Elderly Athletes

When planning an exercise program for elderly athletes, it is important to take in specific considerations. Elderly athletes must carefully consider their muscle weakness in the lower extremities that go along with their age category. With these certain conditions in mind, training and conditioning programs should include strengthening goals regarding the lower half of the body. It is pivotal to train selective muscle groups mainly the knee and hips. As athletes age those two areas seem to be the weakest as we get older because they are used the most throughout an individuals life. While the importance of increasing strength is recognized in the elderly, the lack of aerobic fitness in the elderly tends to be an interference in accomplishing their strengthening goals.

In all likelihood, elderly athlete should continue to remain active and should participate in games for the fun and enjoyment of it. I can guarantee you that senior athletes feel better about themselves when they are able to get out there and perform daily activities. By participating in activities they will find themselves having more energy throughout the day and week. In conclusion, elders need to remain active and more importantly need to build their old strength up around the joints and areas that have become weak over the years. This will prevent injuries and other hardships seniors face as they get older. It is very simple, stay healthy, stay active and live a happy life. I truly believe that obesity is becoming an issue with our country today and we are going to have a lot of health issues with our younger generations unless we start implementing more active lifestyles with the kids growing up. That time is now.

The Last Great Breed

Throughout my blog I have gone on to discuss the benefits of having an active lifestyle along with the extremities that come with playing a professional sport. Now focusing on a more positive note looking at two individuals who continue to grow older yet still can’t leave the game; Bret Favre and Kurt Warner ages 40 and 38 are the last dying breed of great quarterbacks still left in the NFL. Enjoy it while you can. We’re beginning to run extremely low on our supply of truly elite quarterbacks. Kurt Warner, who set to announce his future soon and Brett Favre supposedly set to do the same not long after, as fans we are on the verge of losing two of the greatest talents the game has ever seen at the quarterback position. Both are leaning toward retirement, and can you blame them?

Warner and Favre both withstood absolutely ridiculous beatings in their final games. Warner, who attempted to make a tackle after throwing an interception, was blindsided and nearly knocked out cold. Favre, known for his toughness and willingness to play despite any injury, put that sturdiness on full display as he absorbed hit after hit from a violent Saints defense, somehow getting up after each and playing the full 60 minutes. I think everyone knew the next morning for them was going to be miserable on their heads and bodies following those games.

Now, who can really blame these gladiators if they wanted to walk away. On one side tey have their minds demanding one more Super Bowl title while on the other hand their bodies telling them that there’s nothing left. When the body can no longer go on and is saying no, the answer better be no. After all is said and done, all you have left is your body and for these two quarterbacks who take hits by younger, heavier, stronger guys in the league it will catch up with them in their later years. As much as I hate to say it, I feel these guys need to retire because they will only suffer later down the road.

P.A.S.T. Helping Ex-Athletes Return

In previous posts, I have blogged about the constant struggles retired athletes face when ending their professional careers. Doing some research on the internet, I was able to come across a program that I believe is ground breaking and should be available for all athletes when finishing their professional careers. P.A.S.T, is an organization for Retired Football Players specializing in Pain Management and Medical Resources which also provides medical services directly to individual retired players to address their various needs in the primary areas of Pain Management. These include evaluations, procedures and treatments.

PAST is a Pro Bono service, offered to retired players who are in crisis with their lives and who are simply struggling post-careers. I feel every professional sports organization should have a system like PAST to help transition these players to the next phase of their lives. So many people do not understand the hardships athletes face with their bodies and mind behaviors after they are done playing. PAST currently provides medical evaluations and a variety of medical services to retired players. This program is the first of its kind because P.A.S.T and their affiliated Pain Management, Medical, Drug Dependency facilities and physicians are opening up their doors strictly retired football athletes without having the ex-players go through a third party. It is programs such as these that really help people internally with their lives. I see this program as the new “nursing home” for athletes. It will be interesting to see how this works out because this is definitely a good start.

Retired Athletes and their Struggles

It can be difficult for professional athletes that are retiring from their sport to leave a successful sporting career behind and move on to a new life. The transition time can cause confusion and a lack of fulfillment. The retiring athlete may set new goals and establish a new career but they may still miss an important key. This key can be the difference between a successful transition or a loss of purpose and drive.

One problem athletes are consistently faced with is their ability to have their bodies hold up after they are done competing. By the time they are retired for two years, According to P.A.S.T., a pro bono organization specializing in helping retired athletes recover, 78% percent of NFL players are either bankrupt or have serious financial stress because of divorce and/or unemployment. Within five years of being retired, 60 percent of NBA players are broke. The same problem extends to baseball and hockey players. Retired athletes definitely suffer later in life in terms of their bodies and functioning properly. Like I have mentioned in earlier posts, retired athletes usually are the ones who are found getting the knee, hip and other body replacements later down the road. A veteran may be praised in their sport but in the long run, they will be the ones whom will not be able to walk by they time they are 60, 70 years old. I know from experience that playing football is fun and it is very hard to walk away from the sport but in 4 years of playing college football I have had two surgeries down on my shoulders and still find them dislocating at unexpected times. I look at my problems and wonder how a lot of these athletes live when they have played 10 years plus professionally.