TIP-TOP SHAPE AT ANY AGE

Proper Focus and Mindset Can Help Men Stay Fit and Healthy Over the Decades

- PAUL CATALA

For the average man, the body is in its best physical shape in the early to mid-20s. But time can take a toll by age 30 when muscle strength starts to decrease by as much as 3 percent to 8 percent every 10 years. By age 40, reaction time starts to slow. At age 50, bones become brittle.

The good news is that proper focus and mindset can help men of any age maintain and even further develop a stronger body and mind. That’s the consensus of three staff members at Winter Haven’s Bond Clinic we spoke with for this special edition on men’s health

Dr. Carrie Goddin, Bond Clinic’s director of physical therapy and rehabilitation department, says one of the most important aspects of physical health as men age is maintaining flexibility. Flexibility begins to decrease in men after age 40, so she says developing proper warmup and stretching techniques early and maintaining those are key ways to keep up regular fitness routines.

“When you’re a young athlete, everyone tells you to stretch and you say ‘okay,’ and you do it for about 30 seconds and that’s it. But as you get older that gets much more important,” says Goddin, who has a doctorate degree in physical therapy from the University of Central Florida. “You need to ease into things and include good posture and core stability so you don’t overextend and injure yourself.”