Ageism in America
Today I want to share something that I have seen happen time and time again. My friend and I go walking three times a week, because we know how important it is to maintain our muscle mass and do some cardio for the ol' pumper. Well, there is this handsome man, who is in his seventies, and he jogs around the lake, lapping a lot of the younger crowd. This morning I heard one of those youngsters yell "Hey grandpa, don't break a hip!" while his friends were just watching and laughing. That is not the first time people have acted like this. Last week, I was speed walking and I passed this teenager whose phone was getting more of a work-out than she was. Well, I guess she did not like getting shown up by this silver sneaker sweetheart, because I heard her mumble, "Okay girl, I just got passed by an old lady."
This really ticks me off because people think just because we are getting older, we need walkers and wheelchairs to get around. I plan to take care of my body and keep on moving until I cant no more! We are not so fragile that if we do some physical activity, we will break a bone or fall down. Physical activity is important and beneficial for all ages, shapes, and sizes. Older people are not weak just because they are older.
My great uncle is seventy-two years old. He has always been very active. To this very day, he jogs 2 miles every morning rain or shine. He has no artificial joints (has yet to break a hip!) and also does some weight lifting. If you see him out jogging, you would think he is at least 10 years younger.
The ageist idea that elderly people are sedentary and weak, with bones that are brittle and can easily break is rated as FALSE. It is time to move on and give older adults the respect they deserve.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteWhy is it the younger generations feel the need to make comments like the "break a hip" one you mentioned?! When these whipper-snappers get older they will likely wish to be as active as you or the jogger! I agree completely that physical activity is so important in all ages. One study found that for elderly people, even low impact exercises such as Pilates have positive effects on functional and cognitive performance (Kayaoglu &Ozsu, 2019). Other exercises like walking and swimming can be so beneficial for cardiac and overall physical health, no matter what your age is.Thank you for advocating for older people who are active!
Kayaoglu, B., & Özsu, I. (2019). The effects of 12 weeks Pilates exercises on functional and cognitive performance in elderly people. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 7, 71–76.
Hello Sarah,
ReplyDeleteVery brave of you to speak up about this situation. Many people think because we are older, we can not do the same things as them and it is so not true. We may not be able to do it as exactly as they do, but by golly we can do the same things. As we age, we still have to take care of our bodies. If we slow down, our bodies will too and then we will end up being these old people in wheelchairs they really think we are. It is proven that with a little bit of consistent exercise, it can prevent health alterations in our bodies like osteoarthritis (Ye et. al, 2020). I applaud you for going out there and doing your thing girl! Keep being awesome!
Ye, J., Zheng, Q., Zou, L., Yu, Q., Veronese, N., Grabovac, I., Stefanac, S., Tzeng, H.-M., & Yu, J. J. (2020). Mindful Exercise (Baduanjin) as an Adjuvant Treatment for Older Adults (60 Years Old and Over) of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine (ECAM), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9869161