|
Whether you’re 40 or 60 years old, you can exercise and
improve your health. Physical activity is good for your heart, mood, and confidence.
Exercising has even helped 80 and 90 year old people living in nursing homes to grow
stronger and more independent. Older people who become more active--including those with
medical problems--may feel better and have more energy than ever before.
Why Should I Exercise?
Staying physically active is the key to good health well
into later years. Yet only about 1 in 4 older adults exercises regularly. Many older
people think they are too old or too frail to exercise.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Physical activity of any kind--from heavy-duty
exercises such as jogging or bicycling to easier efforts like walking--is good for you.
Vigorous exercise can help strengthen your heart and lungs. Taking a brisk walk regularly
can help lower your risk of health problems like heart disease or depression. Climbing
stairs, calisthenics, or housework can increase your strength, stamina, and
self-confidence. Weight-lifting or strength training is a good way to stop muscle loss and
slow down bone loss. Your daily activities will become easier as you feel better.
Researchers now know that:
- Regular, active exercise such as swimming and running, raises
your heart rate and may greatly reduce stiffening of the arteries. Stiff arteries are a
major cause of high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and stroke.
- People who are physically active are less likely to develop
adult onset diabetes, or they can control it better if they do have it. Exercise increases
the body’s ability to control the blood glucose level.
- Regular activity, such as walking or gardening, may lower the
risk of severe intestinal bleeding in later life by almost half.
- Strength training, like lifting weights or exercising against
resistance, can make bones stronger, improve balance, and increase muscle strength and
mass. This can prevent or slow bone-weakening osteoporosis, and may lower the risk of
falls, which can cause hip fractures or other injures.
- Strength training can lessen arthritis pain. It doesn’t
cure arthritis, but stronger muscles may ease the strain and therefore the pain.
- Light exercise may be good for your mental health. A group of
healthy, older adults said they felt less anxious or stressful after exercising for one
year.
What Kind of Exercise Should I Do?
Physical activity and exercise programs should meet your
needs and skills. The amount and type of exercise depends on what you want to do.
Different exercises do different things: some may slow bone loss, others may reduce the
risk of falls, still others may improve the fitness of your heart and lungs. Some may do
all three.
You can exercise at home alone, with a buddy, or as part of a group. Talk to your doctor
before you begin, especially if you are over 60 or have a medical problem. Move at your
own speed, and don’t try to take on too much at first. A class can be a good idea if
you haven’t exercised for a long time or are just beginning. A qualified teacher will
make sure you are doing the exercise in the right way.
It may take a little effort to make exercise a regular part of your life. Once you start,
try to stick with it. If you stop exercising, after awhile, the benefits disappear.
One good way to stay active is to make physical activity part of every day. Thirty minutes
of moderate activity each day is a good goal. You don’t have to exercise for 30
minutes all at once. Short bursts of activity, like taking the stairs instead of the
elevator, or walking instead of driving, can add up to 30 minutes of exercise a day.
Raking leaves, playing actively with children, gardening, and even doing household chores
can all be done in a way that can count toward your daily total.
It’s a good idea to include some stretching, strength training, and aerobic or
endurance exercise in your exercise plan. People who are weak or frail, and may risk
falling, should start slowly. Begin with stretching and strength training; add aerobics
later. Aerobics are safer and easier once you feel balanced and your muscles are stronger.
Stretching--improves flexibility,
eases movement, and lowers the risk of injury and muscle strain. Stretching increases
blood flow and gets your body ready for exercise. A warm-up and cool-down period of 5 to
15 minutes should be done slowly and carefully before and after all types of exercise.
Stretching can help loosen muscles in the arms, shoulders, back, chest, stomach, buttocks,
thighs, and calves. It’s also very relaxing.
Strength Training
(also called
resistance training or weight-lifting)--builds muscle and bone, both of which decline with
age. Strengthening exercises for the upper and lower body can be done by lifting weights
or working out with machines or an elastic band. It is very important to have an expert
teach you how to work with weights. Without help, you can get hurt. With help, older
adults can work their way up to many of the same weight-lifting routines as younger
adults. Once you know what to do, simple strength training exercises can be done at home.
For beginners, household items, such as soup cans or milk jugs filled with water or sand,
can be used as weights.
Strength training activities do not have to take a lot of time; 30 to 40 minutes at
least two or three times each week is all that’s needed. Try not to exercise the same
muscles two days in a row.
Sample Strength Training Plan
(Always check with your doctor first. Work with a qualified
teacher to make sure you are doing the exercise right.)
1.Start with a weight you can lift without too much effort
five times.
2.When you can easily do that, lift it five times, rest a few minutes, then do it again.
(This is two sets.)
3.Increase to three sets.
4.When you can easily do that, lift the weight 10 times in each set.
5.When you can easily do that, lift the weight 15 times in each set.
6.Once that’s easy, slowly increase the weight.
Aerobic exercises
(also
called endurance exercises)--strengthen the heart and improve overall fitness by
increasing the body’s ability to use oxygen. Swimming, walking, and dancing are
"low-impact" aerobic activities. They avoid the muscle and joint pounding of
more "high-impact" exercises like jogging and jumping rope.
Aerobic exercises raise the number of heart beats each minute (heart rate). It’s best
to get your heart rate to a certain point and keep it there for 20 minutes or more. If you
have not exercised in awhile, start slowly. As you get stronger, you can try to increase
your heart rate. Aerobics should be done for 20 to 40 minutes at least three times each
week.
National Institute on Aging
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
Public Health Service
National Institutes of Health
Page 1 2
3 4
5
|
