What is age-wise.com?
This site will provide information on aging. I will include articles that have been published in my column in Senior World.
Strength for Life--Exercise
A recent survey reported that seven of ten Americans get little regular exercise and four of ten get none. What is your activity level? Do you have a gym membership that you use to socialize? Do you have a piece of exercise equipment that serves as a pant rack? The number two problem in the US after smoking is obesity. The American Heart Association recently added lack of exercise as a major risk factor for heart disease right there with smoking and high blood pressure. We celebrate by going out to eat. For just fifty cents we can supersize our fast food meal. Even if you exercise regularly, you should read the rest of this column.
When we talk about exercise, you don’t have to think of the person who runs five miles a day or lifts weights twice a day. Diet and exercise are the best keys to longevity and healthy aging. Exercise consists of four major activities—cardio, strength, flexibility, and balance. You need to work on all four for healthy living.
Most experts recommend that you get at least 30 minutes of cardio activity [ideally daily but at least three to five times a week]. You cannot count thirty trips to the TV to change the channel. Climb stairs; walk to the store; and walking at a mall counts. You can count six five-minute walks throughout the day. Divide it any way that is convenient.
Strength training is also essential. Most of us lose about 5 pounds of muscle, every decade, which cannot be prevented by just cardio activity. We have to use it [muscle] or we lose it. We can use therabands [color coded rubber bands with different resistance] or we can use gallon jugs, which you can fill with increasing amounts of water. We don’t need expense equipment, just some creative thinking. We know that strength training can lower blood pressure, reduce back pain, and reduce arthritic pain. Lots of good side effects can come from strength training.
In addition to cardio and strength training activity, we need to increase our flexibility. Even gentle stretching and bending can keep your muscles relaxed and mobile. Remaining flexible can promote independence.
Finally we need to work on activities that help us keep our balance. The above three activities can help us increase our balance. Losing our balance is NOT a symptom of old age. It is a symptom of a lack of physical activity. Falls happen because we lose our balance. We can do something about it.
Now you may be asking yourself, can I start exercising even though I have not done so for twenty or thirty years? Wrong question. Is it too late to start? It is never too late. We have ninety year olds who are just getting into strength training and are showing wonderful progress. In the final analysis, the choice is yours to make. Do you want to just age or do you want to age strategically?
