{"id":1794,"date":"2021-10-29T19:30:39","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T19:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.asbury.org\/asbury-methodist-village\/blog\/2021\/10\/29\/boosting-brain-and-body-as-you-age\/"},"modified":"2021-10-29T19:30:39","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T19:30:39","slug":"boosting-brain-and-body-as-you-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asbury.org\/asbury-methodist-village\/blog\/2021\/10\/29\/boosting-brain-and-body-as-you-age\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Boost Brain and Body Function as You Age"},"content":{"rendered":"

Asbury Methodist Village resident Ron Stevenson (pictured above with his wife Pam) celebrates his milestone birthdays by hiking up Virginia\u2019s Old Rag Mountain. The nine-mile, round-trip trek marked birthdays 50, 60 and 70. And in 2020, when COVID restrictions made it impossible to mark his 80th<\/sup> birthday in the same way, he didn\u2019t relent, he rescheduled.<\/p>\n

Ron, now 81, fresh off completing his Old Rag Mountain climb, offered up some advice about how to maintain a fitness routine as you age. \u201cTo get fit and stay fit, you have to start moving and never stop,\u201d he says. \u201cI doubt if I can manage the climb when I turn 90, but that goal will keep me exercising for the next nine years. Of course, if I make it to the top when I turn 90, I will have to stay fit to try when I turn 100.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019re not a mountain climber there are simple steps you can take to incorporate exercise into your life. Take short walk and try to increase your distance each week.\u00a0 Don\u2019t take the parking spot closest to the entrance. Ron is a big fan of group exercise classes and recommends you try a range of them to see what works best for you. Some classes are more strenuous than others. And some are even done while you\u2019re sitting in a chair.<\/p>\n

As for motivation, Ron says to first put your ego on the shelf, so you\u2019re not embarrassed if your fitness level doesn\u2019t match that of others in the class. You\u2019ll improve with practice and remember that \u201cif you don\u2019t get up and move, the less you can move.\u201d<\/p>\n

To begin a fitness program, Ron suggests that you first get evaluated by a trainer who will design an exercise program that works for you.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I was in pretty good shape when I moved here, but I’m stronger physically, socially and mentally because of our move to Asbury,\u201d says Ron. \u201cI have always been disciplined about cardiovascular exercise \u2014 running, walking, skiing, skating, etc. \u2014 but until we moved to Asbury, I did nothing to maintain my strength, flexibility and balance abilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ron does a three-part mix of fitness that includes the following:<\/p>\n