Over 50 Fitness and Exercise

It used to be when a person reached 50 they simply accepted they would have a less active lifestyle. Physicians have come a long way in understanding the aging process. It seems that many of the physical conditions associated with the aging process are the result of our increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

Our bodies were never meant to be sedentary. When man first evolved he had hunt for food and find or build shelter. Now we sit all day at work, drive our cars, and sit, sit, sit in front our computers. Your body is just like you car – it needs maintenance to run properly. Exercise is the oil that lubricates the joints and lets you drive fast.

[tag]over 50, exercise, fitness, health[/tag]

You can’t cruise the internet for more than a minute and not come across information about how regular exercise can improve your heart and respiratory function, lower your blood pressure, improve your bone density, reduce your chance of developing diabetes, increase your flexibility, reduce depression and even improve memory . Honestly, the list is endless. The National Institute on Aging thinks it is so important that they offer a free 100-page booklet on exercise for people over 50.

Some people over 50 think that if they have never exercised it is too late to start but it’s not. Research shows that no matter when you start to exercise, you can improve your physical condition. Of course that assumes you engage in an appropriate form of exercise. The AARP recommends you work with a personal trainer or design your own plan. Additionally, they say you are more likely to stick with your plan if you pick activities you enjoy. That said here are the different categories of exercise that are commonly involved in an exercise program:

• Endurance – activities that boost your heart rate and breathing for an extended period of time
• Strength – activities that build muscle and make bones stronger
• Flexibility – activities that involve stretching and increase your range of motion
• Balance – activities that help you maintain posture and balance to keep you from falling

Interestingly, people don’t think about balance as part of an exercise program. Actually though, if you don’t practice your balance you will find your ability to balance does decrease as you age.

Related articles:

1. Exercise Over 50 — What’s OK?
2. Exercise Over 50 Can Be Painless with Yoga!
3. Exercise At Your Desk
4. Diabetes Epidemic. What’s Up with That?

This entry was posted on March 19, 2008 at 4:07 pm and is filed under Health & Beauty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.