Column: Build those muscles and stay strong and healthy

With the Shelter Island 10K coming up next month, many are thinking about exercise and whether they’ve been keeping up with the standards they set for themselves for the new year.

Many seniors are always participants in this race that was started over 35 years ago. Last year’s 10K had  975 participants  and 116 of those were over 55. While the 5K drew 564 competitors  with 103 over 55.

One wheelchair competitor was over 55. Not bad!

Running is an aerobic exercise which is very beneficial for the aging brain and the aging body.

According to an article in “Psychiatric Times,” that was passed on to me by Senior Center Director Laurie Fanelli, “… regular, supervised aerobic exercise (two and a half hours per week) can help increase functional ability and enhance brain structure in older adults in cognitive decline.”

We must remember that aerobic exercise is great if your joints are fine. But we find that many seniors are  suffering from hip, knee and other joint issues.

Like that old question: What do you do if you have pains in the joints?

Stay out of those joints, of course!

But seriously, joint issues can greatly curtail a person’s ability to do aerobic exercise. So if joint replacement is not yet a reality, many different exercises are still possible.

I am reminded of ads that appeared on the inside covers of comic books and magazines in the 1950s. Those of us of a certain age remember the benefits being talked about for the Charles Atlas “Dynamic Tension” system. The ad had a picture of the 98-pound weakling at the beach having sand kicked in his face by the muscular bully who also had the girls. Well, after the use of Dynamic Tension the 98-pound weakling sets the bully straight.

The premise behind the exercise  was that all muscles act in antagonistic pairs. And that contracting both at the same time creates tension that builds up the muscles. Like the lion or tiger in the jungle stretching limbs with claws dug deep into a tree — there are no fat or skinny lions or tigers, just muscular ones.

When I was 13, I had a friend who sent for the Dynamic Tension package. I cannot remember the cost but we did get muscular, I think.

The best guideline for seniors, I believe, is to do what works for you. Walk, run, do push-ups, lift weights, stretch, breathe deeply, swim — which is particularly good for people with joint issues — get fresh air … the list goes on. But always let your doctor know what you are doing.

And do not over do anything.