Sports for old age: alternatives to the fitness centre
Only a few people are enthusiastic about going to the gym. Although the number of elderly people going to the gym has increased, the traditionalists among pensioners say that it is not an option for them to exercise. If you too have reservations about going to the gym, here are some tips on alternatives to the gym for staying active in retirement.
Sport is an integral part of an active life and our society often defines a "healthy active lifestyle" with more or less ambitious sporting activity. In fact, seniors are also often confronted with the call to move "more". At the latest when visiting the family doctor and preventing age-related diseases, the doctor will emphasise that exercise will not do any harm. What is generally not known is that the "doctor-recommended framework" of exercise calls for anything other than high-performance sport, but is rather limited to regular walks or moderate sporting activities. So if you do your shopping on foot several times a week or walk to the city park on a sunny day to read a book, you are getting enough exercise from a purely medical point of view. At least enough to significantly reduce the risks of horror scenarios such as heart attacks or strokes. However, you can go even further. Alterix shows you what options are available.
What are the arguments against going to the gym?
A big reason for wanting to avoid exercise as much as possible in old age is the physical strain and accompanying discomfort. Fitness geeks will emphasise that hard training contributes to well-being. At an advanced age, this opinion will moderate itself. In general, fitness is very much in vogue and fitness centres are springing up on every corner where people practise lifting weights or take part in such euphonious courses as "step" and "Zumba". Such fitness centres certainly have no age limit, but one should assess whether this is really a type of exercise that goes hand in hand with "well-being". Although fitness chains tend to target the younger or youthful part of the population in their concept and also advertising, there are also "courses" and training programmes for older people.
The disadvantages of such "modern" fitness centres lurk a little in the details. For one thing, such fitness chains not infrequently come up with contract terms and training fees that can already represent a significant cost factor in retirement age. Secondly, trainers, course instructors and other staff tend to be trained for a younger clientele, if at all. They are rarely medically trained physiotherapists, but much more likely students in a part-time job. This "lack of knowledge" can lead to complications when putting together training plans, as the training equipment is quite capable of completely throwing off the circulation. Especially when medically untrained staff put together a training plan according to the "optics" of the other person, without taking into account any physical or medical restrictions that a trained physiotherapist would specifically ask about.
Alternative #1: Sports & gymnastics clubs
A "healthier" and absolutely cheaper option is sports and gymnastics clubs, which have been present in every city for generations. Everyone knows the HSV (Hamburger Sportverein) team, which has football in its repertoire as just one of many team sports. Just like football, there are many other sports that can be practised at HSV:
- Fencing
- Gymnastics
- Running
- Handball
- and many more.
Just like the HSV in Hamburg, there are sports or gymnastics clubs in almost every town and village whose founding date goes back a long way, and which basically every inhabitant of the communities also knows because their children or grandchildren go there for table tennis, bruising ball or apparatus gymnastics. These sports clubs offer all kinds of sports, many of which are of course also suitable for senior citizens and are not completely out of fashion and time. Of course, such clubs have also recognised that "Nordic walking" or "Zumba" are in vogue. As a result, it is almost certain that a corresponding training group has been formed in most of these clubs. Advantages also lie in the infrastructure of these clubs, which can use the sports facilities of schools and universities or are organisationally affiliated to them due to their long and sometimes traditional existence. Another, not insignificant point, is the low membership fees, which can hardly be compared to those of fitness chains. You will have to pay a fraction of the cost for a Zumba class at the local gymnastics club than at one of the fitness studios. In addition, as a member of a sports or gymnastics club, you can choose your sport and change if necessary. If you start with Zumba, you may want to try table tennis next year. Fitness temples" do not offer all these possibilities.
Special groups for seniors
Gymnastics clubs have also set up senior groups especially for seniors, which are usually supervised by trained staff. Since the trainers in gymnastics and sports clubs are mainly recruited from volunteers, the trainers will choose their sport more conscientiously than the student in the gym who nowadays "substitutes" to lead the Zumba class. It is not uncommon to find trained physiotherapists or sports therapists on the staff of gymnastics and sports clubs, who certainly know how to assess precarious situations much more responsibly. For an active sport in a group or even in a team, the traditional "gymnastics clubs" are highly recommended. Due to the demographics of their sports facilities, they will also be just as centrally located and at least as easy to reach as the fitness centres in the new business park.
Alternative #2: Sport on your own at home or in nature
This is complemented by sports, which can be practised alone at home or in nature without any membership contracts or fees. All sports equipment is freely available for purchase. Whether you need a rope for jumping or a pair of cross-country poles for Nordic walking, you should inform your doctor about your sporting career and get some tips if necessary to avoid overexertion. Every general practitioner will know the physical endurance of his or her patients and will be able to give valuable information and advice.
If you have no talent or ambition for physical activity at all, but are keen to tell your GP the happy news that you are now actively involved in sport, remember that chess is also a sport that is even recognised by the International Olympic Committee. So maybe a career as a competitive athlete in retirement age will work out after all. And without the danger of breaking your legs.
Guiding rule: Always choose sport according to your own well-being!
In general, you should only do sports that do not harm your physical well-being. Since the performance limits can be absolutely different, cycling or jogging may be suitable for one person, for the next the calmer Nordic walking and perhaps just a walk in the park. The sport of chess should not be mentioned here, although mental fitness and mobility certainly contribute to a happy life and well-being. Of course, it has no medical benefit in combating lack of exercise. Unless, of course, you join a chess club whose venue is so far from your own front door that the way there requires a "medically relevant" walk...
