It is just about time for Senior Zumba here at the Lexington Senior Citizens' Center.  One of my friends here who is in her 70s attends this Zumba class too.  Her doctor told her it's great weight-bearing exercise for her bones, as she has osteoporosis.  He told her to take it easy. 

We need to listen to our bodies when we exercise.  Talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise program.  If you have any physical problems, perhaps a session with a physical therapist will help you to discover exercises that will be particularly helpful for you. 

My physical therapist and orthopedic doc told me to use an exercise bike to help develop my quads which would relieve the pressure on my arthritic knees.  Wow!  Has this ever helped.  After 9 months of dedicated use of the bike, with the addition of "intervals" (high speed segments) in the last few months, the problems with my knees are greatly relieved.  I'll be able to put off knee replacement surgery for several years.  I have also recently been able to add squats as I'm cooling down, as my body has been warmed up well. 

I hop off the bike and do the first set of 10 squats with my arms in front of me, the second set holding a 5 lb. weight in each hand (arms at my sides), and the third set of 10 is with my hands behind my head.  Then I hop back on the bike for 3 minutes.  I do this 3 times, for a total of 90 squats per workout.  I use this routine three days a week, skipping a day in between to let my muscles recover. 

Remember, this squat routine was added after months of using the bike, attending a Range of Motion class and Senior Zumba.  There is no way I could have done the squat routine a year ago.  I had to prepare my body for it. 

"All things in moderation," and "Slow but steady wins the race."  You won't do yourself any good if you dive in all gung-ho and injure yourself.