How and Why Fitness for your life. Exercise, exercise equipment and nutrition.

One of the most important times in your life for physical fitness is in your senior years.  Maintaining an exercise routine in your senior years is one of the best ways to achieve and maintain your health as you age.  What are the reasons for this statement?

There are many reasons why you should keep up an exercise routine.  In our youth, many of us are keeping up a fitness routine for various reasons, those being weight loss, reasons of vanity, the social scene at fitness clubs and then perhaps third place, we are doing it for our health.  However, participating in an exercise routine becomes vital as we grow older.

As we age, our health becomes more important to us.  Our bones can weaken and become brittle and we could develop osteoporosis.  Exercising will strengthen our bones and we can avoid dangerous breakage.  We experience muscle wasting as we age and exercise will strengthen and maintain our muscles.  The skin sags as the muscles lose volume.  Weight training as we arrive into our senior years and beyond will maintain and build up those muscles and combat muscle wasting, improving the look of the skin.  Exercising also improves the look of our skin and is one of the key anti aging for men and women to looking younger.  Sweating is good for our skin and not only that, it helps remove toxins from the body.

Exercising also increases the strength of the heart and fights cardiovascular disease by reducing our risk of heart attack and stroke.  As we grow older our risk of cardiovascular disease increases.  By exercising, this risk is reduced. Our lungs are also strengthened when we exercise helping to prevent lung disease.

Of course, as in our younger years, exercise is also great for reducing body fat and the hip to waist ratio.  The benefit of this is not only vanity in that we will look younger for longer, but it helps to reduce our risk of acquiring diabetes.  Being in great shape in our more senior years will help us feel better about ourselves because we look better.

Exercise helps fight depression as well.  Depression is quite common among seniors and by exercising, the levels of the feel good hormones are increased in our body.  Serotonin and endorphin levels are raised during exercise and this fights depression.

Of course, exercise in your senior years can also be a social thing.  Finding a work out partner will help you keep at it and gives you a good opportunity for talking with a friend or friends and working out together, both of you achieving optimum health.

What types of exercising is good for those in their senior years?  Simply walking is a good form of exercise.  Walking everyday for a half hour is adequate.  Other good choices include swimming, yoga, tai chi and light weight resistance training is good. When exercising is paired with a healthy diet, we can look better and feel better far into our senior years.  There’s no reason to stop working out once you reach your senior years.  It’s best to start walking now rather than end up in a wheelchair.

The photograph above is of an 84 year old named Bob Delmontique who looks wonderful for his age.  Notice his muscle mass and overall physique.  He is a living example of fitness in a human being in his later years.  This is a man who has taken care of his health and physical fitness throughout his life.  He can bench press 250 pounds, runs in marathons, and bikes for miles.  These are the results, showing you it is certainly worthwhile to pursue fitness and health, no matter what your age.

Photo courtesy of FreeRepublic

Now that the New Year is in, the one resolution everyone would like to meet is to lose weight.  Weight loss is not difficult but does require motivation, dedication and a willingness to move on even if there are a few setbacks.

First of all there is no magic bullet, no pill, lotion, cream, diet plan or herb that works for everyone. So stop spending your money on these wasteful things. If it took you 2 years to put on 50 pounds, it will take you 2 years to get it off- so be realistic. Weight loss is a slow process and requires a change in lifestyle which is the hardest part. Forget the gimmicks on cyberspace about fast weight loss methods- the only thing you lose with these scams is your money.

While the below strategy is not sexy or fancy, it does work if you stay on track.

First be realistic. You can lose 2-4 pounds in a month but do not expect to lose more than that. If you are middle aged or obese, you may not be able to run a mile in a few minutes- so a realistic goal is of primary essence. Avoid setting unrealistic goals that you cannot meet otherwise you will never lose weight.

Go slow and small. Many people, who try to lose weight start aggressively, fast and within 2 weeks are pooped out, bored or give up. To remain motivated, go slow and enjoy the exercise.

Spread the food. Women need about 1600 calories and men need about 1800 calories per day. In order to avoid hunger pangs, divide your meals into 4 small portions of 400 calories. This will help curb eating unnecessary snacks and can help control your diet. Eat healthy foods like fruits and nuts which provide 100-200 calories and can sustain you for a few hours.

Be organized and focused. Carry your snacks so that you will not be tempted to buy other foods at work. Stock your home with healthy foods and avoid junk. Keep the kitchen free of all cookies and candies. Stay in control of what you eat. Remain focused – weight loss is not only a weekday process but lifelong event.

Once in a while track your progress but do not become obsessed with scales. Writing foods and portion sizes can help control your eating and over time, this becomes a great habit. Do not weigh yourself daily on scales as the weight loss fluctuations are common on a daily basis- these fluctuations may be from water only and can be discouraging.

No matter what diet you eat, you must exercise. One does not have to exercise everyday but at least 3-4 times a week. Exercise does not mean running a marathon but at least walk 30-45 minutes twice a day. Finally, get decent sleep. Sleep will help you energize the body, keep you feeling rested and relieve the hunger pangs. Most adults need 7-10 hours a sleep. Remember too much sleep is not great either.