When adults overhaul their fitness routines, the motivation comes in many forms. Some strive for improved overall health; others hope to stair-step their way to Madonna’s glutes, or dazzle tennis buddies with their overhead smash.

As a result, boomers have kept the treadmills humming in recent years — but there’s a downside to all that vigorous activity. Flexibility, balance and muscle mass diminish as we age, making overzealous exercisers more prone to injury.

The good news: You can train to minimize that risk. Whether you’re joining the local gym or just getting back in the swing with golf, fitness experts have basic strategies to avoid getting sidelined by a blown knee or wrenched rotator cuff.

One common misconception is that walking provides a fitness cure-all, says Cara Lindell, president of Park Ridge-based Fully Fit Lifestyles. “It’s better than nothing, but the treadmill just scratches the surface,” she says.

To avoid injury on the courts and slopes — even in everyday activities — a well-rounded exercise plan is essential, says Lindell. That requires a mix of cardiovascular, flexibility and strength training each week.

Lindell underscores this concept for her clients (primarily aged 45 to 70) with a financial analogy. “If you go to a financial planner, they don’t tell you to put all of your money into one mutual fund. If they did, you’d pick up your stuff and walk out,” she says. “But I find people all the time who do just one thing for their fitness.”

Another fitness pitfall for boomers is poor posture, says Mike George. He’s the founder of Chicago-based Mike George Fitness System, an exercise facility where more than half of clients are 50 or older. Many adults spend hours each day slumped in front of computers — and that’s likely increasing their injury risk. “We need to get to a point where the body is aligned properly. Otherwise, it’s not safe to push harder and harder [in sports],” says George.

That’s because improper alignment can overload the wrong muscles, and create unnatural movement for joints. Pilates, yoga, and other flexibility training can help alleviate those problems, he says: “They help extend muscles to their natural range of motion and allow them to work to their utmost capacity.”

In addition to general fitness, George’s trainers also tailor workouts to match clients’ preferred sports. “People think, ‘Oh golf is so relaxing,” he says. “But when you get up and swing as hard as you can, you put yourself at risk of herniating a disk or causing other spine problems.” For those clients, a workout session might include exercises that mimic a club swing, with light resistance. That helps golfers learn to generate strength from their hips, rather than twisting with excessive torque.

George raves about the benefits of tennis: “It’s the only sport that combines all the types of movement necessary to keep bodies and hips really healthy — forward, backward, lateral, twisting — and it’s very aerobic.” But that fancy footwork can also lead to accidents. To help strengthen the muscles needed for some of those movements, tennis clients sometimes train with resistances bands around their ankles while they walk laterally.

To improve performance on the court, try dancing, says Lindell: “It combines agility, flexibility, and some cardio — there are a lot of reasons why dancing would actually help you with your tennis game.”

Andy Salk is one active boomer who embraces exercise diversity. “There’s a lot to be said for mixing it up,” says the 50-year-old Chicago resident, who incorporates running swimming, and biking in his routine. Variety has benefits beyond promoting general fitness, says Salk: “It keeps you interested in exercising.”

In addition to cardio, he also focuses on flexibility and strength training. Salk admits that he was “never much of a weight lifter,” but now he’s using free weights to counteract age-related muscle loss.

A lifelong tennis player, Salk has had his share of exercise misery. He began suffering from tennis elbow a couple years ago – a chronic problem which has him considering surgery. That condition hasn’t slowed him down physically. In 2005, Salk completed a triathalon, and for the past several years, he’s trained at Mike George’s facility to improve his health and ward off additional injuries.

Salk golfs regularly – about once a week – and his weekly pilates classes help make the greens a safer place. “A big part of pilates is the core … and certainly in golf, the core is important in terms of taking pressure off your back.”

Without proper conditioning, even playing in the backyard with your kids can be hazardous. “Lately, I’ve seen several people with shoulder issues because they’re trying to play an increasing harder level of baseball with their kids,” says Lindell.

If adults respect their bodies’ changes – and train regularly to address the aging process – they can enjoy a safer active lifestyle for many years to come.

Sandra Swanson is a Chicago-area freelance writer. She can be reached at SandraSwanson.com

Tags | exercise, fitness