Hi and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.
It’s never too late to change your life and start running. But if you’re going to run in your later years, be extra careful, so you can stay active without damaging your physical health. Helping you on your journey to peak physical fitness, Mohsin Salya explains how to start running in your golden years.
There’s so many reasons you should strap those running shoes on. You can get a lot of health benefits from running – it can do everything from help you lose weight, to strengthen your heart, making it easier for you to ward off conditions such as heart disease. There’s also evidence to suggest that inactivity speeds up aging, so by staying active through running, you can maintain physical fitness.
It’s a good idea, when you begin running, to start slow and steady, only increasing your speed and running mileage once your body has adjusted to the strain. As a beginner runner, you should know that your body will adapt with time – no matter how old you are, but if you do too much, too fast, it’ll take a toll on your body. Start by running short distances three times a week and go from there!
It’s important to warm up and cool down your body before running, so it can bear the strain of physical activity, but it’s especially vital when you’re older, so you don’t do any permanent damage. Warm ups, such as stretching, will raise your muscle elasticity and reduce joint friction, allowing you to pound the pavement with ease, while cooling down will help you ward off any running-related aches and pains.
Diet is a key consideration for any runner, but it’s essential that as an older person, you follow a healthy diet full of leafy greens and oily fish. As an older runner, your knees and joints will be weaker – you need to support them, so you can run safely. This diet will give you the essential fatty acids, calcium and magnesium that are critical for bone and joint nutrition, making it easier for you to run.
An older runner needs to be a flexible runner, as this physical activity places a lot of strain on your already weak joints. If you make yourself flexible, you’ll be able to run without asking too much of your joints. It’s a good idea to take up activities which promote flexibility, such as yoga and Pilates – you could even take part in classes for these activities, so you can meet like-minded people too!
There’s nothing stopping you from running in your golden years. But remember that your body isn’t quite what it used to be, so you should do more prep as an older runner, giving you the ability to run safely. Also if you have any doubts, speak to your doctor before you start running and if you injure yourself, make sure you rest up for a while, so you can get the benefits of running no matter your age!
Until the next time,
Mohsin Salya.