It is common for mature and older adults to join health clubs. It is especially common around the New Year, as individuals decide to join or they receive health club memberships from caring family members to promote some healthy lifestyle activities. It is well known that such efforts are often short-lived, and over the first few New Year months, health club attendance wanes, the membership card gathering dust.
There are many health-related reasons to participate in regular physical activities. Evidence supports benefits in cardiovascular and muscular-skeletal fitness and health, cognitive function protection, improvement in mood, and alleviation of anxiety and some kinds of depression. Dr. Michael Evans’ YouTube video, 23 and 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health? sums up the benefits in an entertaining and compelling manner. It was suggested to me by my family doctor.
Even though I was knowledgeable about the benefits of regular exercise, it provided the needed push for me to join a health club. Initially, I belonged to a local small and lovely neighbourhood club – I attended almost every morning before work and made friends with a small group of regular attendees. We encouraged each other in our exercise and other health-related pursuits with lots of wide-ranging kibbitzing.
Then my wife, whose regular exercise consisted of early morning walks in the neighbourhood where she swung her arms and enjoyed the air, the stars and the sky, slipped on a patch of wintry black ice. She woke me with a “Michael, I think I did some damage to my shoulder.”
A cursory examination demonstrated that this very painful injury was not just a shoulder dislocation, which is common and which I had hoped would be the case, but something more serious. An early morning visit to Branson Ambulatory Care Centre in Toronto confirmed my fears – it was a shoulder fracture-dislocation, which was treated temporarily with a splint and a referral to an orthopedic surgeon. The orthopedic surgeon’s decision was for conservative non-operative treatment and physiotherapy.
On one of the followup orthopedic visits, the surgeon suggested that my wife try swimming to help with the healing and range of motion process; he assured her it would not endanger the proper healing of the fracture. My wife, with her personality, took the advice seriously and has turned into an avid 5 a.m. freestyle lap swimmer. She is part of a small select group that literally opens the pool at the YMCA at Bayview and Sheppard avenues. This Y was inaugurated in 1982 and has become a recreational anchor of the neighbourhood.
After a short period of membership, my wife suggested that I try switching health clubs, as I was experiencing problems with a post-operative knee and the surgeon had suggested swimming as one activity that might be helpful. With some sadness, I left my small group of exercise colleagues at my other club, and joined the Y. The family membership price was actually cheaper for the two of us than I had been paying for my sole membership previously.
The Y has transformed my view of health clubs. Although large, it has an intimacy because of the staff and the array of members. I have met many wonderful people from all walks of life: high school, college and university students, professionals, non-professionals and many retirees. My morning routine often includes an aqua-fit class that combines enjoyment with gentle strengthening of my knees – one sees many knees and hips with scars as evidence of previous orthopedic surgery.
I look forward to my early mornings, when I usually cross paths with my wife after she has completed her hour-long swim while I am pushing weight machines or bouncing around the pool to the sound of rhythmic music. It sets the day in an incomparable way – and it’s probably good for my mental and physical health – a veritable bargain!