I recently celebrated a birthday, and as we all do realized how quickly time goes by and birthdays seem to force me to spend some time reflecting. They say we reach our peak physically between age 30 and 35 which is pretty depressing but some recent research offers a ray of hope for all of us that fall on the down hill side of that age range.
Studies indicate we can slow this trend significantly with high intensity resistance training which is encouraging but also presents some potential for causing injury. It would be wise to choose a professional to help guide you through this process. In our society there is an unusual amount of trust put in personal trainers for help in this area. This is a perplexing phenomenon to me because to become a personal trainer a weekend course and maybe a short exam is all that is required. Yes there is a lot of good information out there on the web but not all of it is good or right for you. Physical therapists (PTs) on the other hand spend a total of 7 years learning about human movement and how to safely improve the quality of that movement. We can carefully assess your strengths and weaknesses and come up with a plan to reach your goals safely.
Either way, I encourage anyone who is feeling the years slip away and wants to put up a fight as we age to regain and/or improve on their physical abilities to go out and do it. However, be safe and don’t let an unnecessary injury slow you down or stop you from attaining your goals.
For more information you may call us at 541-479-6936 with any questions. We regularly offer free screenings to the community for those who do not have health insurance or have high deductible payments.
Jesse Elliott, DPT Doctor of Physical Therapy with SiskiyouPT Grants Pass, Oregon.
