So what is an ‘Old Lady Body’?
I did a blog last month that focussed on Bone Health in our later years. But I realised I haven’t fully explained the importance of training for the Old Lady Body and what I mean by it. At this point I should also add that I have ‘stolen’ this phrase from a fellow trainer on Instagram but it resounds so strongly with me, I now can’t stop using it. You should check her out at This Woman Lifts She even has T-shirts for sale with the slogan on!
I used to train people to help them lose weight and look good. Now my main focus is on making us all fit to be able to enjoy our old age to the fullest. What do you want to be able to do in your 80's? Will you be restricted to sitting in an armchair? Not easily able to get out of the house?
Or able to get out and do your own food shopping? Or even better, still be exercising and living life to the full? Going for walks in the park/countryside? Still able to play with the great grandchildren on the floor and not need a crane to get back up?!
Zoe Health recently had a podcast with Peter Attia which talked about the last decade of our lives. And what we want that to look like. He called it Centenarian Decathlon. A list of things that you want to be able to do in your last decade. Simple things that we take for granted now like going up and down stairs.
So an Old Lady Body is one that in your last decade is still working for you. To be able to enjoy life to the full without restrictions because of lack of strength, balance, energy or flexibility.
To do that, we need to start working on it NOW. The ideal time would be from your 30’s onward which is when things start to break down. But don’t worry if you didn’t do that, anything you do from now on will still help you make the most of your later years.
So I have made a list of things that I want to be able to do in my 80’s (and beyond hopefully!). It’s 8 so instead of a decathlon, for me it’s an Octathlon. Is that a word? I may have just made that up…. Any way here they are:
Get up and down from the floor without help
Get up 2 flights of stairs without problem.
Get up from a sofa without having to tip right the way forward or using my hands to lever myself up.
Be able to open a jar, bottle of water etc
Walk 3 miles without problem
Walk up a hill and take in the view
Be able to put on a pair of trousers standing up and not have to sit down to do it.
To still be training in some form. This could be the walking above, some resistance training, yoga etc. But still challenging myself.
All of these things require strength, flexibility, balance and some cardio fitness. So that’s what I am working on NOW.
When we do bootcamp, I will programme in routines that switch between a standing exercise i.e. lunges and a floor exercise i.e. mountain climbers. This ensures we are constantly practicing getting up from the floor. We also do a mix of resistance and cardio exercises to build muscle strength and cardio fitness. I also scatter in some balance and mobility exercises alongside cueing instructions to get the core and glutes joining in the move, even in the basics like side lunges. And of course, I always try to add in a bit of fun and silliness so that it’s not boring but enjoyable instead.
So what are you waiting for? Start making your list and then use that as a long term training plan. Because exercise isn’t just for post Xmas, it’s for LIFE! Life that is lived to the full, right to the end.