5 Healthy Exercises No Matter What Your Age
Age Defying Fitness: Making the Most of Your Body for the Rest of Your Life
Exercise is good for everyone, no matter how old you are and in fact it gets more and more important to stay active as you get older. While you may not want to practice extreme sports risking life and limb, there are some great exercises you can do throughout your life.
1.Swimming: There’s a reason that you see so many senior citizens swimming and so many classes offered in the water. This is by far the best exercises that the elderly can partake in. It’s gentle on the joints and muscles, yet so beneficial in terms of the activity that it provides. The elderly may find that a quick dip on their own or even an organized class is more their style, but there are endless options. This is one exercise that senior citizens should always consider.
2.Biking: You may not consider this to be an appropriate exercise, but it really is. Jumping on a stationary bike or getting outside to ride can be as easy and gentle as you make it. By being able to set the tone and the pace, you can control your input level. It’s easy on the joints as well but provides some great exercise that your body craves. So it’s well worth starting out slowly with this exercise to see how well you get on with it.
3.Walking: Another popular exercise amongst those getting on in years, and you can quickly see why. Walking is easy enough to do and can be done anywhere, so it has great appeal. It gets you up and moving, but doesn’t have to be strenuous. You rarely risk injury and you can control how far and fast you go. This is very appealing to the elderly who want to get in some activity but don’t want to risk injury. You can get outside to enjoy it, or you can simply hit the local mall or walking track, to get in your daily activity.
4.Yoga: Many senior citizens don’t necessarily think of this activity off hand, but it can work quite well in terms of overall well being. Yoga promotes stamina and flexibility and also ensures some very necessary physical activity. There are all different types of yoga classes nowadays so you can choose one that fits your lifestyle and particular situation. This can be good for the mind as well as the body, and that’s what makes it such a great exercise option.
5.Weight Training: If you never really thought of weight training as an appropriate activity once you get older, then think again. You can control the weight that you lift, and it helps to keep bones strong and healthy. It promotes flexibility and can in many instances prevent injury, which makes it a great option.
If you are still young and agile, you may not think of the elderly as being big into exercise, but there are so many serious advantages that you should persuade family and friends who are getting on in years to make sure they include exercise in their lifestyle.
This is a guest post by Mary M Frederick, who has a website about how to find Nurse Practitioner Online Programs.
Trampoline Workouts
Half Fold CELLERCISER® Kit (Rebounder)
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Trampoline workouts are becoming increasingly popular for people who want to exercise and have fun at the same time. There’s nothing like bouncing up and down on a Cellerciser (see left, widely acknowledged as the best) or a standard mini trampoline and doing yourself good at the same time.
Numerous health benefits arise from participating in such a workout including weight loss, reduced backaches, and increased endurance. People of all ages and sizes can participate and reap these positive results.
Jumping up and down on a trampoline requires rigorous leg movements. Your legs absorb a lot of the impact and you burn calories at an effective rate, through the effort required. Yet the effort feels like play as you are simply bouncing! And with enough jumps on the trampoline, you can burn more calories then using a jump rope. Most of the time, people who participate in trampoline exercises have so much fun that they forget about how many calories they burned. Losing weight and getting fit was never before such fun.
People who work in an office all day, often experience back aches from sitting down too long. Trampoline workouts are extremely efficient in minimizing aches because when you jump in the air, you’re in a period of weightlessness, which puts no strain on your back.
The more often you jump and stay in the air, the less strain you will put on your back. Increased endurance is beneficial to your health as well as your heart. With continuous jumping, your adrenaline rises and your heart pumps more blood throughout your body resulting in overall good health. Working out on a mini trampoline also increase your endurance without putting strain on any parts of your body. The more you exercise, the higher your endurance will be.
Trampoline workouts are one of the most effective and fun exercises that you can take part in. Whether it’s getting shape or improving health, trampoline exercises will accomplish all of that. They can be purchased from any local sports store. Finally, exercising can be fun again.
Multi-Gyms or Free Weights?
Mens Health Home Workout Bible
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You are often faced with a choice: do you go for the free weights, which look like they are more fun? Or do you choose some chromed multi-gym machinery that would look more at home in a beauty spa?
No matter what your opinion of the glossy catalogs where the models look well muscled and obviously work out on a regular basis, they just didn’t get that way using multi-gym equipment. The main problem with multi-gyms is that you can’t add any weight to them other than the weights which came with the machine at delivery time. So if the machine has, say, 50Kg on it, that’s it. And the only way to build massive muscle is to keep increasing the weights. Most body builders consider 50Kg the lower end of the warm up!
In addition, free weights are far easier to store at home. You need a lot more space for a multi gym.
So what is the point of multi-gyms?
Firstly, they are great for toning up, or as a compliment to other sports – cycling for example. Here you aren’t interested in achieving personal bests, but rather keeping shape or developing cross-training practices. You can of course do this with a small set of free weights however too.
Secondly, throwing weights around the place might look fun, but there are risks. These risks are compounded by the fact that we often use home weight training equipment without a ‘spotter’ – that is, someone who will watch for you in case you get into trouble. With a multi-gym should you slip or drop the weight, then it will fall back on the stack and keep you out of trouble. This becomes more important the heavier the weights you lift.
Thirdly, you are more likely to workout the whole of your body in one session. When we use free weights we tend to go to our favorite exercise, simply because it is often easier, or achieves the best result. Using a multigym you know when you have finished because you have used all the equipment.
Using Interval Training to Workout Quickly
The Interval Training Workout: Build Muscle and Burn Fat with Anaerobic Exercise
Many people who work full-time jobs find it hard to squeeze in a few hours during the work week to exercise – they don’t want to get up any earlier than they have to to get to work on time, and they’re exhausted after work. However, I have talked with a few personal trainers who have explained the success they’ve had talking clients into dedicating just 20-30 minutes a day, two to three times a week to high intensity interval training workouts.
The exact formula that different fitness websites will list out for interval training times will vary greatly, but the basic idea is to work at about 90% of your maximum for a minute or two, then slow down to allow your body time to recuperate, before sprinting all out again. I say sprinting, but high intensity training cardio training can be used on any cardio machine, from stationary bikes to stair machines to ellipticals, or any non-gym workout like swimming or roller skating.
The only requirement is that you need to be able to press hard enough at whatever activity you’re doing to get your heart pounding and your body sweating with the effort. I’ve found it difficult to reach 90% exertion through the elliptical machine and swimming, for example, but it is definitely possible. You need to reach this level of difficulty at least three to four times during your workout for the interval training to be effective, but you can go on, sprinting and resting, as many times as you are able.
In twenty minutes, most people are able to get through about four high intensity periods, which is enough to make a difference in your cardiovascular health over time. The great thing about this type of workout, unlike distance running, for example, is that the better you get at your activity, you don’t have to dedicate any more time to the activity if you don’t want to. Simply ramp up the speed of your workout, lengthen your high intensity period, or shorten your “rest” periods to increase the difficulty and strengthen your body.
HIIT (high intensity interval training) also burns many times the calories as a steady jog would, in the same amount of time, which will help you keep the pounds off. Burning fat through interval training is very effective, particularly for people who are short on free time.
Walking, Fitness, Weight Loss and Me
I feel that walking has had a bad press among exercisers. After all, it can’t be real exercise, can it…
- if you don’t have to get yourself to a gym
- if you don’t have to learn complicated moves with state of the art equipment
- if you don’t have to get showered immediately afterwards
- if you don’t even need to change your clothes before you begin ?
Yet regular walkers are some of the fittest and healthiest people around and they rarely suffer the injuries and set backs of runners, joggers and regular gym goers.
Usually at this time of year I am thinking about starting to run as training for an annual charity race – the Race for Life. Then as I get going I decide I hate running and never run again after the race until the same time next year.
This year I’ve decided to add a regular walk to my fitness routine instead and see how I like that as a “rest of my life” activity. It feels right as I will be following in the footsteps of my Dad who walked every day of his adult life until he died last year aged 86 – staying fit until the very end.
Walking is great for weight loss too of course. Though that’s not my primary motive in taking up this form of exercise, I have some clients who follow a weight loss walking program I put together and find this the very best way to lose weight and keep it off. It will do me no harm to join them – especially as I have eaten so much after Christmas….
Breathing Exercises For Your Lungs
Unless you’ve been through formal fitness testing you may have never thought about your lung capacity.
According to Jolie Bookspan in her article Do Breathing Exercises Work? it used to be thought that this was something you could do nothing about – that your lung capacity was inherited. And people also thought that lung capacity would deteriorate with age.
But that’s just not the case – you can improve your lung capacity (and with it your endurance) with breathing exercises and maintain your lung capacity well into old age.
Breathing exercises do not need formal training – even the act of taking conscious deep breathes at odd moments in the day will help. And you can get more practice by blowing up balloons and beach balls. (Jolie had her exercise students attempt to blow up those huge exercise balls!)
Of course aerobic exercise of every kind helps – as well as laughing and singing! For more info see Jolie’s articles about breathing on the Healthline blog
Running (Again)!
I told you with the (slightly) warmer weather I’d end up running again (see Sporadic Running).
I can feel my knees and ankles protesting already – but it IS for a good cause.
Last year’s running spurt was caused by entering the 5k all ladies Race for Life in aid of Cancer Research encouraged by a few friends. And the same friends have persuaded me it’s a good idea this year too. As my Dad died of cancer in October last year, it will be especially poignant.
Thing is – I haven’t run since last year’s race – so I’ll be starting my training plan from the beginning again with the cool running couch to 5k plan – I only have the 8 weeks so I’d better get to it.
Anyone care to join me? Actually Race for Life takes place all round the UK at around the same time so it’s something to aim for if you live here in the next 2 months (and if you live elsewhere there will be tons of events no doubt too).
Sporadic Running
Every year or so I decide to get fit by running rather than whatever I am doing at the time (like walking or rebounding or stepping or nothing).
Last year, I even trained for a 5K race and enjoyed the whole training and event.
At the end of the race I would even say I was euphoric what with all the spectators clapping and the happy hormones kicking in.
And then after the race I never ran again.
What’s the problem then with running being a regular part of my fitness routine?
Well, it seems that no matter how gradually I train, how well cushioned and fitted my shoes, how good my running style, I end up with sore ankles and sometimes knees.
And that’s just running 3 times a week for 30 minutes. At times (although not all the time) I get so sore that I can’t even walk properly and am out of action for a few days at least.
And so that creates a bit of a conflict.
You see fitness for me is about being healthy not just fit and I suspect that running is not actually that good for me.
After a while, of course, I forget about the injuries, the slightly warmer and less rainy weather of spring returns and running starts to look like a good idea again.
So if you hear I’ve taken up jogging again don’t be surprised. But also don’t be too shocked to hear I have given up again after a few months despite all the motivation tricks I know about “just doing it”.
About Simply Fitness
Hi and welcome!
As the name of this blog implies, it’s simply about getting fit and also about getting fit in simple ways.
While the main site at SimplyFitnessGear.com provides independent detailed reviews and information about fitness equipment, the blog is for everything to do with Fitness and is designed to inspire you to get that on top of the world feeling which only comes when you are at your peak.
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You won’t find too much information on muscle building for the sake of competition or on achieving Olympic records – there are plenty of other sites for that – instead, you’ll find lots of info to help you feel and look better through taking good care of yourself – achievable by everyone no matter where you are beginning and how busy you are.
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