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LIFESTYLE:
Old News is Good News
By Corley Roberts
I remember my grade school recess days playing kickball and climbing on the jungle gym. I had no idea then that physical activity served a purpose other than wearing me out so I would not be a menace to my mother after school.
I remember my high school health and physical education classes like they were yesterday. Nonetheless I learned then that if I exercised regularly that I would be healthier and therefore live longer. I was still so young, why would I even care if I lived longer now? All that mattered was that I was healthy then. I'll worry about tomorrow when it comes.
Well, tomorrow came. I've learned that if I exercise regularly then I'll maintain my girlish figure and still be able to turn a few heads. Now you have my attention.
Most people don't really start thinking about exercise and its many proven benefits until they reach a certain age and start to see things change. One day you wake up and body parts that used to defy gravity now fight their way back to the top. Bending over to put your shoes on becomes an Olympic sport. The lesson I learned about physical activity when I was in grade school and until now hasn't changed: exercise is good for you.
Even the principles of exercise haven't changed. For example, strength-training exercise is ideal for strengthening and maintaining muscles and bones, and may decrease the risk for developing certain conditions like osteoporosis. Aerobic exercise will improve cardiovascular and lung capacity and will allow you to walk further or up stairs without risking a heart attack.
What has changed through time is the increase in convenience, technology, and industry that for many, reduces the opportunity for physical activity. Riding lawn mowers, elevators, automobiles, and a convenience store on every corner so even if you did walk there, it wouldn't have to be far.
As we age, there are common physiologic changes that occur. However, aging does not mean growing old. It is a proven fact that exercise can decrease, minimize, and even reverse some common effects of aging. Let's take a closer look.
|
The
Aging Effect VS. The Exercise Effect
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||
| Muscles atrophy and decline in strength. Occurs with a decrease in muscle mass. | Strength training and Physical activity improves muscle mass, even in adults 90 and over. | |
| Bones become porous and fracture easily. Posture becomes stooped. |
Weight bearing and resistive exercises stress the bones and thus, strengthens them, reducing the risk of osteoporosis. |
|
| Muscles and joints loose elasticity. Joints tighten and range of motion decreases. |
Exercise improves flexibility and range of motion. |
|
| Maximum heart rate decreases.¾Resting heart rate and blood pressure increases. |
Exercise decreases resting heart rate and blood pressure. |
|
| Metabolism declines. |
Exercise and strength training increases metabolism. |
|
The Surgeon General recommends that Americans engage in physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes 3-5 days a week. It is now acknowledged that you can split up that 30 minutes and still benefit from improvements in health through engaging in physical activity.
The American College of Sports Medicine offers recommendations for exercise that are more fitness goal-oriented and related to frequency, intensity, and duration.
The message here is to just get moving. Whether it's 10 minutes at a time or 45 minutes. Almost 70% of Americans are sedentary or engage in very low-level activity, and of those individuals, most learned the lessons of exercise at a very early age.
Physical activity has been promoted since the beginning of time, at least my time, for the prevention of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Don't you think it's ironic that the very intervention for rehabilitation is the same for prevention?
If we don't prevent ourselves from illness, we will have to suffer through rehab with the very thing we avoided: exercise!
One of the biggest reasons for exercise as we grow older is independence. So far, I'm not too worried about my physical independence, as when I was a teenager, I wasn't worried about preventing disease. I'm sure time will fly by and I'll find myself struggling to get up out of a chair and realize that my days of independence are threatened. My independence means being able to get to the store or play with my grand kids (or chase them away), or bathe and dress myself.
The following exercise recommendations are for the average healthy person who wishes to improve muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility. They are also for those who wish to continue getting up out of a chair on their own, prevent falls, or beat their partner at a fair game of tennis.
Exercise Prescription for General Fitness
Warm-Up/Cool-Down
Warm up and cool-down with every exercise session for 5-10 minutes with no resistance exercise or walking
Aerobic Exercise
Perform cardiovascular exercise (run, bike, walk, swim) for 3-5 days per week. Each exercise session should last from 20 to 40 minutes, however, start slowly and progress. If you need to break up the time do so according to your fitness level. It is recommended that 30 minutes or more will reap greater fitness results, however, 20 minutes is still beneficial for achieving health benefits.
Strength Training
Perform strength training for 2-3 days per week on alternate days. Complete at least 8 repetitions until you can do 12 easily. Increase the weight or number of sets at that point. For most people, it is not recommended that you go beyond 3 sets or 12-15 reps.
Flexibility
Perform various stretching exercises on most days of the week to keep yourself limber and able to touch those toes without throwing your back out.
If you are just starting out or over 40 years old make sure you consult with your physician before beginning an exercise program.
Corley Roberts is
an Exercise Physiologist and author of FitScript Provider Guide for
Seniors (Millennium Health Publications, www.myfitscript.com).
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