59-year-old earns black belt, stresses benefits of active aging
February 7, 2011
A few months before his 60th birthday, Thomas Nordstrom earned his black belt in Tae Kwon Do and, in part, his experience has made him aware of the many benefits of active aging, according to MyCentralJersey.com.
“Tae Kwon Do is very good for aerobic training. As we get older, we lose our aerobics ability,” Nordstrom told the news provider. “We lose our flexibility. We lose some strength. This helps with all those things.”
One study has also found that martial arts may help prevent falls among older adults, which can be a major problem for those who are looking to age independently at home. Another way to make sure that one is safe during the golden years is to install a medical alarm system in a home. These medical alert systems allow users to immediately send a medical alert to doctors in the case of an emergency.
Nordstrom also emphasizes perseverance when one is taking a new activity. He originally started the Tae Kwon Do classes with his daughter and nearly quit after the first class, but decided to stick with it.
He even said that Tae Kwon Do has helped him compete in tennis, another favorite sport of his.
