When it comes to our health and fitness, the quote above is sage advice, indeed. But being 'out of shape' does not mean that you cannot 'get in shape.' This is true not only for people in their 40s, 50s and 60s, but for people in their 90s as well.
Recent research has found that when it comes to exercise, you need a combination of three types: weight training for strength; aerobic exercise for strength and endurance; and calisthenics (stretching, bending and twisting exercises) for flexibility. Studies have found that violent physical exertion is no more useful to gaining and maintaining fitness than is moderate exercise. What is more, violent physical exertion can result in an increased risk of injury or heart attack for those who are not in prime physical condition. So, start off slow and go slow with your new exercise program.
Walking and other aerobic exercises done at a pace that makes you breathe a little harder and work up a mild sweat for a half hour to one hour, three days a week, will keep your heart, lungs and vascular system in good working order while strengthening your bones and muscles.
Exercise intensity for aerobic conditioning is measured by heart rate. A good activity level is 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, which is determined by subtracting your age from 220. Thus the recommended exercise heart rate for a 60-year-old person is 112 beats per minute. People who have not been exercising should begin using 60 percent of their maximum heartbeat as the target heart rate and can ultimately move up to 80 percent once they have reached their maximum fitness level.
Do not attempt a strenuous workout during hot, humid weather, and wait until at least two hours after eating before engaging in moderate to heavy exercise. Warning signs of overexertion include an inability to talk, dizziness or disorientation, nausea, or pains in your chest, upper back, left shoulder or arm. If you have any of these symptoms, check with your physician as soon as possible.
To avoid excess strain on the heart and injury to your muscles, warm up for about five minutes before working out, and cool down after exercising. Never abruptly stop exercising, since the sudden stop in motion can cause lightheadness or muscle cramping.
Walking is a good exercise because it can be done at a pace that you easily can set for yourself, it takes no equipment other than a pair of good walking shoes, it can be done at virtually any time, and it can be done on your own. Walking strengthens muscles in the lower body, helps to repair joints, bone and tissue, and helps to ward off or slow osteoporosis. Since walking only works the lower half of the body, other aerobic exercises as well as exercises that increase flexibility should be included in your routine. Other good aerobic exercises for weight-bearing joints include dancing, tennis, racquetball, basketball and biking.
Before beginning an exercise program, check with your personal physician and start off slow to avoid overexertion and accidents. Stick with it. Varying the type of physical activity you engage in will help to use all the major muscle groups in your body and avoid overuse of any one major muscle group. It will also prevent boredom.
Aerobic exercise not only strengthens your bones and muscles, which helps to prevent osteoporosis, it also strengthens your heart and helps to maintain your lung capacity. Aerobic exercise slows or prevents the buildup of cholesterol plaque in the veins and arteries (atherosclerosis), and helps to ward off arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, by keeping them flexible, thus reducing high blood pressure, which plays a major role in heart disease and strokes. Exercise also improves the functioning of the liver, pancreas and other vital organs.
Sustained aerobic exercise can help to control late onset or type II diabetes mellitus since it aids in the metabolism of sucrose (before beginning an exercise program however, one with diabetes mellitus should undergo a detailed medical evaluation with appropriate diagnostic studies). What is more, exercise helps to spur the production of human growth hormone, which otherwise ceases to be produced after about age 50. Human growth hormone helps to maintain the size and strength of muscles that diminish as we age.
If you have arthritis and other joint or motion-impeding conditions, swimming is an excellent aerobic exercise. It offers many of the benefits of other aerobic exercises without putting undue stress on joints that, because of arthritis or injury, are unable to repair and rebuild themselves in the normal manner. Swimming, however, unlike weight-bearing aerobic exercises, does not aid in the rebuilding of bone; therefore, it is not helpful in preventing or slowing osteoporosis, nor does it appear to be helpful in reducing weight.
Physical exercise not only increases the metabolic rate so that more calories are burned during the activity, it also continues for several hours after you have stopped. What is more, as you improve your muscle tone and enlarge your muscles, they will burn more calories even when you are engaged in sedentary activities.
Perhaps all of this isn't news to some, but if it is, keep in mind the old adage, 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.' Whether you're 19 or 90, it's never too late to get into shape.
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