Can we get too much exercise? What happens when we overdo it? How do we feel? Will we recover?
These are questions I asked myself when I tore a bicep muscle (re-tear) several months ago and started a regimen with a Physical Therapist.
She had me start with light weights and bands to start healing and repairing the torn muscle. Yes I started with light resistance but soon was working my way up with more and more resistance. I went to the Physical Therapist once a week but she told me to do the movements a few days a week at home, too.
I enjoyed the results. Not only did my arm begin to repair itself, but also other upper body muscles were also exercised more than they had been in a long time. So I decided to experiment. I decided that “more is better”. That’s not good advice.
When I was “released” from the Physical Therapist, I decided to not only continue the exercises they gave me, but to do them much more often, to add on to them, to make them harder, and to add significantly more resistance. After all, wouldn’t doing more and doing them more often get me fast results. I would look great in the mirror too, wouldn’t I?
Well, this was two months ago. I got fatigued more easily and my muscles hurt from overuse — too much, too often. I over-concentrated more on the heavy resistance exercises and stopped doing the mostly Floor and Core exercises that I usually do to keep flexible and mobile. Yes, you need to exercise your arms, shoulders, back and upper body, but please don’t overdo it. It hinders rather than helps.
So I lost a bit of mobility and flexibility (important to seniors), and got fatigued faster, even during normal day to day activities. All because I overdid the exercise, didn’t allow enough time for recovery, and didn’t follow my own advice.
I have since stopped adding resistance and have re-instituted a maintenance program of physical movement. I’ve eased up a bit and am back to my previous schedule. I feel much better now.
Why do I tell you this? Because I promote exercise for energy. When overexercise takes away energy instead of increases energy, you need to change your pattern. Younger folks can handle rapid increases in resistance and effort. We older folks need to be a bit more careful.
So I will repeat my message. Yes, in order to build energy and not lose functionality as you get older, you need to move your body for a full range of motion, as well as use resistance to keep your muscles strong and useful. You start to lose muscle (Sarcopenia) as you age and it can be very debilitating if you don’t do something to prevent that muscle loss. Most of us are not interested in being body builders (male or female). But you want your body to continue to be able to do the things your body is meant to do, no matter what your age. The term for that is “Functional Fitness”.
The main message here is “DON’T OVERDO IT!” Start slowly and build up. You don’t have to turn into exercise maniacs, just enough to maintain your ability to use your body for what it is meant for as you get older, and still have something left over.
Next time, I’ll follow my own advice and be all the better for doing it. Lesson learned. I hope you learn from it, too.
Thank you for reading this SeniorFlow Moment. Feel free to leave a comment below.
