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Why Exercise Is Important
By Bob | April 6, 2008
I teach a Pilates class at a local gym and was explaining the importance of exercises like the Monkey Squat. Not only does it teach you correct lifting technique, but it also exercises the leg and core muscles that enable you to get out of a chair. I was explaining how important it is, particularly as you get older, to have the strength to get up from a chair without having to use your arms.
At the end of the class one of the ladies asked me what type of exercise she could get her husband to do, because he was having difficulty getting out of his armchair unassisted. Now this lady’s husband was only in his early sixties, but had recently been ill and had therefore become inactive. I suggested he start walking (after checking with his doctor) to help gently strengthen his legs and then get him to come to class.
This man had spent over 40 years in the armed forces - I would have expected him to get back into shape fairly quickly. So why hadn’t he?
I think the answer is that changes caused by inactivity happen so gradually that people just don’t realise how badly out of shape they are getting. Until the day they can’t get out of their favourite chair unassisted!
The body does not like inactivity, and if we don’t work it our metabolism slows down (we lose muscle mass) and the more muscle we lose the harder it is to do anything so we lose even more muscle. It becomes a vicious circle and often leads to almost total inactivity.
The solution is simple - Keep Active! Go to the gym, take classes, do Pilates, walk…Do anything that keeps you moving. If you’ve been ill, start exercising gently as soon as your doctor tells you it’s safe. Don’t vegetate. Remember if you don’t use it you’ll lose it!
All the best,
Robert E Bartram
(Pilates Instructor)
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