TEN
REASONS TO KEEP FIT AS YOU AGE
The Old
Rusty Nail
AN E-JOURNAL FOR OLD PEOPLE
Russell
Burton, an Old Person
I ran across this article which I had forgotten I had
saved a couple of months ago while I was still in Western New York State where
I live during the summer. Many times in
this Blog, I have written about my summer stay there in my condo in Westfield
NY on Lake Erie and attending the Chautauqua summer 9-week program.
This article which appeared in the August 21 2015
issue of the Chautauqua Star, a local newspaper, in the Health section
naturally caught my eye for I have written several articles on the importance
of regular physical exercises in us old people.
I liked the words in the title ‘… as you age’ used instead of the word
‘old’. Yet, it is indeed for us old people staying fit although words which
indicated that this was the intended audience were few and far between. ‘…deteriorate with age’ was used once; ‘older
adults’ was used twice; and finally a reference to the ‘NIH National Institute
for Aging’ suggested that the article was aimed at us old people. Oh yes, a picture showed four relatively aged
people all smiling holding up weights.
By the way, I have found the National Institute for
Aging a wonderful source of information in support of us old people. All you have to do to enjoy those benefits is
bring it up on the Web and join. It is
free and immediately various topics on aging are provided to you on the Web on
nearly a daily basis.
Back to the article, I found few new thoughts on this
very important topic regarding the importance of physical fitness in us old
people. Still its importance cannot be overstated so I will review it for my
readers even though much of it I have previously written.
Like I said reference to us-aged people was rarely
mentioned in this article so as is the case a good physical fitness regimen is
important to adhere to during our entire lifetime. So, like mentioned in all of these types of
articles, it is never too old to start.
Of course, obtaining your physician’s permission might be in order.
I began my physical activities at the local gym when I
retired at the age of 68. Of course, as
I progressed I did indeed become stronger which became somewhat of an obsession
to continue to increase my strength using heavier weights. This desire became ridiculous when I decided
I was an old person at the ripe old age of 80.
I have written previously about this metamorphosis in my aging process
which did cause me to change my approach to living including working out at the
gym.
Now what is important here to note is that I only changed
my approach to these exercises. Simply instead of trying to increase my
strength I decided to reduce the weights I used to levels which were about half
of what I had previously used and dramatically slowed the duration of each
exercises rep to where I take twice as long to perform one rep. Of course the physical work remains the same
for it is a function of the duration of the exercise. And, I think using less weight when a person
gets old is an important safety factor.
This approach has been successful in maintaining my
muscle mass and strength. Of course,
like this article and every other article on physical conditioning, bone
density is increased or at least maintained.
Maintaining bone density is very important for us old people because
among many other benefits, when we fall (and we will) we won’t break bones. It
was reason number one in this article as it should be.
Reason 2 was that it keeps a person fit thus reducing
the possibility of becoming disabled. Now, that makes sense.
Reason 3 noted that exercising increases metabolism
thus keeping us from getting fat. I see
few old people who I would call fat.
Interestingly, in a previous article I noted in my Blog that in one
study being a bit overweight was helpful in reaching the age of 90.
Reason 4 stated that exercises helped to reduce falls
by improving balance and muscle strength.
The former is very important for like I have noted before, balance in us
old people needs lots of help for it declines significantly as we experience
advancing years. Now, of course these
exercises aimed at our balance are quite different than what I would include in
working out at the gym.
I have an article from NIH National Institute on Aging
which suggests some ten-specific exercises helpful in improving balance which
can be done at home. The two I use twice
daily is standing on one leg for ten seconds ten times with as little
assistance as possible such as touching the back of a chair with only one
finger. Eventually no support is
necessary and then it is attempted with eyes closed. I have not gotten that far yet. My other
balance exercise is walking a straight line putting one foot in front of the
other foot. Not easy…
Reason 5 is the maintenance of flexibility. At the gym, I work out on a machine for that
purpose going through ten types of stretches. Of course just putting your shoes
on and tying the laces is a form of flexibility.
Reason 6 is the social aspect of it. You know meeting friends or going to the gym
with an acquaintance. Here I disagree
for I see friends at the gym chatting for over an hour instead of lifting
weights. I do have friends there but I
smile and say hi and get on with my exercises.
Reason 7 suggests that exercise is good for a person’s
mood. By that, it means that it is good
for the mind, reduces depression, and improves your sense of what you can
do. I have read previously that keeping
one’s mind sharp must include some form of physical exercise. That is, just challenging the mind with
mental exercises is not enough.
Reason 8, 9, and 10 were lumped together as a kind of
summary which emphasized that with age comes physical deterioration of all body
functions that can be greatly slowed with exercise. The four major exercises stressed included:
Endurance, Strength Training, Balance and Stretching.
The conclusion included the following tips for
success:
- · Schedule your exercise times as you do your daily activities.
- · Start slow, increasing your physical activities when it feels right.
- · Persuade a friend to workout with you for it supports motivation. I have found this not necessary and I think in my case would not be helpful.
- · Use different weights at times to prevent boredom. I have done the same exercise regimen for nearly 16 years and I am never bored.
- · Use various other physical approaches in one’s daily activities such as parking further than necessary to go to your destination. In a sense, I do that for I do not look for the nearest parking place. Take the stairs not the elevator was another suggestion. I usually do that and I think this also helps with balance. I attempt to walk both up and down the stairs without holding on to the banister. Of course my hand is right there just above the banister in case I begin to fall.
Certainly we can find motivation enough to work out a few hours each week in order to maintain a reasonable form of quality of life! And, motivation is inspired by just doing it on a regular basis like an hour a day for four days a week. Personally, I find that if I develop a schedule, then I can stay with it. But, of course it takes a couple of weeks to make those exercise activities routine as it becomes part of a person’s life.
T There is no doubt that
these exercises take physical effort and sitting in an easy chair in the living
either reading a good book or watching TV is a lot easier. But, when you do that you are acting like a
sissy and being old is not for sissies.
I If you insist on reading
a good book, I suggest my e-book “Mary’ a thrilling horror adventure. But to find it on Amazon you must include my
name Russell Burton. It costs $5.99, a reasonable price for such a great story.
10/15
