Don't Let Age Keep You from Enjoying Sports

As you grow older, you might think it’s time to give up on sports. But while you may be slowing down – and not recovering as quickly as you once did – there’s no reason for your age to keep you from enjoying an athletic lifestyle.

In fact, striving to maintain your athleticism can help you avoid the loss of muscle mass and bone density, reducing your risk for trips, falls and broken bones down the road. The key is understanding that you may need to take extra precautions and use a few injury-minimizing tactics to keep you healthy and active. So, let’s look at five strategies:

Warm Up and Cool Down

It’s difficult to put a specific duration on this as needs vary from person to person. But plan to spend 10 to 15 minutes warming up before your activity begins, followed by a similar amount of time cooling down afterward.

Warming up gets your blood flowing and helps your body get ready for activity. Dynamic stretching or warmups can be a safer, more effective option before exercise instead of static stretching. You also want to get your body prepared for the specific activity, but don’t forget the upper body when you are doing lower body heavy activities. Whatever sport you are getting ready for, include some of the same movements in your warmup routine.

Afterward, it may be tempting to head straight to the shower. But your body will also benefit from stretches and some of the same movements you used during your warmup. It helps to gradually reduce your heart rate and can help prevent muscle soreness.

Stretch for Flexibility

Stretching is important, not just for athletics, but for maintaining your health in general. It helps to keep your body flexible, which has a range of benefits, including:

• Increases the range of motion in your joints
• Improves posture
• Reduces muscle tension and stiffness
• Boosts blood circulation
• Reduces stress

Your doctor or a physical therapist can help you devise a regular stretching program to incorporate into your weekly routine.

Be Honest

If you take care of yourself, there’s no reason you can’t run with athletes half your age. But you need to be honest with yourself regarding your fitness and current level of athleticism. Maybe you used to be pretty good at soccer. But if you’ve been sitting on the couch for the past decade, think twice before jumping straight into a weekend soccer match. That’s a recipe for injury.

Setting realistic expectations can help keep you safe. If your goal is to get back to your former level of athletic activity, set achievable goals that help you work back to where you want to be. And if you have difficulty hitting your interim goals, it may be time to revisit and modify your plans.

Consider Lower Impact Activities

To extend your athletic endeavors as you get older, it may help to switch activities. If you are a runner, for example, you may develop chronic aches or pains (sometimes from previous injuries) that make it challenging and uncomfortable to keep running. A switch to biking could take some of that stress off your muscles and joints without sacrificing your active lifestyle. Don’t give up completely on load-bearing activities, however. They play a critical role in helping to maintain good skeletal health and stronger bones, which can reduce the risk for conditions like osteoporosis.

Listen to Your Body

This advice differs, depending on whether you are an experienced athlete or someone who is just getting started. Veteran athletes should know the difference between soreness and pain. It is natural to be sore after exercising or exerting yourself. But when you feel pain, that’s your body telling you something is wrong. Ignoring that warning is a sure way to find yourself sidelined by injury.

Newer athletes, however, may have more difficulty determining what’s normal and what’s potentially dangerous. It’s like trying to read an instruction manual in a language you don’t understand. Before getting started, consider seeking the advice of a doctor, physical therapist or trainer with expertise in sports to help you better understand your body’s reactions and warning signals.

This content is not AI generated.