The sun is shining, the breeze is gentle, and you’re knee-deep in your garden, nurturing your prized tomatoes.
Or maybe you’re out on the softball field, swinging for the fences with your team.
Perhaps you’re gliding along a bike bath, feeling the wind in your hair and the freedom of the open road.
Whatever your passion, one thing certain: as active adults, you’re not letting age slow you down.
But let’s be honest – along with the joy of staying active comes the occasional twinge, ache or pain.
Maybe it’s a sore back from hours spent in the garden, or creaky knees after a softball game.
As someone who shares your passion for staying active, I’ve faced my fair share of challenges.
Despite having bad knees, ankles and previous head injuries, I’ve found it incredibly difficult to hang up my cleats and sit on the sidelines.
Soccer isn’t just a game to me – it’s a source of joy, camaraderie, and sheer exhilaration.
Whatever the source, these aches and pains can put a damper on our favourite activities.
And they leave us wondering if we should hang up our garden gloves or retire our running shoes and baseball bats for good.
Well, good news… You don’t have to do that!
There’s a secret weapon in our arsenal against aches and pains:
Strength Training.
Yes, you hear that right – lifting weights isn’t just for the young guns at the gym.
In fact, it’s one of the best things we can do to keep ourselves feeling strong, resilient, and pain-free as we age.
You see, as we get older, our muscles naturally start to lose strength and mass.
This can lead to a whole host of issues, from decreased mobility to increased risk of injury.
Strength training can help reverse this trend.
I made a commitment to myself to prioritize regular strength training workouts, not as a chore, but as a means of preparing my body for the demands of the game. And let me tell you – it’s made all the difference.
While focusing on building strength, I’ve been able to decrease the amount of pain I experience before, during and after I play.
By lifting weights regularly, we can build and maintain muscle mass, improve balance and coordination, build bone mass, strengthen ligaments, and protect our joints from injury.
Here’s the thing – strength training isn’t a one-and-done deal.
It’s not enough to hit the gym a few times when we’re feeling achy and then call it quits once the pain subsides.
No, if we want to truly reap the benefits of strength training, we need to make it a regular part of our routine – even when everything feels fine.
So, let’s make a pact to prioritize strength training in our fitness regimen.
Let’s commit to showing up, lifting those weights, and investing in our long-term health and happiness.
Because when we do, we’ll not only be able to continue enjoying all the activities we love, we’ll be doing them better, stronger, and with a whole lot less pain.
Here’s to staying active, staying strong, and staying unstoppable – no matter what aches and pains we may have.
