Increasingly baby boomers, the generation cohort born 1946 – 1964, are planning an active and energetic life as they approach, or maybe already enjoy their retirement.
Unfortunately, years of accumulated wear and tear may have resulted in joint issues. Furthermore, a sedentary lifestyle with excessive sitting may have caused forward-head misalignment, hunched posture, and a stretched or weak back. Certain exercises can help to lessen the chance of developing more severe problems from these physical challenges.
Leanne & Fitness Tips Say:
Aging actively should be a priority for this age group. However, any program tailored for boomer must minimise risk, yet attain high reward.
Leanne’s tips for baby boomer workouts:
Choose a no-crunch Ab workout
Select exercises that do not involve the age old ‘crunch’. Baby boomers do not need any more reason to forward-round their bodies. Find exercises that require the head to stay on the mat or provide little to no opportunity to forward flex the neck.
Some good example are;
- Planking
- Reverse curl
- Reverse curl with oblique rotation
Activate the back!
Exercises that focus on glutes, hamstrings and back muscles. Try to use the pectorals, anterior deltoids and hip flexors.
Add standing balancing moves.
As we get older our balance is compromised, which could lead to falls. For this reason it is important to add some balancing exercises to your routine.
- Wide-stance staggered (one foot forward to the other, though not lined up) to
- Wide-stance parallel (most common) to
- Narrow stance staggered to
- Narrow stance parallel (feet and inner thighs touching) to
- Feet in one line but now heel to toe (i.e., space between front and back foot) to
- Tandem stance (feet lined up one in front of the other, heel to toe, more challenging) to
- One foot resting on top of the other or one leg lifted (most challenging)
Walking is another low impact exercise which is great for improving and maintaining overall health as we age. Read more about walking here.
