Fitness After 50 - Five Areas of Fitness

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Fitness After 50 - Five Areas of Fitness
March 03, 2008

If Not Now, When?

Fitness-After-50 - Thomas D. Manfredi, Publisher
tom@fitness-after-50.com
www.fitness-after-50.com
mar 3, 2007; Vol. 4, Issue 3
Published the first Monday of every month

THIS ISSUE: Five Areas of Fitness And The Benefits All Seniors Should Be Aware Of

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Editor's Note

Hi,

Well, for the first time in almost three years, I missed getting out an issue of my newsletter. That's what can happen when you don't write your articles ahead of time.

Right before my publishing date I had foot surgery. That wouldn't have been a problem, except that a few days later I wrenched my back, and then I came down with the flu. I was flat on my back for the better part of two weeks. And if that isn't bad enough, as I was finally starting to recover from the flu and hobble around a little with my bandaged foot, I received word that a very close, long time friend, had died back in Chicago. Bandaged foot, cane and all, I flew back to Chicago for the wake and funeral, and was greeted with snow and minus 30 degree Fahrenheit temperatures.

Did I mention that the dog ate my newsletter? Just kidding about the dog.

So, now I'm ready to dive back in and give you some information that I hope you will find interesting and useful. This month I'm writing about the five main areas of fitness you should be concerned about and some of the many benefits that can be derived from them.

By the way, if anyone is interested, I still have a few spots open in my on line fitness coaching group. Just go to my coaching site to check things out and get a F.R.E.E. fitness analysis.

Good luck, keep exercising, and remember – "If not now, when?".

Best Wishes,

Tom Manfredi

Send any comments you may have to tom@fitness-after-50.com

My site fitness-after-50.com

Food for Thought

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you sit there.

Feature Article - Five Areas of Fitness And The Benefits All Seniors Should Be Aware Of

by Thomas D. Manfredi, MS

The exciting news from recent scientific studies is that exercise benefits everyone – regardless of age. Exercise can help you take charge of your health and maintain the level of fitness necessary for an active, independent lifestyle. This should be reason enough to want to pursue fitness on a regular and consistent basis.

According to The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, much of the physical frailty attributed to aging is actually the result of inactivity, disease, or poor nutrition. But the good news is – many problems can be helped or even reversed by improving your overall fitness.

Here are the fitness areas that you should be concerned about:

Aerobic Endurance - the ability to do moderately strenuous activity over a period of time. It reflects how well your heart and lungs work together to supply oxygen to your body during exertion and exercise.

Muscular Endurance - the ability to hold a particular position for a sustained period of time or repeat a movement many times. This could be the capability to hold a two-pound weight above your head for five minutes or the effort required to lift that weight 20 consecutive times.

Muscular Strength - the ability to exert maximum force, such as lifting the heaviest weight you can budge, one time. It is possible to have muscular strength in one area, say your arms, while lacking strength in another area such as your legs.

Flexibility - the ability to move a joint through its full range of motion. This is how limber or supple you are.

Balance – the ability to maintain your body in its upright posture, especially when abnormal stress (such as tripping) might cause you to lose your balance.

Focusing on these fitness areas will help you to achieve many of the following benefits:

1. Increases your aerobic capacity (fitness level). This enables a "fit" person to have more energy at the end of the day and to get more accomplished during the day with less fatigue.

2. Maintains, tones, and strengthens your muscle.

3. Decreases your blood pressure.

4. Increases HDL (good) cholesterol.

5. Decreases blood levels of triglycerides (fat).

6. Makes the heart a more efficient pump.

7. Increases the strength of the bones, which reduces the chances of injury to them.

8. Causes the development of new blood vessels in the heart and other muscles, which improves circulation.

9. Improves control of blood sugar which can have a positive effect on diabetes.

10. Elevates your metabolism so that you burn more calories everyday, allowing you to better control your weight.

11. Increases the efficiency of the digestive system which may reduce the incidence of colon cancer.

12. Improves sleep patterns.

13. Increases the thickness of cartilage in joints which can reduce the problems associated with arthritis.

14. Increases the amount of blood that flows to the skin making it look and feel healthier.

15. Exercise just makes you feel GREAT!

Teleclasses

I will be announcing upcoming teleclasses in this section in the future.

If you have a topic that you would be interested in hearing about in a teleclass, send an e-mail to teleclasses@fitness-after-50.com

Questions and Answers

Question – What is circuit training all about?

Answer - Circuit training is a method of exercising that combines both aerobic and strength training in one workout in an attempt to save time. The theory is that by alternating short bouts of aerobic exercise with strength exercises you can keep your heart rate up and get aerobic conditioning while building strength.

It sounds good in theory, but there is a flaw. Aerobic conditioning requires that you keep your heart rate in its target range for a minimum of 10 minutes at a time by consistently working the large muscles of the body. If you do 3 minutes of jumping rope and then do 2 minutes of biceps and triceps exercises and then 3 minutes of jumping rope and then do 2 minutes of bench presses and flys, it adds up to 10 minutes of exercise, probably with your heart rate up in your target range, but you aren't consistently using large muscles to keep the rate up.

You'd be better off if you did 15 minutes of aerobic exercise followed by your strength exercises, and then finish off with another 10 to 15 minutes of aerobic exercise.

To get more information on various fitness and health issues, please go to my site – www.fitness-after-50.com

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If you have a fitness or nutrition question you would like me to consider answering here in the newsletter, just send your question, along with your first name and city, in an e-mail to quesandansw@fitness-after-50.com

Obviously, I can't answer every question submitted. I will choose one question each month to answer here.

About Our Services

On line fitness coach Tom Manfredi is the creator of the site "fitness-after-50". This site is designed with the mature adult in mind. There is a lot of information available on the site for anyone looking to start or restart a sensible exercise program. Learn more by going to www.fitness-after-50.com

Tom also offers on line fitness coaching for people interested in getting expert guidance with their fitness plans. Click here to check out Tom's coaching services and to get a F.R.E.E. fitness analysis.

Benefits of Fitness Coaching On Line:

I am now offering on line fitness coaching to my readers. Below are some of the reasons you may want to check in with me about having me be your coach. I will only be accepting a limited number of people to coach so that I can give each of them the attention they deserve.

Expert advice from a Certified Professional - learn what to do and how to do it. This will empower you to lifestyle changes.

Flexible and convenient - exercise anytime and anywhere. You can workout at home, in the gym, outdoors, while away on business and even on vacation. You exercise on your own schedule whenever you choose.

Results oriented - your work with your coach is very focused and based on your personal goals, whether you want to lose weight, have more energy or run a marathon. Your program is designed to meet your goals.

Affordable - On line Fitness Coaching costs less than 10% of what it would cost to get the same results with a personal trainer.

Most importantly - you will learn to be your own coach so you can continue getting the benefits of exercise indefinitely.

Go here to check out Tom's coaching services and to get a F.R.E.E. fitness analysis.

Tom Manfredi, 1218 Easy St., Ste 101, Wickenburg, AZ 85390

Other Services and Information

Identity Theft

I don’t know about you, but with all the news coverage lately about identity theft and all the problems it can cause for people, my wife and I have become somewhat paranoid about shredding any mail we get with any kind of identifying info in it, and she freaks out any time I order something on the internet and give out info there.

Well, a woman I know here in Arizona recently sent me some info about a company that offers $1,ooo,ooo coverage to help take care of the problem if someone steals your identity. The company is called LifeLock. You can get to their site by clicking on the banner below if it's visble, or by copying the following code into your browser –

They charge a very reasonable monthly fee and offer a number of included services (they also give discounts for paying annually). Go take a look and see what you think. I signed up. I think my peace of mind is worth that kind of money.

Your feedback is always welcome and appreciated! Write me at tom@fitness-after-50.com.

"Fitness-After-50" respects your privacy and does not give out or sell our subscribers' names and/or e-mail addresses.

Copyright (c) 2005 - 2008 Thomas D. Manfredi, MS. All rights reserved.