Daily Fitness

The right exercise routine will give you a healthier, longer life, and it’s not too late to start in your 70s, 80s or 90s. Whatever your age, regular exercise will help to keep you mobile, feel energised, strengthen your bones, improve circulation and protect your joints by building up muscles. Group activities such as yoga, ballroom dancing or a doubles game of tennis will boost your social life by keeping you in touch with other people.

A paper published last year in the US by Dr Mark Stibich on life expectancy, showed that a highly active 65-year-old could expect to outlast his or her peers by about 5.7 years, taking the average life expectancy in that age group to 83.4 years.

There are three main elements to be considered in your routine: cardiovascular, strength and flexibility. Each of these has a significant impact on how you feel and each needs to suit your abilities according to your age. And whatever ageyou are, check with your doctor before starting a routine.

Pre-workout

Before every session you must warm up and mobilise your joints. Your tendons and muscles need time doing mild activity to increase circulation and to help you feel less “stiff” generally. Try to take a five or six-minute walk. The pace is dependent on what you can physically achieve, but you should try to raise your body temperature levels slightly, become mildly out of breath and raise your heart to a moderate level, without feeling as though you are exhausting yourself before you even start.

IN YOUR SEVENTIES

Aerobic You should work out moderately so that your heart rate is raised and you are feeling out of breath, three or four times a week. Start by doing 15-20 minutes, two or three days a week, and build up your duration and frequency over six to eight weeks.

Swimming is fantastic for the heart and is kind to the joints, so try to go once or twice a week. However, as swimming does not apply stress to your bones, to help maintain calcium levels and prevent osteoporosis you also need to walk or cycle once a week, which will help to improve your bone density. If you have always enjoyed running, there is no reason why you should not continue, but I would not advise you to start for the first time.

Finally, for your fourth workout each week try something social. Ballroom dancing, salsa dancing (yes, you can!), bowling - great for hip, back and knee mobility - and tennis, particularly doubles, are all fantastic.

Resistance training You don’t need to “pump iron”, but you do need to protect your muscles, tendons and bones from wasting away. If you want to go to the gym, do so under some guidance. If exercising at home, you should focus on the big muscle groups. Squats are great for legs; a press-up, on your knees, or standing upright with your hands against a wall, will strengthen your arms, shoulders and chest. While a shoulder press - pushing weights or perhaps water bottles directly upwards above your head - will help shoulders and upper back. Try to do 10 repetitions of the exercise and repeat twice, at least twice a week.

Stretching Try doing a yoga class to help your mobility. There are many great classes for your age group, so check at your local health centre or health club for details. Or try to spend ten minutes a day, every day, stretching thighs, hamstrings, back and shoulders. Your doctor should be able to advise you of some good stretches.

IN YOUR EIGHTIES

Aerobic Walking is still the most effective method of increasing your heart rate. You should try to do this three times a week for about 20-25 minutes. You don’t need to walk fast as you will still be helping to increase your circulation levels. Exercising in water is also something that you can do. It may not be swimming, but you could take part in an exercise class specifically for your age group that focuses on mobility. Most local authority health clubs have a range of classes. Dancing is also a great way to keep active, as is bowling, and both are a great social boost.

Strength Simple exercises that work your large muscles will be beneficial. Just by standing up and sitting down on your chair 10-12 times in succession, will help to increase the strength of your legs. You should also work on the stomach and back muscles for strength and mobility. A “cat stretch”, in which you start on your hands and knees and simply arch your back, as a cat would, and then flatten it back out again, will help the middle areas of your body - 10-20 repetitions will suffice, two to three sets, two to three times a week. If you like gardening, this is a great way to maintain strength in your legs and back.

Mobility Spend 10 minutes a day stretching the big muscles, with no more than 8-10 seconds spent on each stretch at a time. Longer stretches may stress the tendons too much. Try to use “arm rotations”, circling your arms in large cycles slowly to help mobilise your shoulders and upper back. Also try to mobilise your back by starting with your hands together in front of you, arms straight, and then pull your arms back to form a crucifix position, press back behind you by using the muscles in your upper back and then return to your start position. You can do this 15-20 times.

IN YOUR NINETIES

If you are still active and mobile, follow the exercises for the eighties age group. However, if you have joint and mobility problems, your goal is to maintain as much movement as possible in your body.

You should try to do a daily body check for mobility. Try to move every joint in the body in turn, starting at the top and working your way down. First you should move your head from side to side, holding in each “end position” for no more than a couple of seconds. Next, try looking around from side to side to test your neck rotation. Take each movement to the point where it ends comfortably and not to the point where it hurts too much. Then lift your arms from your sides and try to reach straight above your head if possible.

You can continue this process down your whole body, moving every joint in sequence. Losing mobility is something that happens as we grow older, but the extent to which you lose it depends on how much you consistently use it. By doing a “check-in” every day you will ensure that you are not giving your joints the opportunity to seize up.

To find out more, visit www.mattroberts.co.uk

Power training can involve regular sessions on the weight bench, but there’s a more efficient way to build body strength. What is the perfect exercise? If it exists, nothing comes closer than the push-up, considered the ultimate measure of fitness by many experts - and one that the American College of Sports Medicine suggests should replace more namby-pamby exercises.

There are many variations - the one-handed push-up for the supremely athletic, for instance - but the basic principle remains the same:

Balance on your toes and hands, pressing your palms into the floor and keeping your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart.
Straighten back and legs so that your body remains in a “plank” position.
Breathe in and lower your torso to the floor by bending your elbows to 90 degrees.
Engage (tense) your abdominal muscles to help to keep legs straight.
Breathe out and push back up to the starting position.

Why the popularity of the push-up has endured becomes clear when you learn how many muscles it tests - those in the arms, chest, abdomen, hips and legs - with each repetition.

Researchers in one US trial showed that, on average, 66.4 per cent of total bodyweight is lifted with each push-up. So if you weigh 70kg you are heaving a mighty 43kg - far more than you would on a bench-press machine.

For those who can’t manage a single press-up, they key is to start gently. You don’t even have to lie down, says Bridgitte Swales, lecturer in sport and exercise sciences at Roehampton University. Doing a push-up against a wall reduces pressure on the arms and upper back. “The closer to the wall you stand, the easier it gets,” Swales says.

Source : Times Database 

An important part of a balanced health and wellness program is managing your body composition and understanding what is a healthy body weight for your body type. A consistent Yoga practice, Yoga diet, and observance of Yoga principles and lifestyle habits can help you find this balance in managing your body weight.

Obesity is correlated to numerous health problems and diseases like heart disease, diabetes, musculo-skeletal disorders, digestive disorders, and high blood pressure. Obesity often shortens one’s life span. Excess body weight physically drains the body of vitality and energy.

How Can Yoga Decrease Body Fat and Manage Body Weight? Click Here to read more.

You may not know the difference between Atkins, Scarsdale, or Dr. Phil, and frankly, you shouldn’t have to. Eating just isn’t that complicated. Here are 10 simple guidelines. It may not be enough info to get you onto the cover of Muscle & Fitness, but follow these tips and your body will be on a steady path to salvation

Implement these 10 steps, and I guarantee your diet will improve. But if you can’t do it all at once, my advice is to not be too hard on yourself. Hey, it’s only food. Whatever you do can always be undone. It’s stressful enough trying to live your life and stay fit and trim without you having to worry that you shouldn’t have had that cookie. An eating “disaster” isn’t a big a deal in the overall picture. Eat too much? Try doubling your workout the next day, cleanse for a couple of days, or hike all day long over the weekend. Exercise can offset even the worst of meals. The key to everything is to find a balance that works for you between exercise, eating, and life.

Full Article here 

Ronna Edwards of Provo, Utah, found out she was pregnant mere weeks before the St. George Marathon after training for the event over the past six months. After a consultation with her doctor, where they both agreed that a marathon during her first trimester was not a good idea, Ronna had to cope with a nagging sense of disappointment after going from "feeling very active to feeling exhausted and nauseated all the time."

Now into her second trimester–when the chances of miscarrying are much slimmer and her bouts with morning sickness are a thing of the past–Ronna is ready to resume a fitness routine that will keep her and her unborn baby healthy.

The question is, what can she do that will allow her to stay fit, avoid unnecessary weight gain and bounce back physically after giving childbirth?

Initially I was reluctant to address this issue, possessing neither a degree in pre-natal care nor experience in personal training for pregnant women. I changed my mind after doing some research, consulting with my pediatrician mother (who specializes in newborn babies and works closely with obstetricians), and speaking with a few expectant mothers that are also very athletic.

First and foremost you should consult your health care practitioner if you are pregnant and eager to stay fit. As each pregnancy is unique and influenced by numerous factors ranging from hereditary conditions to eating habits to prior fitness experience and current state of health it is imperative that expectant mothers first consult their personal physician about what sort of exercises are safe for them.

I found a wealth of useful information in What to Expect When You’re Expecting, by Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg and Sandee Hathaway. This reference manual contains an entire chapter on physical fitness for expectant mothers. With over 10 million copies in print and a consistent best-seller on Amazon.com, it was a valuable resource in gathering some of the relevant information below.

Many women become less fit as their pregnancy wears on, understandably so because their weight increases rapidly. But with a carefully designed personal fitness program, most women can avoid this slump and enjoy the benefits that moderate physical activity provides.

These benefits include increased energy, improved sleep patterns, stronger muscles, better endurance (which can help ease labor), and a reduction of common pregnancy symptoms such as bloating, swelling of extremities and back pain.

Below is a partial list of sports and activities that are considered safe to do if you’re pregnant–but again, only after a consultation with your physician:

Indeed, given my own swimming background, I know several women who have swum up to 4,000 meters a day right until they were ready to deliver! They assured me that swimming not only kept them flexible, fit and happy during their term, but that the water’s buoyancy allowed them to relieve some of the back pain they were feeling while on land–especially during the third trimester.

Leilani Eickhoff, an avid triathlete and masters swimmer in Los Angeles, continued swimming, with her doctor’s blessing, three times a week throughout her pregnancy. In addition, she takes a weekly pre-natal yoga class.

"I am really happy I’ve continued swimming regularly throughout my pregnancy," Lani says.

"At first, it was really difficult just to get out bed to make the 5:45 a.m. workouts. Additionally, my competitive side really struggled with slowing down and having to move to slower lanes. But, now that my pregnancy is almost over, I can really see the benefits. I continue to have good energy, have not experienced any swelling or leg cramps, and I feel like the activity has helped with my overall weight gain."

She is also thankful for the benefits that the yoga class provides.

"It really helps alleviate lower-back pain, and the relaxation and breathing techniques I learned should come in handy during childbirth."

If you are a novice to the pool, and expecting a child, it’s probably not wise to start swimming at this point. But there are shallow-water exercises, such as aqua-aerobics classes, that are available at many health centers that can get your heart rate up and provide gentle aerobic conditioning.

In Ronna’s case, as a passionate runner, she should look into the possibility of aqua-jogging. It is easy on the joints, low-impact and effective in working the all-important quads. It is much safer than running on land for extended periods of time.  Even experienced runners should avoid jogging over two miles when they are pregnant and many doctors will recommend not running at all.

Source : active.com

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Most important, stronger abdominal muscles help to automatically improve your posture. Strong abdominal muscles help support your spine, helping to keep it erect and long. They also help to hold your pelvis in the correct position, preventing the swayback so often seen after pregnancy and with increasing age. Once you eliminate that swayback, the rest of the spine tends to fall into line, allowing you to bring back your shoulders and head and stand taller and more upright.

In fact, even if you don’t lose any weight, your appearance will improve dramatically. Stronger abdominal muscles will help you stand taller, creating a leaner appearance. You will feel as if you have grown an inch taller and slimmed an inch in the process — just by improving your posture!

Better posture, in turn, helps you breathe more deeply. Your abdominal muscles help you to inhale and exhale, allowing you to take fuller, deeper breaths.

Your abdominal muscles were designed for endurance. They were made to work 24 hours a day without getting fatigued. The rest of the muscles in your body were not designed this way. When your abdominal muscles support your spine, other muscles don’t have to work overtime to keep you upright. You will find that as you strengthen your abdominal muscles and improve your posture, headaches and neck and shoulder pain will subside.

Your abdominal muscles are your power center. The stronger they are, the stronger you are. You will find that, by strengthening your abs, you have the energy to do more. If you play sports, your movements will be more powerful. You’ll be able to sit at work for a longer period of time without feeling fatigued. Strong abdominal muscles help you to more easily lift, bend, twist, balance, and coordinate all of your movements.

Indeed, your abdominal muscles help you do just about everything!