A sure sign of Spring . . .
KAA-Boomer bikers rev up and hit the road!

Keep moving!

Growing older doesn't mean slowing down. Most KAA-Boomers are just getting started. Many are planning for the future by building a retirement nest egg, others are planning to start all over again in a new country by retiring abroad, and others can't wait to free their inner entrepreneur.

But without planning to remain vigorous, energetic and strong through regular exercise, those plans will come to naught.

Let's face it, the older you get, the more important exercise becomes. Okay, you may never achieve the strength and fitness you had in your twenties, but regular exercise after 50, 60, 70, 80 and beyond can help keep you strong, flexible, healthy and enjoying life.

Regular aerobic exercise - activity that increases your heart rate - helps maintain a healthy weight, keeps the heart and lungs working efficiently, lowers blood pressure and improves stamina and energy levels.

Stretching exercises, such as yoga and Pilates, improve flexibility in joints, tendons and ligaments. Strength training keeps muscles toned and strong, lowering your risk of osteoporosis and slowing the progression of osteoarthritis. Maintaining strong muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments also helps your balance and thus reduces the risk of falls later in life.

Regardless of the type of exercise, you can increase the benefits of your workout and get the "training effect" by pushing to exhaust your muscles (within recommended limits), then taking the time to recover for a day or two before exercising again at that intensity.

In your 80s and 90s, your independence depends on the simple ability to get in and out of a chair, bed, or bath, or on and off the loo. And that, in turn, depends on your knee joints' ability to lever you up with the help of your quadriceps (those large muscles on the front of the thigh). If your quadriceps lose their strength - you lose your ability to live independently.

But regular physical activity has many other benefits. It reduces your chances of developing the diseases of aging: heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and certain cancers. And as physical fitness levels improve, so does your emotional and mental fitness. Regular exercise has been shown to help reduce stress and ease the symptoms of depression and anxiety.

So why are less than 25% of older people active? Keeping fit can be as easy as taking a brisk 30-minute walk three times a week, adding some light weight lifting and a yoga DVD session - or as rigourous as hiring a personal trainer to put you through your paces at the local gym or home. The secret is to find an exercise routine that fits your lifestyle - with your doctor's approval of course.

So get moving. You're in training for the most productive and exciting years of your life!

Nominate your employer for the Best Employers Award for 50 Plus Canadians! How does your workplace recognize the value of its 50-plus workforce? Are there policies or practices specially geared to engage or accommodate the needs of older workers? It's easy to enter your company for this prestigious award. Find out more.

For more information relating to KAA-Boomers in the workplace, you might want to check out the current issue of KAA-BOOM, an e-letter intended to foster awareness and highlight issues and trends regarding the mature worker.

Let us know what works for you. We'd love to hear your comments, suggestions and feedback.
newsletter@kaa-boom.com