What's the Best Fitness Program for Baby Boomers?

Fri. Jul 20, 2018

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Is there a fountain of youth for baby boomers? A growing body of exercise research indicates strength training is the best prescription against the effects of aging.

I remember being fascinated by the Age of Discovery when I first read about it in grade school. The world back then must have seemed like an O. Henry short story — marvelous discoveries and revelations waiting behind every corner.

One of the most famous of the Age of Discovery’s quests was the search for the fountain of youth in Florida by Ponce de Leon.

cantino planisphere A section of the Cantino Planisphere, the earliest known map depicting Portugese discoveries. At upper left is Florida and the east coast of the United States.

Although they have yet to find a literal fountain of youth in Florida, many active retirees have found it to be an ideal place to spend their twilight years in.

Aging and Fitness Choices

There is an important relationship between exercise and time. We measure our lives in terms of the span of our years but it’s also the life in our years that is of tremendous value.

Herein lies the valuable distinction between our chronological age and our actual age, a distinction made popular by celebrities like Dr. Oz.

Could it be that these septuagenarians have found something that eluded the Spanish conquistador?

Whether it’s tennis, golf or swimming, there are a number of ways to create an exercise effect through an activity you enjoy.

And that touches on an important truth about how many, young and old, approach exercise today. If it’s not fun, they won’t stick with it.

baby boomer fitness

Strength training can enable you to continue to excel at and enjoy your favorite activities.

What’s the Most Effective Form of Exercise for Baby Boomers?

The most effective form of exercise for extending life and vitality is strength training.

The strength training approach that best strikes a balance between effectiveness, time-efficiency and safety is a high intensity, slow motion approach like the one I employ at Inner Strength Fitness.

This form of exercise, although effortful, makes the muscles stronger, yielding stronger connective tissue, stronger bones, a more responsive cardiovascular system and numerous cellular health benefits.

And these benefits will not only extend the vitality of your years, they make every recreational activity you pursue more rewarding.

If strength training, properly performed, is not the fabled fountain of youth, I don’t know what is.

Feel free to book a phone appointment with me, Francisco Villalobos, owner of Inner Strength Fitness, to discuss these ideas and your fitness concerns.

Research: A Little Weight Training Yields Big Health Benefits

Weight training twice a week can reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke by 50%, according to a recent study publicized by the New York Times.

Can Short Workouts Be Effective?


Image of Cantino planisphere (1502) by Biblioteca Estense, Modena, Italy; via Wikipedia. Image is in the public domain. Photo of water skier by Mary Durden via Adobe license.