Ask R7

Active but aging joints just need a little more TLC

A LOCAL WOMAN in her early 40s sent me this question, which I think likely applies to a lot of boomers:

"I am in my early 40s, and feel I am in pretty good shape: I commute by bicycle one to two hours a day during the week, hike and walk, and work out with weights a few days a week at the gym. However, my body has very recently felt the pangs of aging. My joints (especially knees and back) are stiff and don't move nearly as easily. It is even an effort to get out of the car because of my knees, and I have to be super careful about ensuring I am starting off from stops in a low gear when on my bike.

I went to a sports-med doctor, and she said my knees were fine, but that I needed to stretch more and become more flexible (especially in knees and hips). What should I do?

I asked Dr. Pamela Peeke, author of the best-selling book, "Body for Life for Women," and received this reply:

"First, congratulations for taking such great care of yourself all of these years. You just have to do a little more to stay in shape than when you were in your 20s. Remember you've probably been biking and hiking for years. It's like a car. Any great car can last a long time. However, after a certain time you have to pay more attention to the wear-and-tear factor than when it was bright and shiny new.

"Once men and women hit their 40s, they can indeed feel the wear and tear of aging. Science has shown that our ligamentous insertions on bones actually become drier as we age, making it harder to remain flexible. Therefore, it's important to go out of your way to do more comprehensive stretching throughout the week. I would highly recommend yoga stretches, which can be integrated into any one of your training programs. It will help you to breathe more efficiently as well.

"Next up, you need to make sure you are doing core training to maintain the strength and power of your abs as well as back. Then your posture will remain tall and will help your athletic performance as well. As joints age, you need to keep the muscles surrounding each joint strong to be able to support you better in your physical activities. Thus the need for strength training on a regular basis.

"As I have noted in 'Body for Life for Women,' you can accomplish this creatively by using a variety of means, including cross training with Pilates, tubes, hand weights and machines.

"Finally, as we age, we all develop some creaky joints and a few aches and pains. That's aging. You can minimize this phenomenon by incorporating more stretching as well as rest times. As you age you need great sleep and more time-outs as you train."

Local personal trainer Joy Shultz said the warm-up and cool-down are the most neglected portions of nearly any workout. Warm-ups will gradually increase heat produced by the working muscles, which helps to increase their elasticity.

"If you are cycling, this just means starting out at a slower pace — usually 8 to 10 minutes. Cool-downs are just as important in preventing any sudden blood pooling (blood rushing away from working muscles back to organs), which can cause cramping, dizziness, fainting and such.

"Once you are about 10 minutes from work, slow down your pace and make sure you do at least a few stretches to work on flexibility after your cardiovascular workouts. Flexibility is your range of motion around a given joint. The more flexible you are, the more efficient your muscles move. Hold stretches for at least 15 seconds, holding to the point of tightness but not pain. Pain will make the muscle contract (opposite of what you want to do). You want the muscle to relax and elongate. Cardiovascular strength, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility should all be part of your weekly fitness regimen."

Laura Martin, another local trainer, wondered if the reader has the age-related beginning of osteoarthritis. The biking is good, said Martin, and the reader should consider using ice on her knees when possible after a ride. But Martin advises the reader to stop hiking and downhill running until her knee pain subsides. These tend to bother knees the most.

She suggests yoga as a way to get more stretching in the knees and back, but also recommends not using heavy weights for knee exercises like squats and lunges or machines that flex the knee, like extensions.

Sitting for long periods can kill your knees, so try to stretch your legs out as often as possible, Martin says. Hamstring and quad stretches for the lower back may help, she adds, and a physical therapist might be able to pinpoint some muscle imbalance.

Richard Seven is a Pacific Northwest magazine staff writer. He can be reached at rseven@seattletimes.com. Paul Schmid is a Seattle Times news artist.