One of the things that spurred me into starting this blog discussion about building muscle the right way is that I had been fairly inactive for a while and had gained a few unwanted pounds and my fitness level had really dropped. Some would chalk this up to the fact that I am getting older but as Mr. Jones points out in the the article below, getting older doesn't mean getting less fit.
EUGENIE JONES | Getting older doesn't mean getting less fit
Some things get better with age, others don't. If you're a mature adult, which of those would you say best describes your level of fitness?
Of course we aren't the same at 60 as we were at 30, but many of us are under the mistaken impression that a decrease in activity and an increase in girth are foregone conclusions of getting older.
Studies show, however, that many fitness losses, previously associated with age, correlate not with getting older, but with becoming less active. Ah-Haa!
Becoming less physically active can lead to bone density losses, weaker muscles, and reduced metabolic rates (speed at which your body burns calories). Conversely, keeping active contributes to both your physical and emotional well-being.
You can focus on getting better with age by practicing four basic types of exercise — endurance, muscle conditioning, balance, and flexibility.
Endurance activities such as walking, swimming, lite-aerobics, dancing or stationary cardiovascular equipment, are all excellent forms of endurance building activities. They help your heart and lungs stay strong, burn fat, and build your stamina
Get at least 30 minutes of these types of activities on most or all days of the week. You may also break the 30 minutes up into three, 10-minute sessions.
Do your best to move continually and challenge yourself such that your breathing rate increases. You'll know you're exercising at the correct intensity by keeping this rule of thumb in mind: if you can talk without any trouble at all, you're not working hard enough, but if you can hardly speak, you're working too hard.
Muscle conditioning keeps us strong, able to lift ourselves from our chairs, traversing stairs, taking walks with our grandkids, and improving our overall level of functional fitness.
When you include resistance training to your fitness routine, one of the safest and most effective options is to attend a weight-lifting class specifically for seniors — such as the Silver Sneaker classes — or to work with a personal trainer.
Doing so will allow you to build muscle, increase your bone density, ease arthritis pain, and boost your rate of calorie burn while learning proper technique and avoiding the inevitable doctor visits that come from bad exercise form or improper technique. You may also consider using exercise videos such as the, "Sit and Be Fit," series as an excellent in-home, muscle-building option.
Working on balance is very important when it comes to avoiding falls and maintaining a keen sense of equilibrium. In-home activities such as balancing on one foot for thirty-seconds before shifting to the other foot can be done simply and easily while standing behind a nearby dining room chair.
You can also practice walking a straight line heel to toe, with each foot being placed on the floor very close to the heel of the foot in front.
Flexibility is the partner of balance. Stretching exercises, yoga, and even Tai Chi will enable you to stay flexible, move more freely, and maintain a healthy range of motion. There are literally tons of senior videos covering these disciplines and a good source for finding one that you will enjoy is by contacting Collage Video at (800) 433-6769, or at www.collagevideo.com.
You could also look for a class at your favorite gym. Your first step, however, in getting better with age is to speak to your doctor and precede any exercise program with his or her go-ahead, remembering overall that age is not an excuse to avoid exercise, but rather a reason to pursue it.
Now go be great!
Eugenie Jones, M.B.A., ACE, is a workplace performance and lifestyle training expert. Find her fitness column, in its 18th year of running, here each Saturday. Visit her website at www.eugeniejones.com, view Twitter tweets at http://twitter.com/nowgobegreat, or e-mail her at eugeniek@comcast.net.
It is important to make time for yourself and get some exercise. It tends to help wash away daily stress, not to mention help you body systems regulate better. And any work you do now is put in the back for when you become the elder of your clan. So although getting older doesn't mean getting less fit, you must put in effort to build muscle and cardio fitness.
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