fitness at any age - super abs for women over 50 · 22. with age we begin to lose about 1% of lean...
TRANSCRIPT
Fitness At Any Age ................................................................................................................................. 1
50 Fitness Tips ....................................................................................................................................... 2
Disclaimer: This publication is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical
advice. You should always consult a medical professional before starting any exercise program.
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Are you catching up to 50? Turning 50? 60? 65? Have you lived a sedentary lifestyle or maybe
not exercised as much as you should have?
Think it’s too late to start? Or need a push?
Many myths exist in regards to exercise for the older generation. It’s funny how many people
think that once we hit some age, like 45, 50 or 60 that somehow we have to stop or cannot do
the things the younger generation does.
Don’t Fall For The Hype!
Older people are active, vibrant, and energetic and
many do more than their younger counterparts do.
Jack La Lane, who lived almost 100 years (1914 -
2011), one of the most famous and prolific fitness gurus of all time is the perfect example of
what one can do no matter one’s age:
When he was 42 years old, he set the pushups world record by doing 1,000 pushups in 23
minutes.
La Lane swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, CA while
handcuffed and towing a 1,000-pound boat at the age of 60!
On his 70th birthday, La Lane swam 1.5 miles while handcuffed, shackled, AND towing 70
rowboats holding 70 people!
Impressed?
Now, most of us will not nor do we need to achieve such feats, the point is that age is just a
number, and La Lane was able to achieve these feats and others because he spent his life
committed to fitness.
Imagine what we can do if we just workout a fraction of the time that La Lane did!
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1. Regular exercise not only helps the body, it also improves mood and brain function.
Therefore, it’s not just about prolonging life; it’s also about improving its quality.
2. Some may believe that with age comes the need to save strength by resting. However,
studies show that a sedentary lifestyle is very unhealthy for both the young and older
generations, as it can lead to more doctor visits, chronic disease, obesity, and overweight,
heart disease, premature death from heart attack, and more hospitalizations.
3. A study published in the Archives in
Internal Medicine showed these
important statistics of exercise for
people over 50: men who exercised
moderately extended their lives by 1.3
years and men who were very active
added 3.7 years. Women with
moderately active lifestyles added 1.1
years to their lives and highly active
women lived 3.2 years longer.
4. Some believe that exercise increases risk for falling. In fact, regular workouts build
endurance, strengthen muscle, bone, and build stability that reduces risks for falls.
5. You are never too old to start working out. It is a common misconception that older people
should not workout; in reality, exercise at any age boosts physical health and emotional
wellbeing. Thinking that you are too old and what’s the point of exercise is just not realistic.
The truth is that exercise improves the aging process and can prolong life. It makes people
more active, energetic, and better able to face the day. It also lowers risk for chronic
disease, no matter how old you are when you start.
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6. Ask your doctor before starting any type of fitness program, to be sure that it is safe for you.
7. Commit to a regular routine, and stick with it. Your ongoing commitment is half the battle.
8. Decide for yourself what motivates you to exercise. This is key in sticking with a long-term
plan.
9. Start slow, especially if you are new to exercise or
it’s been a long time since you have worked out.
Build up your fitness in levels, and don’t start with
a very strenuous workout. This will support safety
and also will not set up you for self-sabotage so
you give up too soon because it’s too hard. Start
with a low impact aerobics class two times a
week, and two days of strength training and build
up from there.
10. Do proper warmup and cool down exercises
before the main event.
11. Don’t get discouraged if you cannot do what
others at the gym are doing, everyone has a fitness level, and all levels of exercise are
beneficial.
12. Hire a personal trainer that can develop a specialized fitness plan to meet your needs. He or
she can also teach you how to perform the exercise correctly for best results and safety.
This is especially important for those who are new to exercise.
13. The four main types of workouts to add to your schedule are cardio, strength, flexibility, and
balance.
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14. Cardio works the heart, promotes heart health, builds endurance and lung health and
makes you sweat, it includes, cycling, walking, aerobics, water aerobics, swimming, stair
steppers, rowing, dancing, sports, elliptical training, running, and even hiking.
15. Strength training builds lean muscle mass, promotes bone health, boosts balance and builds
strength. Strength training includes resistance training, free weights, resistance bands,
bodyweight exercises, and the use of exercise machines.
16. Flexibility training promotes joint health and improves the body’s range of motion to
improve daily functioning and performance in everyday tasks. Flexibility training includes,
stretching and exercise programs like yoga.
17. Balance training helps train the body to
maintain stability while standing or
moving. Balance training reduces risk of
falls as we age. Various posture exercises
are available, along with yoga, Pilates,
and Tai chi that improve balance.
18. When doing weight training use slow,
controlled movements.
19. Never lift more than you can handle when working with free weights or weight machines,
this is where professional advice, like that from a personal trainer is key.
20. If you have, stiff, hot, or inflamed joints make sure they are healed before working out.
21. With age, the metabolism begins to slow, and exercise helps to boost it to promote healthy
weight management, which is so important for overall health and disease prevention.
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22. With age we begin to lose about 1% of lean muscle mass each year, the quality of muscle
also degrades with age, meaning that we lose strength. Strength training helps to build
muscle tone and promote strength that serves you in everyday performance and allows for
more effective fat burning even when the body is at rest. There is a wide variety of free
weights, weight machines, and bodyweight exercise to choose from.
23. Your general wellness is greatly improved by exercise. It promotes natural energy, boosts
mood and greatly reduces stress. Stress is key in a
variety of health conditions and accounts for more than
60% of doctor visits. Keeping stress at bay not only
reduces physical health it also greatly improves
emotional and mental health.
24. Exercise boosts immunity and helps to prevent serious
chronic disease, including heart disease, osteoporosis,
cancer, diabetes, obesity, and Alzheimer’s disease.
25. Digestive health is improved by exercise, something of
special concern to the aging population.
26. Bending, reaching and rising are all elements of what is
called functional fitness. These are activities people do
every day, and with age these may become more difficult when we are not training the
muscles to work together to achieve these tasks. Functional movement exercises greatly
improve our ability to perform in life.
27. Flexibility is important to ensure optimal aging. It improves mobility, and posture in older
adults. Flexibility training also reduces the risk of falls, one of the leading causes of injury in
aging adults.
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28. Strength training with weights or bodyweight exercises helps to alleviate symptoms of
arthritis, and also helps to strengthen joints for improved performance.
29. Aerobic and cardiovascular exercises promote endurance and stamina, which allows for
improved functioning throughout the older years.
30. Take care when exercising, if you feel significant pain or shortness of breath, feel dizzy or
short of breath, experience chest pain, feel immense joint pain, or break out in a cold sweat,
stop, see your doctor as needed and reevaluate your fitness plan.
31. Muscle burn is expected when working out, and post workout muscle soreness simply
comes with the territory. Warm baths and massage help.
32. If you experience excessive fatigue or pain two or more days after exercise, evaluate your
workout schedule and cut back on exertion within individual workouts, but don't stop
completely.
33. Water exercises are ideal for older seniors, those with mobility issues and the very
overweight and obese. The buoyancy of the water supports gentle movement and provides
a safe and effective aerobic workout.
34. Local community centers offer senior fitness classes, which are not only great for health and
wellness, they also allow you to meet like-minded people and improve your social life.
35. Tai Chi is a form of alternative exercise that promotes wellbeing, stress reduction, mood
enhancement, mindfulness, and physical health. It also supports flexibility, improves range
of motion, and supports heart health. It is a premier form of slow meditative movement
that is ideal for anyone at any fitness level. It is also an exercise that can be done by the
disabled and those in a wheelchair.
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36. Those in wheelchairs can get their exercise by lifting free weights, stretching, chair yoga,
and chair aerobics and there are also water exercise classes for the disabled. Many disabled
people play basketball in wheelchairs.
37. Regular exercise promotes healthy sleep, which often suffers as a consequence of aging.
Quality sleep promotes health, wellness, and
brain function. When you do cardio training you
sleep better and more deeply and awake more
refreshed for more energy throughout the day.
38. Exercise promotes the release of mood boosting
chemicals in the brain. Endorphins help reduce
stress, depression, anxiety and sadness.
39. Regular strength and cardio training workouts build confidence, not only do they make you
feel strong, able and sure of yourself, they promote feelings of personal success and the
“yes I can” attitude, which spills over into all parts of your life.
40. Doing brain building puzzles like crosswords or Sudoku helps keep the brain active and
working at its best. These activities help to boost memory, and prevent cognitive decline,
and dementia.
41. Do regular cardio exercise that studies show to help slow the progression of brain disorders
such as Alzheimer’s disease.
42. Yoga is a powerhouse of health benefits for the mind, body, and spirit. Yoga combines poses
with breathing and mindfulness. It has more than 60 benefits for physical, mental, and
emotional health. It is also low impact, and there are many different schools that are ideal
for any level of fitness.
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43. If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, it is important to plan an exercise schedule in
accordance with meals and timing of medicine. Ask your doctor.
44. Evaluate your progress and upgrade workouts as your fitness levels grow.
45. Brisk walking is one of the most effective and
recommended exercises for anyone. It is low impact,
and can be easily done anywhere at any time
without the need for any equipment.
46. Mix up your workouts to not only challenge the body
that progresses fitness levels, but to keep it
interesting for continued motivation. Take different
fitness classes, walk, run, do yoga, tai chi, use free
weights and weight machines, use an exercise bike,
treadmill or elliptical. There are so many choices that
exercise should never be boring.
47. Stick with activities you enjoy, this will keep you
motivated and ensure that you stick with an exercise program for the long term.
48. Recruit friends and family, as working out is much more fun with friends.
49. Take exercise one day at a time. Don’t worry about next week or a year’s worth of workouts,
just do some exercise today.
50. Accept your limitations! Never focus on what you can’t do, instead do what you can! Stay
positive and rest assured that any exercise you do is benefiting the health of your mind,
body, and spirit!