First, the bad news: It doesn’t matter if you ran a marathon in your twenties or were the star quarterback of your college football team. Being physically fit at one point in your life—even on an elite level—does not mean that you will stay that way without committing time and energy to doing so. In fact, it doesn’t even mean you’ll stay in decentshape.
Proof of this fact comes from a 2014 study at the University of Southern California, which found that college athletes fared no better than their nonathletic counterparts when it came to lifelong fitness. A 2010 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine discovered that men who were extremely active and fit in their youth still had high risk factors for metabolic abnormalities—elevated blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, high amounts of blood sugar and excess body fat around the waist—once they stopped working out. In other words, you’re only in good shape until you stop doing whatever you were doing to get that way in the first place.
Now for the good news: You don’t need to return to the intense training of your youth to reap the benefits of a healthy body. Incorporating some gentle aerobic activity and strength training can get you back on track. And if you only recently stopped exercising, it may be easier than you think to maintain your current level of fitness. Yet another recent study suggests that as few as one or two workout sessions a week are enough to keep former recreational athletes in good condition.
For former athletes—some of whom have old injuries—working with us is a great way to implement an individually designed program that makes the most of your body’s strengths and weaknesses. So don’t rest on those college athlete laurels (or on any part of your former college athlete body, for that matter). Talk to us today about getting back into shape and regaining some of that old glory—or at least regaining some protection against the effects of aging.