Last Saturday I went to my first age specific exercise class. It was a Crossfit class for the over 50s. Which I most definitely am. The last time I was in a class where the majority of participants were of a similar age to me was when I was undergoing cardiac rehab after heart surgery. It now seems a long time since I needed to have a blood pressure check before I could step on a treadmill.

Apart from that little hiccup I have always trained in classes where nearly everyone is a good few years younger than me. Over the years I’ve moved from ‘I’m old enough to be their mother to ‘I’m old enough to be their grandmother’. And that is fine. I’m well able to keep up with most of them and probably a lot fitter than some of them. But I often yearn to spend time with other people of a similar age to me that share the same passion for fitness that I have. I’m also curious how I would shape up to women (and men) of the same age. So when at the end of last year I spotted a facebook post advertising a 50+ CrossFit class a short train trip away I signed up.

And it was my type of place. Located under a couple of arches with industrial metal doors it had the same feel as the gym I usually go to. Lots of free weights and the odd assault bike. And not a coffee machine in sight.

So I arrived and was made very welcome. But it was only me that arrived. Well me and 3 trainers. So on one hand very disappointing but on the other I had 3 trainers to myself.

The session kicked off with an explanation of what Crossfit is and what it attempts to deliver. A lot of it is very similar to what I currently do apart from the gymnastics element of it. We also discussed why the turn out had been so disappointing. In their view social media has a lot to answer for in deterring older people. And I had to agree. For a while I have felt that many prospective members are put off by the commentary that accompanies the posts of many gyms. Often the adjectives used suggest that your chances of emerging alive are at best 50/50.

Is this a deliberate attempt to deter anyone over a certain age? I don’t think so. But it can feel like it. However, I do have experience of a gym in the West End of London where it was fairly obvious by the way the trainers fawned over the young and beautiful and ignored anyone over the age of 40 that they believed having older people in membership was tarnishing their image. I use to quite enjoy seeing the trainers face drop when I arrived in their class.
But not everyone has the same masochist tendencies. They want to feel comfortable. They want to feel accepted.

Of course that is what we all want. I know a number of people much younger than me who would rather take their chances at the end of a bungee rope then turn up to a gym class on their own. Waiting for it to start when everyone round you are in their own little cliques is never a good place to be. The most confident person can start to feel uncomfortable. And the stress rates accelerate when you are asked to get into pairs. Who is going to pull the short straw today? 

But who needs a gym anyway. If you believe a lot of celebs the road to fitness starts in your own lounge with a fitness DVD or YouTube. And for many that may work for them. But for me I need the discipline of being in a gym and working out with others. There is also the expertise of trainers who will encourage you to do the best you can and correct any bad form so injury is less likely. And of course there is the social element to it. It is not all cliques. I have made many friends whilst lifting weights and doing burpees.

 Physical inactivity has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality causing an estimated 3.2 million deaths globally. It is estimated to cost the NHS £0.9 billion every year. That inactivity is largely within the older population with only 20% of men and 17% of women between the ages of 65-74 achieving the recommendations for physical activity. This drops to 9 and 6% respectively after the age of 75.

So it is good for the individual and the NHS if older people got more active. Life is richer. More needs to be done to encourage them. I hope to do my bit.