When I retired 8 years ago Kelly and I knew I would need to
replace the daily interactions I had with coworkers. Social interactions are
important for our mental health and play a role in reducing the risk of conditions
such as schizophrenia and depression. In
fact, I just read an interesting article that talked about how good it can make
you feel when you help someone else.
OK – I hear you thinking “What does this all have to do with
retirement?”
Retirement afforded me the chance to “scratch” the fitness
itch that had persisted through many years of lunch-hour workouts. Rather than 30 or 45 minutes, I could work
out as long as I wanted! This allowed me
to ramp up my time at the gym to over 3 hours each weekday while giving me the
“people” time I lost when I retired.
Social interaction and fitness – what better recipe for retirement?
Gyms are a challenge for many people. Way too many folks think working out is just
not fun, a drag, or not something they will ever try. As part of my gym “social reality”, I think
it is important to do what I can to make others feel welcome. Saying “Hey”, “Wow – well done”, or heck, any
simple compliment helps people feel better about being there, and hopefully
encourage them to show up tomorrow.
Back to what I read – the best way to feel better is to make
someone else feel better. What better
place than at the gym, where most folks are uncomfortable and feeling out of
place?
I start my workouts with 30 minutes on an exercise
cycle. Great opportunity to say hello to
folks as they walk by and catch up on the news, in that we don’t have a
TV. Once warmed up I spend 45 minutes
stretching and doing simple balance and core exercises - my “Wellness”
session. These sessions keep me flexible
enough to do the workouts that I enjoy while incorporating both core and
balance exercises.
I would say they are easy exercises, but that totally
depends on a person’s fitness level. My
Wellness sessions proved immensely popular at 24 Hour Fitness and are growing
at the Cascade Athletic Club where I now workout. Participants range from teen-age to gentlefolks
in their 80’s. These sessions are
another way for people to connect with others – one of the truly heart-warming
paybacks is when I see a teenager helping someone old enough to be their great
grandparent. WOW.
Having stretched I move into my workout routine. Each day has a different focus, but all
emphasize core, balance and flexibility.
Strength comes right along, but not strength focused on individual
muscles, more strength developed while doing things in tune with the moves we
make every day. Specifically those moves
that can pop our backs out and leave us hunched over for days. The goal is to get the bodies’ core strong
enough to defend our backs!
Being a Certified Personal Trainer with a focus on
biomechanics, my goal is to strengthen joints and musculature while avoiding
injury. For me, and for the folks who
choose to work out with me. A typical
day will see teenagers working out with folks in 50’s – all focused on building
strength while avoiding injury. As with
the stretch sessions, there is nothing like seeing a 17 year old assist a 40 or
50 year old in a challenging move.
OK – my workouts are not what you normally think of when
picturing working out. Heck, people have
asked me if I do anything at all that is normal! Problem is, even with the 15 to 20 hours a
week I spend at the gym, there are so many muscles to develop. One cannot work even a fraction of our
musculature if focused on individual muscle groups. And, to make things more interesting, my
exercises usually entail both balance and strength – with a goodly dose of core
thrown in. A great example is what I
call my “Old Man Pushup”.
Then, once a week, we break out the gymnast’s rings and
spend a session focused on moves more appropriate for a member of Cirque du
Soleil. None of us are ready for the
big-time, but we all enjoy the challenge.
Best of all – Cascade’s management wants to develop a sense
of community at their gyms and accepts my guiding others whilst helping them
achieve their fitness goals.
While giving me the social interaction and camaraderie that
is so much a part of a great workout.
As an aside, with my wife’s work in Legacy’s joint
replacement group, I am very mindful of the challenges we all face when
aging. Past 60, a simple fall is, at
best, painful. At worst they are life
changing or even threatening. Balance,
core, aging gracefully – these all go hand in hand.
Retirement is truly a time to achieve our life-long
goals. For me, fitness goes hand in hand
with ageing gracefully. And time at the
gym gives me a chance to make others feel a bit better about themselves, which
just makes me feel that much better about myself.
See you at the gym!
Steve is a retired engineer who spends each weekday
afternoon from around 2 to 5 at the Cascade Athletic Club in Vancouver. He welcomes you to come check out his Wellness
sessions!
This article was published in Lacamas Living!
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