With the Family Day holiday weekend upon us, I’ve found myself having a recurring conversation with many of my 30 something year old clients, about exercise with their families. Not so much about the activity level of their children, as children generally tend to love playing sports and games when given enough encouragement, but rather it was the activity level of their baby boomer parents that concerned them.
Many people look forward to retirement as a time to rest, relax and enjoy their lives, free of the stress of work. But for those people who never took to regular exercise at any point in their life, the activity levels of their work duties often kept their weight in check. Upon retirement, and the according decrease in activity levels, many of these newly retired find themselves putting on weight. And it doesn’t get any easier to lose weight as you age.
Besides taking the occasional evening stroll, I’ve found that many people of this generation do not enjoy exercise. Quite the contrary, most of the baby boomers I’ve met tend to look at exercise as just another chore they have to do in the day, and look forward to cardio and weights as much as they do cleaning the bathroom.
So what does a well meaning 30 something do to help encourage their parents to become more active after they retire?
I’ve found that gym memberships and at home fitness equipment, although given with the best of intentions, do not have the desired effect. Mostly, because its still viewed as another work type chore that they have been so eager to leave behind in retirement.
I’ve found the best way to get the baby boomer generation moving is to make the exercise seem like recreation or leisure - think recess. One of the best concepts of this is League Night. Whether its curling, bowling or softball, the team mentality, camaraderie, and shared laughs make the workout fun, and its this enjoyment that makes the individual more likely to return to the activity.
If you’re worried about your parents not getting enough exercise, forget buying them the treadmill that will eventually become buried away in the garage, and sign them up for league night instead. Think about what group activities they might like participating in, check out what nights at the rink or community centre are designated as league nights, and encourage them to sign up. They might be hesitant at first, but once they get out there they'll have a great night out all while staying fit and healthy. And that would make a great family gift.
