I’m Not 20 Anymore: Exercising to Prevent Injury

One day, around age 36, I woke up and realized that I was not 20 anymore. I was experiencing more pain after certain workouts, and I felt like it took my body longer to recover. I have been through a handful of surgeries and injuries that have changed the way my body responds to certain activities since my 20’s. It can be hard for people to accept that their bodies are constantly changing and that they may need to modify their activity to remain active and help prevent injury.

“I ran a marathon when I was 25 but it’s so much harder to get back into running now,” says my 39-year-old client who has pushed a child out of her body since her running days.

The same goes for weight loss. People over age 30 are often surprised to discover that losing five pounds is much more challenging than it was when they were younger. Constantly trying to fit into a pant size that felt good when you were in college is aggravating and can even lead to struggles with body image and mental health.

It is very common to make comparisons to the previous version of YOU. Sometimes, this can be a detriment to making healthy lifestyle changes because it is easy to become discouraged and not do anything at all. 

My advice: modify your exercise routine! Make sure that you are choosing activities that agree with your body. If you have low back pain, you should be doing core strengthening exercises routinely. If you have a bad knee, the bike is your best friend. Get achy joints? Jump into the swimming pool! Stop trying to do the activities that you used to be able to do if it doesn’t make your body feel good. Explore new ways to exercise and adjust appropriately. Still want to run that half marathon, OK, but make sure you are doing cross training while clocking miles during training to prevent injury. Check out this article for more information on preventing common exercise injuries.

Need help constructing a new exercise routine? I’d be happy to help you :)