As we glide into summer, many of us are ramping up our workouts to achieve that chiseled summer bod.
Dr. James Gladstone, chief of sports medicine at Mount Sinai Health Systems Department of Orthopedics, has some words of warning — call it a bone to pick, if you will — for fitness enthusiasts who might be in danger of giving themselves a boo-boo.
Gladstone joked to The Post that many of his patients are in a bit of denial about their age, but “there are ways around it — you just have to be a little smarter.”
He sees a lot of patients who make one of two common mistakes.
“There are the ones who are really well-conditioned and just keep shooting for more. So they work out four or five times a week, and they just want more out of themselves,” he said.
“In those cases, they may either ramp it up too quickly or do a little too much or overtrain.”
Gladstone says these patients tend to get tendonitis, sore shoulders, elbow injuries and IT band syndrome — pain between the hips and knees from overuse.
“Then maybe even more common — because I’m in New York City — are the weekend warriors who do nothing all day long, sit at a desk, have terrible posture, probably eat and drink too much just by the nature of their jobs and … go out on weekends and try to relive their 20s,” he said.
“And they get into trouble by just doing too much without being well-enough conditioned.”
He’s not just talking about being in shape — eating well, getting enough sleep and hydrating properly factor into how well your body responds to exercise.
Because “if you do nothing all week long and then go out and play three or four hours of tennis, you may end up hurting your back, you may strain your quads or your calf or you may hurt your shoulder,” he said.
From an osteopathic standpoint, some of the best exercises you can do — especially as you get older — will be accessible and low-impact.
“Yoga and pilates are great because pretty much anybody can do them at any level of conditioning, and it’s going to be good for you,” he said.
Bonus points if the activities get you out of the house so you can reap the additional health benefits of fresh air.
“Walking is great because it gets you outside, gets you breathing, gets your heart rate up a little bit,” he said.
“Swimming and biking are also both great exercises that don’t stress your body in traumatic ways.”
The oh-so-trendy pickleball has been giving seniors a mental health boost, but it’s important to be careful to avoid getting injured.
“Pickleball has become incredibly popular, and I think it’s a question of knowing your limits,” he said.
“Most of the people we see who are getting injured with pickleball are in their 50s or 60s and playing like they’re in their 20s.”
Finally, for healthy aging, it’s also crucial to remember to stretch.
“The older you get, the tighter your ligaments get, and the less well your body moves,” Gladstone said.
“Doing regular stretching routines is really helpful — and it keeps you out of trouble.”
