Dear LPG

I have been reading quite a bit about keeping fit in older age on your web site and would like to share my little story on that subject.

Before I retired, I was one of those people who visited the gym before work three times a week, but I suppose that once the routine of having to get up for work early became unnecessary, my compulsion to exercise did as well.  My gym visits were a part of my commuting regime and once I stopped the one the other stopped too.

I am sure that I am not the only one who has had a wakeup call; a couple of years ago I realised just how unfit I was becoming and decided to do something about it.  So I tried a low impact aerobics class but that experience left me realising that I am not as young as I used to be.  I exercised quite a lot when I was younger but I left that class in real pain.  I then had a go at seated exercise which was good but left me feeling that I had not had a real workout.  Another thing that I learned here was that I had problems reaching as far and bending as well as I once could, and a visit to my GP left me knowing the reality which was that, over the years, arthritis was affecting my joints more than I had imagined and, in spite of all this, I did not get to the end of a seated exercise session feeling  as if I had really given myself a workout. 

I was finally persuaded to try water aerobics and found it to be the answer.  I think that the idea of being seen in a swimsuit again worried me a little as I am carrying quite a bit more weight than I used to but, I started going with one of my friends who was a regular participant and found it to make a real difference.

I have been told that it is all about the resistance that water offers while one exercises.  It is harder to do the exercises but there less stress on impact on joints, and I do feel as if I have worked out after without feeling the joint pain I did before.  I have even lost a little weight.

I know that it will not work for everyone, because nothing does, but if there are any readers out there who have the same problems as I described, I strongly advise getting into the water for the ladies as well as the gentlemen.

KE, New Cross.

LPG has found some information about water aerobics and also a few details of some local classes.

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