HOh, you know when to slow down? Ever since I decided to live to be 100 years old, I’ve always thought that way. Of course, you may not survive. But if you do, exercise is a huge plus, along with healthy eating and (seriously, kids, this isn’t really rocket science) evidence-based medicine over health influencers and coffee enemas. I look forward to playing my role.
Bone density, muscle mass, and cardiovascular fitness all decline with age. Mobility and balance also take a hit. Exercise can slow or reverse most of these effects. protect our brains. It does not guarantee a long and independent life, but it increases the chances.
And while it can make you happier, I only realized this after decades of overworking and underestimating my body. It wasn’t until I was in my 40s that I discovered how much I enjoyed hiking, swimming, and skiing. I was in my 50s, before I fell in love with running. I was in my 60s before I started yoga. I know it sounds crazy, but even though I’ve spent over 22,000 days on earth, I’m just getting started.
I don’t want to think that I’m already too vulnerable to something more hardcore like gymnastics or CrossFit or, dare I say it, cliff diving or parkour. I watch videos of people in their 20s doing it. handspringAs you bounce from rooftop to rooftop, letting gravity take over your fingers, all you can think is, “I want that!”
Then I remembered that I am 61 years old and have the muscles, joints, and bones of a 61-year-old. If I tried, how long would it be before I tear, sprain, or break something?
Actually, that’s the wrong question. How long does it take before you tear, sprain, or break something? Other than that?My right knee has been swollen, weak, and tender for several months due to a torn meniscus.? This C-shaped cartilage is supposed to act as a kind of shock absorber, but for me it creates more pain. It hurts even when I run, climb a lot of stairs, or sit for long periods of time. Yoga is also closed. This is because we often get carried away with the flow and end up bending over or sitting on things we shouldn’t.
At least some of my knee problems are due to wear and tear. Every time you experience swelling, throbbing, or cramping, you’re attesting to the fact that the older you get, the harder it is to avoid and recover from injuries. I’m not going to lie – there have been times when I’ve been sad with a capital S.
Afterwards, I remembered being able to walk for hours without any problems and regaining the use of both arms. If you do it carefully, you can also strengthen your knees. In fact, I have to. My rehabilitation plan includes endless squats, raises, deadlifts, and stretches to strengthen my leg muscles.
My physical therapist, who is also a runner, encourages me to exercise in ways that are not harmful. That’s why I really enjoy doing gymnastics, which mainly work my upper body with rings or a pull-up bar, and doing handstands, which don’t involve much use of my legs except for a little kick.
A good instructor will find it helpful to “regress” exercises as needed. In fitness, this is what we call “making things easier.” Deborah Lee I am a personal trainer based in Grantham, Lincolnshire. She is the same age as me and is used to dealing with injured and elderly customers. “You and I are from a generation that always had to ‘try hard,’” she says. “Unless your face is red and your veins are popping out, you’re not trying hard enough. We now know otherwise.”
Anyway, this is a mixture of frustration and ambition that brings me to a converted railway arch in east London, where I nervously head towards a mini-trampoline. I hope that when I bounce back, I can fly high enough to manage at least a half forward roll before slamming into the crash mat that has been set up to prevent me from falling. If you know anything about gymnastics, I think what I’m trying to do is called a front tuck.
I’ve never done anything similar – even as a child. I don’t remember ever bouncing on a trampoline, and I was never the kind of kid who could do cartwheels. But everyone at the venue overgravity The gym functions as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. When I spoke to co-founder Matteo Cara before my first “Tumbling” class, he told me that I could still learn backflips.
As for my dodgy knees, Carla has two of her own. But even at 41, he’s still flexible enough to do two backflips every time he trains. “I’m not too old to have fun,” he says. “I’m like a kid who ate ice cream.” He was kind enough to spend 30 minutes teaching me more exercises for my knees and strapping them together for even more support. He showed me how to fix it. I’m grateful and inspired at the same time.
Alan Cooper, 65, has been coming to Over Gravity since his late 50s. “This is the most rewarding and most satisfying thing I’ve ever done,” he says. “I wish I had brought this up years ago.”
How did he get started? “I asked Matteo to teach me how to do a round-off back tuck before he turned 60, and he did.”
I had no idea what Cooper was saying, so I found a video online and guess what?! moment. There are no words to describe the round-off back tuck, but it’s more like a cartwheel, a kind of bounce, a backflip, and…see, watch the video here and be amazed.
The tumbling class itself will be taught by Mitchell March. He, like my 11 fellow beginners, is several decades younger than me, but I am encouraged that no one will look twice when they see me. Maybe we all feel a little out of place. British gymnastics is dominated by children’s classes, so as I headed to Over Gravity, my wife told me to have fun. tumble tots”.
To warm up, do some running, skipping, jumping, and arm swings (these are not technical terms), as well as shoulder and wrist exercises. Thanks to the spring-loaded floor that absorbs any impact, it can take any amount of bounce. I also practice handstands at home. As usual, I have a hard time staying awake for more than a few seconds, but one of the great things about gymnastics is the prevalence of big, thick pads. There’s always somewhere to land softly and then rise again…
Unlike the cartwheel, which is the final step in preparing for a forward roll, there is also a forward roll that most people can perform. While most everyone else cartwheels from one end of the gym to the other, I suffer a setback designed entirely due to my clumsiness. It makes no sense. Every time I put my hands on the ground and get ready this Sometimes I put my feet here that Put your feet there, and before you know it, you’ll be putting your feet there. that Sometimes I put my feet here this That foot. Sometimes we actually go backwards.
The more you work out, the more you realize the importance of proprioception. It means knowing which part of your body is where and being able to move that part instead of another part. However, my symptoms haven’t gotten any better. Instead, I’m gradually teaching coaches around the country that if they want me to move my hips instead of my ankles, for example, they need to tap in the right areas, rather than just telling me what to do. are training. All I hear is, “Come on, you’ve got to be upset somehow.”
After the embarrassment of a cartwheel, the news that we were moving on came as a relief – until that front tuck was proven in March. You can hear the gasps and nervous laughter as he runs towards the trampoline, bounces high, flips forward in the air, and lands. With enough time and application, everything seems achievable so far (12 months to master cartwheel?). This seems ambitious. Almost flying! It’s magic! That’s scary!
But did you know? Even at 61 years old with bad knees and butterflies in my stomach, it’s not impossible. It runs, jumps, spins, and falls on its back over and over again. I almost land on my feet a few times, which is nice, but 100% of the time I land on my head and face, but not that much. According to Mr. March, I don’t raise my hands high enough when I jump or swing my hands down hard enough when I flip over. I’m almost as bad as a sack of potatoes, but I still feel so good.
Afterwards, we started chatting with other students, and they were all amazed at how quickly and how much fun we were making. It feels very natural. Book another class, then book a third class. And during the photo shoot for this article, I had the opportunity to get more tips from Carla. Look how high I got! Sometimes I love my job.
Is there anything stopping me from doing this regularly? Just what my gymnastics teacher told me Lucy Joslin he said to me. She is one of the most physically healthy women I have ever met. But now that she’s 50, she’s also starting to think about aging. The older you get, the more cautious you need to be about your actions, she says. You’ll gain muscle more slowly and lose it faster than before. Injuries take longer to heal. It’s easy to spread yourself too thin and make progress in your new favorite activity at the expense of something you used to do and perhaps even loved.
So if you want to become a Tumble Tots regular, you might have to give up something else.
Hmm. choices. I’m glad I still have it.
