You have to face reality. You age. That
becomes pretty obvious after you typing in “exercise workout” in the Google search engine and got a bunch
of links like “Ten Exercises to a Flat
Stomach”, “Bodybuilding”, “Gwen Stefani Diet, Exercise, and workout Tips”, “50
Bodyweight Exercise You Can Do
Anywhere”, or maybe even “Exercises during Pregnancy”. If the titles weren’t
the first clue, the smiling photos and YouTube videos filled with youth make
you face that fact that you’re older then you use to be. And just like you have
to adapt your search to “Old people exercise” you have to adjust your life
style.
Those of us who are concerned with quality of life as we age, exercise is one of the keys. Can you exercise when your old an grey? Yes, physicians encourage you to exercise just as they would to any other age. But you exercise regime will be a lot different from when you were younger. Those “15 Minute Insanity Cardio Workout Exercise” links that you got in your first web search aren’t for you. Exercise that you did when you were younger will hurt you now that you’re older.
Generally when you’ve reached the age of 65 you’ve already experienced some decrease in muscle but you’re not taking ibuprofen with every meal. In 2010, the percentage of noninstitutionalized persons age 65 and over in fair or poor health was 24.4% and the percent of noninstitutionalized individuals 65+ who need help with personal care from other people was only 7.3%. [3] The Center for Disease Control and Prevention calculates men at 65 to have another 17.6 years left to complete their bucket list and women are expected to have 20.3 more years of life in them.[3]
If the
thought of experiencing the most out of your life appeals to you, keep reading
this post as I explain the benefits of
exercising in old age and tips on how to get started.
·
Muscle mass decreases as we age.
o
Beginning in the fourth decade of
life, adults lose 3%-5% of muscle mass
per decade, and the decline
increases to 1%-2% per year after age 50. [11]
·
Endurance declines as we age.
o
In study, data collected on more
than 41,000 men and women from 1990 to 2001 were analyzed to find the
relationship between walking and mortality. It was reported that men and women who walked 30 minutes or more
per day during the study period had
fewer deaths than those who walked less than 30 minutes.[11]
·
Flexibility declines as we age.
o
Pain or stiffness in your neck
can make it harder to look over your shoulder to change lanes or look left and
right at intersections to check for other traffic or pedestrians.
·
Balance declines as we age.
o
Falling is a major cause of severe injures like
broken hips that cause disability and can cause you your loses of independence
·
Bone density declines as we age.
o
In the U.S., it has been estimated that by 2025
the number of hip fractures attributed to osteoporosis will double to nearly
2.6 million with a greater percentage increase in men than in women.[10]
Now here’s the good news:
·
Exercise helps with all that and more!
·
The number of neurons in your brain increase
after a few days or weeks of regular physical activity, which is great because
neurons help your ability to think, perform physical functions, and memory.
How does exercise improve your mood?
·
While there is no study that proves
that exercise improves ones mood going out and getting a breath of fresh air
and letting the sunshine fall on your shoulders doesn’t sound like it would
make you depressed now does it?
Don’t
forget the importance of stretching!
·
Studies suggest that significant improvements in
the range of motion of various joints (neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee,
and ankle) can occur when stretching
exercises are prescribed.
Because endurance and aerobic exercises increase the rate of your heart and breath, they improve the strength of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system. Endurance increases your stamina which is necessary for ever day tasks you need to do to live independently on your own.
Strength and Resistance exercises not only make you stronger but also give you the independence to do things on your own, increase your metabolism, and help keep your weight down.
What does Flexibility and Balance Exercises do for you?
Try to keep your body limber through flexibility exercises which help you stretch your muscles and the tissues that hold your body’ structure in place. While losing your balance and falling is a major cause of severe injures like broken hips that cause disability and can cause you your loses of independence, you should do balance exercise to help prevent falls. Just make sure to have someone who can catch you be your spotter when you try activities that require balance.
(topic continued in next blog post)
Bibliography
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "FASTSTATS
- Older Persons Health." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2 Nov. 2012. Web. 7 Dec. 2012.
<http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/older_americans.htm>.[3]
GmaGoldie. "Swim Fitness | Swimming | Water Aerobics |
Biondi Torres and More." GmaGoldie on HubPages. N.p., n.d. Web. 7
Dec. 2012. <http://gmagoldie.hubpages.com/hub/Swim-Fitness>.[6]
McNeaely, Ed. "Training to Improve Bone Density in
Adults: A Review and Recommendations | The Sport Journal." volume 15 |
The Sport Journal. The United States Sports Acaday, 6 Dec. 2012. Web. 7
Dec. 2012.
<http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/training-improve-bone-density-adults-review-and-recommendations>.[10]
Weil, Richard . "Senior Exercise." MedicineNet.com.
MedicineNet, Inc, n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012.
<www.medicinenet.com/senior_exercise/article.htm>.[11]
Guest Blog post courtesy of
MVE, OldandOntheGo.blogspot
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