The Successful Ager and Senior Exercise
May 30, 2018Quality of Life and Fitness
May 30, 2018Bob's Story - He Tried
Bob is 65 years old. As a former college athlete, he always thought of himself as fit and healthy. After an annual check-up he was faced with his actual reality. He was overweight, had high blood pressure and was borderline diabetic. His doctor told him that he needed to increase his physical activity but gave him no instruction or direction on how to start or where to go.
Bob decided to join a big box gym and was set up for an initial introduction with a “personal trainer”. With little to no baseline health screening and testing, Bob was started on a generic exercise program and then turned loose by his trainer. Bob went for two weeks thinking of himself as the college athlete that he once was. While performing inappropriate strengthening exercises and attempting to lift weights that were too heavy, Bob tore his rotator cuff. 9 months and 2 surgeries later Bob has yet to resume an exercise program.
He’s still overweight, is dependent on blood pressure medicine and has had to begin medicine to control his blood sugar. He takes a myriad of other medications. Bob had to spend a significant portion of his retirement income on his co-insurance and deductible for surgery and now has ongoing monthly expenses for prescriptions and doctors’ visits.