Thread: Boomers, you gotta make that body last

Boomers, you gotta make that body last

By Janice Lloyd, USA TODAY
Updated 45m ago

Been there, felt that. Physical therapists are going online on Livestream today to tell Baby Boomers not to let any age-related aches and pains keep them from exercising.

"We get it," says Patrice Winter, a spokeswoman for the American Physical Therapy Association. "We understand movement, and we're older, so we also understand the challenges of aging and staying fit."

Winter, 57, says the association's Move Forward campaign has been doing "Fit for Life" chats on Twitter, and jumping to Livestream is the next step in using social media.

Now they can show proper techniques when they go live at moveforwardpt.com/livestream at 3 p.m. ET today. Viewers can submit questions at the Livestream website once the show starts.

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Winter has practiced clinical physical therapy for more than 35 years and is coordinator of elder-care programs and an instructor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

She is joined by Richard Jackson, 62, who has 40 years of clinical practice in the Northern Virginia area.

They will share their experiences about staying fit while aging, offer tips on preventing and managing pain and help people customize exercise programs.

"People think they can do the same thing at 50 as they did at 20," says Winter, who swam and skied when she was younger. "Our bodies don't like that. I want my body to last."

The most common complaint she hears, she says, "is people hurt all over."

Older discs, joints and tendons dehydrate and stiffen, becoming intolerant of pounding and jumping, but that's no reason not to be active, she says. "I have a troublesome disc in my lower back, and I know if I get that pain back there, I need to get up and walk more," she says. "If I can keep my tush strong, that pain will go away. If I can keep my trunk muscles strong, the pain will go way."

And though muscle mass decreases over time, strength can be improved at any age, she says.

"I can tell you I've lost muscle since my 40s," she says. "My shoulders aren't as broad as they used to be, but I'm almost as strong. By age 70, we have 20% less muscle mass."

Knowledge of the changes is empowering, she says.

Before injuring something, she says, know when to back off, when to take anti-inflammatories and how to use yoga or gentle stretching to make movement easier.

"As we age, we have to be more responsible with our bodies."

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-fo ... 47194448/1

I understand what they are saying but after 50 it seems like i hurt in more places than before,just 2 months ago i injured my shoulder put off going to DR.until i cuoldnt put up with it any more.He sent me to therapy 2 days of that my elbow swelled up from the therapy cant win for losing