Training for the not-so-elderly <br /><br />For the last couple of decades, the trend for older athletes competing in most sports has accelerated. Have you noticed how veterans&#8217; cycling has grown, especially in the last five years?<br /><br />So much so that there are prizes in races for five year age groups from 30 years of age upwards. Also National Championships are run in five year age groups both on the road and track.<br /><br />It is, however, a fact of life that as you get older, your body undergoes changes and you must adapt to this phenomena.<br /><br />SLOWING DOWN<br />The older you get, the more your energy requirements decreas and your metabolic rate slows down. When resting, sleeping or even just keeping warm, you need less calories than a younger person, this is why older people tend to put on weight easier than their younger counterparts.<br /><br />Regular exercise will speed up your metabolic rate and will also help burn off excess calories which is as good as any reason to keep on cycling.<br /><br />ACHES AND PAINS<br />One fact you will find: the older you get the longer it takes too recover. Aches and pains are a sign of growing old and as general rule you will need more supplements than a younger person.<br /><br />Fish oil is a natural remedy for stiffness so an increase of oily fish in your diet can be beneficial. Examples of this include herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines and pilchards. A good supplement would be cod liver oil. <br /><br />For aching joints and surrounding tissues, glucosamine sulphate and devil&#8217;s claw supplements have been found to help certain athletes. In fact, glucosamine sulphate, helps your recover from training and is a natrual supplement that helps the body heal itself. <br /><br />MUSCLES AND RESISTANCE TRAINING<br />Muscle mass decreases with age so it is important to include resistance training in your programme to offset this decrease. If you do include more of this type of training in your programme it is important that your intake of protein is adequate.<br /><br />FEELING WASHED UP<br />Iron deficiency is common amongst older athletes so increase your green vegetable intake and eat them as raw as possible. Only take an iron supplement on advice of a doctor. If you are continually feeling tired, get a blood test - it may be lack of iron and is easily curable by the right supplement.<br /><br />A deficiency in B12 also has similar symptoms to a lack of iron. Cereals, meat, eggs and milk are a good source of B12. This essential vitamin which aids the recovery rate is quite hard for your body to absorb, so if you take a B12 supplement there is a good chance that you can pass a lot out in your urine i.e. more is not better.<br /><br />BONE DENSITY<br />Bone density begins to thin between the ages of 25 and 45. Exercise, especially weight bearing, and calcium play a role in preventing this. Dairy products, spinach and fish with edible bones like sardines are rich in calcium.<br /><br /><br /> <br />
