There is nothing better for your potential longevity than exercising and this physical activity becomes even more important after the age of fifty. Fifty seems to be a significant age since it is at this stage of life when your physician will generally want to spend more time performing preventive maintenance on you and do so consistently annually or every couple years. Chances are, if you have let yourself go up until this significant age, your health care provider will find something that will be of concern or something you must be very careful of like hypertension or high cholesterol.
By watching what you eat and being sure you get adequate exercise, you will lessen the risk of receiving disturbing news from your physician. During your younger days of early adulthood and into your thirties, you were probably more active than at age fifty and you were probably in reasonably good health with no conditions or diseases to worry about. Your body was functioning at peak immunity, you were perhaps at your physical prime, as humans we tend to be driven by our libidos in early adulthood and so we are innately attracted by the physical appearance of the opposite number. Suffice to say we are firing on all cylinders at that stage of life led naturally by hormones and genetics.
Therefore, as we age, we pay the price of the three hour lunches, parties, poor diets, sports injuries and let us not overlook gravity, etc. These take their toll on our health and physical stature. The American Heart Association along with the American College of Sports Medicine having looked into the progression of aging, have released a framework for the fifty plus age group who are in need of physical training but may have an illness or physical impairment of some kind.
Aerobic Training
It is recommended that aerobic activity consist of thirty minutes or more, five times each week at a moderate rate of training or for twenty minutes at a more energetic pace three times a week. Using a scale between 1 and 10, a 5 / 6 would be considered moderate exercise and a rate of 7 / 8 would fall into the energetic category. When you commence your regimen, you can start at a slower pace than this and work your way towards the minimum objective.
Resistance Training
When we age, we are going to lose muscle mass, particularly after age fifty. It is vital to continue with your exercise routine so you can offset this muscle atrophy. At the least, two days per week you should focus on resistance exercises. Many folks use machines to achieve this or go to the gym for the equipment, great if you can manage it but not a requirement. You can train at home with a set of free weights, tension bands, springs, or even use your own body weight as with isometrics. A combination of these training equipment ideas will give you the optimal outcome.
Try and practice eight or ten separate exercises working your main muscle groups like your legs, arms, back and core. Each exercise should be done for a total of ten to fifteen repetitions to begin with. When you find fifteen reps at a particular weight has become simple, increase the weight, lower the reps, and work toward your objective at the new weight. Never ignore pain and do not overdo it. You may want to look at shuffling exercise routines every four to six weeks so boredom does not set in. Settle on an exercise regimen that is interchangeable and always effective.
Flexibility And Stability
Not only will your muscularity start to atrophy when you get older, you will notice a degree of stiffness in joints along with a decrease in movement and stability. Problems with your equilibrium and litheness can ultimately impact your daily routine and make your life uncomfortable as you manage regular activity.
To increase your flexibility, warm up for about ten minutes by stretching all your major muscle groups. Do this two or more times in a week. This will be key to your independence in years to come o get started now. To enhance your stability and steadiness you should include the specific exercises into your training regimen several times each week.
Enough cannot be said about proper exercise and the benefits are many. Find an exercise program that works for you, stick with it, and be consistent and you will be amazed by the results over time.
Physical Training For Health
Extensive research has been carried out on aging and exercise that has proven strength becomes more important to an aging body than endurance is. A serious problem afflicting mainly women as they age is osteoporosis. Unfortunately, jokes are made about falling and not being able to get up, but the heartbreaking fact is that in numerous cases, the bone breaks first at which time they fall. This means that weight bearing, physical training is imperative.
The proof exists that resistance training causes mechanism and metabolic modification that assists in safeguarding an individual from sarcopenia, osteoporosis as well as obesity, while elevating the functionality of the elderly person.
If your desire is to be stronger, using free weights and reduced repetitions while resting thirty seconds or more between sets. If body sculpting is what you are after, stay with lesser weight and do more reps with a shortened rest period. Another caution here not to do too much too soon. Read your body. Sarcopenia is an ailment when the muscle mass starts to waste away or atrophy at approximately six pounds every ten years beyond the age of thirty.
What follows is a physical training regimen designed to augment muscle mass:
A1) Back / Leg Squat - A2) Lying Prone Leg Curl - B1) Bent-Over At The Waist Row - B2) Close-Grip Bench Press - C1) Abdominal Crunches - C2) Standing Calf Raise
Your goal should be to do two to three sets of ten to twelve repetitions while recovering for one minute between sets. These strength training exercises will increase your strength if you do them slowly while you maintain control. Follow the strength training regimen thrice weekly or every other day.
Rejuvenate yourself with a massage if possible, contrasting hot, cold showers, and baths along with some light cardio exercises like walking or bicycling is good as well as some stretching.
Your lifestyle choices will have a lot to do with how the program is maintained. There should be no doubt that recreational drug use is forbidden, along with smoking and alcohol, all of which have such a negative effect on your body at any age! Try and get at least seven to nine hours of sleep nightly and do your best to wake up at a regular time each day. Taking a short nap during the day is also helpful.
What About Nutrition?
Right off the bat, a majority of people will need to rethink their diets completely, doing away with processed foods and refined products in their cupboards and fridges. No longer should they be eating deli sandwiches at lunch and kids cereal for a quick breakfast. Stop the pop at lunch and the wine and pasta for dinner. Stay around the outer border in a super market and avoid the inner aisles!
You should consume four or five smaller meals through the day while being sure to get plenty of water. Almost everyone on the planet is dehydrated and it is a fact of aging that needs to be addressed since your body is made up of mostly water. When you are a newborn, your body is eighty five percent water and by the time you die, it is at fifty percent! When you become dehydrated, it is a sign that something is not working properly. Generally it is a problem with muscle tissue so maintain your hydration with at least five liquid ounces of water for every pound of body weight.
Here is an idea of what your diet should look like:
1st meal - spinach omelet - 2nd meal - a chicken salad with vinaigrette dressing - 3rd meal - Salmon with deep green veggies - 4th meal - cottage cheese along with some mixed berries
It is okay to have a cup of coffee [decaf preferably] first thing in the morning, but beginning after lunch stick to green tea and chamomile in the evening hours. If you require a snack, have a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts.
You should also be consuming supplements since we rarely get all the nutrients we need from our diet. The most vital one is fish oil for Omega 3 fatty acids. You should have a superior quality multivitamin in liquid formulation for better absorption. You can have a decent quality protein powder, a probiotic, and fiber supplement are also something to consider, especially after your workout. It would qualify as your fifth meal. Be sure that everything you eat is fresh and nutritious.
You will get older, of this there is no doubt. However, no one said you had to age willingly so put up a strong fight against age. Get back your health and get into shape and it does not have to be a big deal. Follow a rudimentary plan and you will see results.
Once you start exercising and seeing the results, it will become easier and you might just get addicted to it. You could do worse! One thing is certain, your health will be improved, you will avoid disease and illness related to aging and your physician will not be able to find anything wrong with you. Being fit after fifty will almost certainly add years to your life and give you independence into your autumn years.
Thu, Mar 11, 2010
Anti Aging, Health And Aging, Lifestyle, Longevity