep you healthy. What you do, here and there, during the