4 ways your workout should change after you turn 40….

“There’s no getting around biology: with the passage of time, we all become a little stiffer, squishier, and wobblier.  That said, the 40-something you, can be as strong as ever.”  This is the message claimed by Vonda Wright, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and mobility specialist, in a recent TIME article.  The trick she says, is exercising smarter.

As an example, my wife, Sherry’s, idea of staying fit has changed over the years.  When she was younger, it was aerobic dance, circuit training, and walking.  In her late 40’s, she found those ways of exercising simply did not work for her.  With the degenerative effects of aging and wear and tear on her body, she had developed multiple orthopedic problems: a torn rotator cuff, herniated lumbar discs, neck and back pain, scoliosis, and osteoporosis.  I saw how frustrating it was for her because she valued being trim, fit, and active.  Even sitting in the car on extended rides was too painful for her.   Her options at the time were limited: take addictive pain killers, have multiple surgeries, or simply become sedentary.  None of those were acceptable.  Fortunately, she was introduced to Dr Dave Luedeka by a friend who had been dealing with similar problems.

 Dr. Luedeka, D.P.T., C.S.C.S. was working on a novel approach to counter the wear and tear of aging and injuries.  Because of the success he had had in patients with cases similar to my wife’s, the word had spread.  Many of his patients were medical physicians and their families.  After nine months of physical therapy and strength & conditioning with Dr. Luedeka’s medical fitness model, Sherry was pain free and within the 90th percentile of strength for women her age. 

Today, she continues to utilize Dr. Luedeka’s exercise program.  At 68, Sherry maintains the strength, stability, bones, and fitness of a much younger woman.  (Women with orthopedic problems in their 40’s are usually worse or debilitated by their late 60’s.)

Dr. Luedeka’s Formula

* CKC or Closed Chain Kinetic exercises force the muscles, fascia, joints and tendons to restructure and stabilize along the entire body.  (Dr. Luedeka’s CKC Fitness program is now a proven model used by University athletic teams, professional athletes, the US Tennis team and hundreds of other people just like Sherry.)

* HIIT or High-Intensity Interval Training, which adds a cardiovascular component to CKC, is proven to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and diabetes.  It helps you manage your weight, get a good night’s sleep and look and feel better.

* Flexibility and Balance.  Remember how Dr. Vonda Wright, in her book Fitness after 40, recommends that people over 40 shouldn’t exercise more, they should exercise smarter?  The smart move is to improve your flexibility and balance.

*Functional Strength Training.  When you were younger you might have “hit the gym” to lift weights or do circuit training on a consistent basis.  But as you age, you need to build functional strength over strength in isolated muscle groups. The idea behind building functional strength is to improve your abilities using groups of muscles you would normally use in everyday life.

How to get all these in just one program…. Read on.

If you are interested in ‘exercising smarter’, we encourage you to contact us at The Renewal Point to learn more about how you can benefit.  Designed by Luedeka and carried out in our office by Matt Jones, ACSM/CPT, the CKC Fitness Program is a state-of-the art strengthening and conditioning program that can help the average person to the injured to the athlete. To schedule a complementary consultation or get more information,  call us at 941-926-4905, email us at info@therenewalpoint.com, or visit our website at TheRenewalPoint.com.