Pickleball just keeps growing and growing – in popularity and in media attention.

It’s beyond trendy now, with some 5 million people playing, many of them active agers over 50 – and beyond.

So, it’s important to point out something that many folks might not realize:

Gym workouts make you a better pickleball player.

It’s true. If you want to have more endurance on the (smaller than tennis) court, more power in your swing, and more ability to make those shots – all the time smiling – then you need to come in here and join us for stretching, strength and endurance training.

Stretching to ‘feel wonderful’

Champ Barb Wintroub, 75, stays fit for the game and advocates for stretching.

“People are getting injured as they get older because they’re not stretching,” says Barb, a Pilates instructor in Southern California. “And they’re not standing up straight. I’m continuing to do that. And it makes a huge difference.”

She demonstrates in a YouTube video how to do squats for thighs and glutes, rotational twists for the obliques, and other stretches for arms and back. “All of these stretches are supposed to feel wonderful,” she says. If they hurt – stop.

Stretching is simple, and it’s easy to learn when we show you the right moves to help your game safely and effectively. So, come in and let’s show you how to warm up before playing and cool down after.

Tim Minnick, 79, of Austin, Texas, has been cited as the world’s oldest active personal trainer by Guinness.

Strong core and glutes are essential

“Core strength is critical in pickleball, especially rotational core strength,” like it is in tennis, golf, and other sports, Tim says. “That means the ability to rotate under control as well as stop rotation to be able to hit the ball and hit where you want to hit it.”

Tim suggests lunges with a pause for balance, and simple glute bridges, or hip raises, as demonstrated here.

Pickleball requires quick stops and starts, so it’s important to stay balanced. “That means leg strength is critical here, especially power from the largest muscle group in your body, the glute muscles, better known as the butt,” Tim says.

Working the glutes with us is important for any sports, including pickleball.

“They produce the power for successful athletic performance at any level,” Tim says.

To train for endurance? Tim recommends High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which has been proven in studies to be both effective and safe for mature athletes. HIIT means, as an example, that you run fast for a short time period – say 20 seconds – and then slow down for another time period, then repeat.

That’s how a game of pickleball goes, after all. And many games are played as part of tournaments.

“Cardiovascular fitness is critical to be able to play in tournaments,” Tim says. “It’s much more fun when you don’t have to stop and catch your breath all the time.”

>That’s true for everything in life, isn’t it? Come in to try our 21-day Strength and longevity program and keep having fun at any age!

Befitting for a theatrical performer, Dan Grady’s fitness journey can be told in three acts.

• Act I: A talented youth trains for years among ballet’s elite, then begins a decade-long career dancing on Broadway.
• Act 2: After his dancing career ends, he grows frustrated with his body’s limitations and realizes change is essential in his attitude and action.
• Act 3: Now 60 and a successful psychotherapist, he has adapted to gym workouts to remain strong, limber, and with his competitive edge intact.

“It was my choice to stop performing, and that’s a luxury not everybody gets due to injuries,” Dan recalls. “Now, knowing that it’s my choice to continue working on my fitness is very empowering. It feels like a privilege.”

After reaching a certain age, we all wish our bodies could do what they used to. But, as Dan learned, it doesn’t work that way. His story offers three-pointers to keep in mind as we journey through life and aim to remain our best.

First, adjust expectations. In his early 40s, Dan remained active in dance classes – and frustrated when he couldn’t jump as high or turn as many rotations as he did in his 20s.

“Comparison wasn’t helpful. I realized I needed to adjust my expectations,” he says. “It was sobering.”

When he got into gym fitness, he found the changes were – surprise! — sometimes positive. “My abilities are ever-changing,” he says. “I can do some things today that I couldn’t do five years ago.”

Second, remain open to new activities. Dan kept finding new ways to challenge his body.

“When I started to feel I was getting a shoulder injury from lifting such heavy weight all the time, I realized: Do I really need to be doing Olympic-style weightlifting? The answer was no.”

He took up golf, tennis, and jogging during the pandemic shutdown.

Third, focus on the quality of movement. Dan’s success as a dancer was often measured quantifiably – and mercilessly. Later in the gym, it was the same approach. That had to change, too.

“I learned that progress is not always measured in many reps, the weight of dumbbells, the height of jumps…” he says. “It’s more satisfying to focus on the quality of the movement.”

Learning from the Best

Dan learned to be grateful and forward-thinking partly from the legendary Broadway star Chita Rivera when he danced with her in “Kiss of the Spider Woman” in the 1990s.

“She never gave up,” he recalls. “She might not have been able to do at age 65 what she could at 25, but she always worked with what she could do.

“That’s the discipline for me – not allowing my mind to go into comparison,” he says. “I get better results and am more motivated when I’m compassionate with myself.”

>What can YOU do today? What would you like to be able to do next? Let us show you the way to healthy, active aging with our 21-Day Strength and Longevity Program – Guaranteed Results! (more…)

5 Healthy Reasons to Stay Strong for Gardening

You don’t have to look any farther than the back yard to find a reason to be fit after 50.

Gardening is a great hobby for people at any stage of life – and there’s no reason to give it up or avoid it just because of age.

But make no mistake, gardening can be a good physical challenge. In fact, it’s a full-body workout that burns up to 300 calories in an hour.

Think about the tasks of gardening: Squatting to tend the earth, carrying bags of dirt, pushing a wheelbarrow, and pulling up weeds. These are very similar to the movements of a great gym workout – and working out at the gym becomes increasingly important to gardening after a certain age.

Millions of people over 50 have enjoyed the hobby throughout their lifetimes. Here are just five reasons they should keep it up.

1. Gardening improves strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance.
2. It improves self-esteem and fights depression.
3. It lowers blood pressure and physical and mental stress.
4. It’s a great creative outlet.
5. And it provides a powerful social outlet, as well, with neighbors, community gardens, and even grandkids.

“The variety of tasks associated with gardening is one reason older adults are more likely to stick with their regimen,” says the American Society for Horticultural Science. “Gardening tasks change throughout the season and different activities are involved in daily chores.”

Gardening can be a component of a lifestyle that’s good for mental health, too, including dementia.

“It appears safe and reasonable to recommend … the maintenance of physical activity, especially daily gardening, in the hope of reducing the incidence of dementia in future years,” according to a study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Florist Deidra Champagne enjoys tending a vegetable garden in her off-time. “It is a mind-body connection – so you’re in touch with the soil, you’re in touch with nature. It’s very therapeutic.”

Fitness Recommendations

Take a few cautionary steps to avoid heat and direct sunlight. Enjoy your hobby in the early morning or early evening. Use sunscreen and a hat. Wear good shoes.

Deidra also recommends using raised garden beds to reduce bending and crouching.

And come see us.

Regular physical exercise – and a focus on “functional fitness” – keeps you able to perform your favorite activities late in life, and gardening is no different than, say golf, tennis or jogging.

Squats, pushups, planks and other common movements will work your legs, core, back and arms to keep you in shape for gardening – and everyday tasks like bringing in the groceries and playing with the grandkids

We’re happy to show you how short, fun workouts can improve your experiences in the garden – and other tasks you don’t immediately associate with exercise.

The fact is, gardening is a great example of why mature adults need fitness, even if it never held much interest before.

If you want to maintain your independence and quality of life throughout this part of life, then you need regular resistance and cardio training.

To stay strong.

To keep your balance.

To enjoy what you love.

Deidra Champagne spends all day making beautiful floral arrangements at her business.

And in her off-time, you can find her sweating it out at the gym, staying strong, limber and fit for the demands of running her shop and enjoying her vegetable garden at home.

Deidra, 57, has been working out with resistance and cardio training for about a decade. Her main motivations including preventing an injury from all the squatting, lifting, twisting and carrying she must do at her job.

“I wasn’t moving properly before,” she says. “When you’re young, you just pick things up.”

But when she couldn’t lift anything above her head to place it on a high shelf, she knew she needed help.

She uses a trainer three times a week who helps her with mobility, balance, strength and fluid motion. She’s able to enjoy long days now, with better posture, fewer headaches, and less back pain.

She likes gardening because, “You can move at your own pace, so aging shouldn’t be an issue. You can slow down, and I see it as a meditation. It’s good to be outside.”

And gym-time helps her do all of that.

“It’s non-negotiable,” she says about her workout schedule. “There’s a lot of stress involved in running your own business,” plus physical challenges like carrying floral displays weighed down by water, and standing on her feet.

“I look forward to going because I see the benefit,” Deidra says. “It gives me energy all day. It’s investing in myself.”

Like tending a garden, you might say.