Body Building After 40

by | Aug 23, 2016 | Supporting Each Other

When I was in high school I remember going to the gym with my older sister and her boyfriend. Her boyfriend was a body builder. The vision I have of him working out is lifting these metal barbells with weights on them that weighed a ton, him bending down lifting them to his middle and then up over his head and then throwing it on the ground while grunting and flexing his muscles. My sister and I did aerobics and cheered him on as he did his routine. This image plays in my mind whenever I hear people talk about body building. The truth is body building and strength training are the same thing. And it doesn’t necessarily involve lifting giant weights above your head or grunting. No matter what age, it is important to work your muscles. We may need to work slower and differently than we did when we are in our 20’s, but nevertheless, it is important to do some sort of body building or strength training as we age.

Body building or strength training has two components to it, the goal is to build muscular strength and muscular endurance. The reason why we want to build our muscles is because after the age of 30 people, both male and female, start losing a ½ a pound of muscle a year. Scary, isn’t it?

Muscles allow us to walk strong and tall as we age. Who wants to be hunched over as we walk? I know I don’t.

Here are some things to know about body building for any age:

  1. You learn self-discipline. Learning discipline doesn’t just help with exercise routines, but many other aspects of life.
  2. Patience is required. Don’t go for quick fixes. To build healthy muscles it takes time, effort, and dedication to your wellness.
  3. Find someone like Karen from Wellness Works NW who has knowledge about how the body works and what exercises are best for you to rebuild your muscles. And what exercises to avoid when you are chronically ill.
  4. Be realistic about your limitations and your strength.
  5. If your cardiovascular system is not healthy, start doing cardio first to build your heart muscle.
  6. Finally, always check with your physician about exercise if you have any health problems. Communication with all your team members is key to a wonderful wellness plan.

Personally, having strong muscles became my personal goal after I watched someone that I loved dearly pass away. He was 58 when he died, he couldn’t lift himself out of his chair. He spent all his time sitting, working on WebTV and watching TV. The only time he got up was to go to the bathroom and to bed. For me, I made an intentional decision that I do not want to die in the way that I saw him. So when I was diagnosis with my autoimmune illnesses and my tracheal stenosis I made finding a way to keep my leg muscles strong. Currently I am doing pool therapy. I want you to know that no matter what shape you are in, poor like me or the strongest man in the universe you can always find a way to move your legs, arms, core, and butt muscles.

I know that when you get a diagnosis, shame, fear, doubt, and feelings of hopelessness messages play in your mind. I’m experiencing that myself at this moment. That is when I watch movies that inspire me, such as Race, Ben-Hur, Spartacus, or any movie that has someone who is losing everything but works hard and kicks butt. I am a firm believer that no matter what illness, fitness level, age, or how you have been traumatized you can stand up and get well again. It is all up to you. It is not going to be easy and you will probably have to get messy. I promise it will be worth. I want that for you my dear readers. Heck, I want it for myself. Let’s support and encourage each other.

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JamieHollowayJamie Holloway lives in the Portland, Oregon area. Since October 2011 she has been sharing her Journey Toward Health and Wellness with Vasculitis through her blog at JamieChasesButterflies.com. As most of her articles will be about Men’s Health, Jamie intends to write her articles as though she was sharing important information with her brother, nephews and friends. This article was originally written for Wellness Works NW. We hope you are as inspired as we are with the raw candor Jamie uses in her writing.

For more information Contact Jamie.

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