“We do not stop exercising because we grow old – we grow old because we stop exercising.”
These are the wise words from Dr. Kenneth Cooper of The Cooper Institute in Dallas Texas. Dr. Kenneth recognized that older adults could drastically improve their quality of life and increase their longevity through an increase in physical activity.
Some older residents of the Coachella Valley are quick to attribute their inactivity and loss of mobility to age alone. Retirement is often portrayed as a period of inevitable mental and physical decline. However, just like an automobile, the body needs regular maintenance in order to increase its longevity.
A regular resistance training routine increases lean muscle mass. This is important because for each year after the age of 25, 3-5% of muscle mass is lost. Loss of muscle tissue and tone (atrophy) causes a decrease in lean muscle mass. For most people, atrophy is caused simply by a decrease in activity levels. However, resistance training can reverse the atrophy process. In fact, studies from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) have demonstrated that individuals in their 70s and 80s were able to increase their muscle mass and strength. Regularly engaging in a strength training routine prevents the wear and tear of aging and helps maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints, which reduces the risk of everyday injury. The loss of strength and vigor largely attributed to aging is in part caused by a decrease in physical activity.
National Men’s Health Week is June 14-20, 2010 and is also a great time to start an exercise program. Men’s Health Week is directed at educating men of all ages about the health concerns affecting men and how proper nutrition and exercise can reduce certain health risks. A regular exercise program helps manage blood pressure, increases good cholesterol (HDL), reduces bad cholesterol (LDL) and decreases the narrowing of the arteries, thereby cutting the risks of heart attacks and strokes. It also helps to manage diabetes, arthritis, low back pain and it improves digestion. Numerous studies from the American Cancer Society have further demonstrated that exercise can even help prevent certain cancers.
Although exercise has amazing health benefits; the biggest incentive for including exercise into your life is that it simply makes you feel better. It helps you sleep better, gives you more energy throughout the day and also helps to manage stress and depression. Moreover, strength training programs are also responsible for reducing falls and bone fractures in individuals over the age of 65 thereby making simple tasks of walking and bathing safer activities. Strong muscles and bones enable individuals to perform the routine tasks in daily life and increase the ability to live independently.
Resistance training should almost always be complemented with additional exercises and programs. A light to moderate cardiovascular (aerobic) training, as well as coordination, balance, and flexibility training contribute greatly to overall health and overall success in any resistance program. Since we are entering our hottest months in the desert, activities such as walking or cycling in the early morning or swimming are low impact and are highly recommended for cardiovascular fitness. Coordination, balance and flexibility training help prevent injuries when performing strength exercises and also help make everyday tasks easier.
Before beginning any physical exercise program it is important to consult with your physician and a knowledgeable fitness professional. If you choose to hire a personal trainer, choose one wisely. It is important to hire a personal trainer that has experience training individuals like yourself and is qualified and certified by recognized institutions. Also, choose a trainer with a specialization in the training program you wish to pursue. Just as you would not hire a tax lawyer to assist you in a civil suit, do not hire a trainer with a specialization in body building if you wish to embark on a balance and coordination program.
Exercise programs for older adults should look nothing like programs for 20 year olds. To start, it is very important for older adults to perform exercises correctly and proper body alignment needs to be emphasized at all time. Since older adults generally have more back and knee issues than their younger counterparts, low to non-impact exercises are best. Correct positioning of the joints is imperative as to not further aggravate existing arthritis. Additionally, the locking of elbows or knees during an exercise is dangerous and a trainer should be constantly checking to ensure this does not occur. Furthermore, an individual with high blood pressure should breathe properly during all exercises because a failure to do so can actually elevate blood pressure.
Although everyone can benefit from a fitness program, it is the older adult that can especially benefit. Retirement can be filled with happier days, less stress and less health problems for the older adult that embarks on an exercise program specifically designed for his needs.
