6 Keys for Senior Fitness

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6 Keys for Senior Fitness
August 01, 2005

If Not Now, When?

Fitness-After-50 - Thomas D. Manfredi, Publisher
tom@fitness-after-50.com
http://www.fitness-after-50.com
August 1, 2005; Vol. I, Issue 8
Published the first Monday of every month

THIS ISSUE: 6 Keys to Senior Fitness

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Editor's Note

Hi,

Well, summer is just racing by. There sure has been a lot of hot weather around the country this year. While we were in Chicago recently they had the hottest day in 6 years. Of course, coming from the desert, the temperature wasn’t a problem for us. The humidity was another thing. I don’t care what anyone says, “dry heat” is easier to handle.

Boy, did we have fun with the four grandchildren. We got to see the youngest one, Jacob, take some of his first steps. And all he does is smile all the time. We took the three older ones to the zoo, a movie, and Chucky Cheese. We also had several barbeques with the whole family.

It was really a great trip for my wife and I.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Fitness After 50. If you have any comments, let me know.

Best Wishes,

Tom Manfredi
tom@fitness-after-50.com
http://www.fitness-after-50.com

Food for Thought

You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't even try.

Feature Article - 6 Keys to Senior Fitness

by Thomas D. Manfredi, MS

The benefits of being physically fit are so numerous that it makes no sense not to attempt to develop a reasonable level of fitness. As we age, keeping fit can become more of a challenge, but the benefits are even more numerous and rewarding. Here are five keys that seniors should keep in mind as they are pursuing a fitness program:

1. Frequency – How often you exercise is an important factor in a successful fitness program. For someone pursuing health related fitness rather than sports specific fitness, you don’t have to exercise all that often. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) says that excellent results can be achieved by seniors with 2 sessions per week of strength training and at least 3 days a week of aerobic exercise (walking, etc.).

2. Intensity – How hard you push yourself is also important. Seniors looking for health related fitness don’t have to push too hard though. For aerobic exercise you should aim to work at a heart rate of about 60 -70% of your target heart rate (220 minus your age). Strength training requires enough weight to challenge your muscles, but not so much that it makes you really uncomfortable. The “no pain, no gain” mentality is definitely not necessary for good results.

3. Duration – This refers to how long your exercise session lasts. For good health, the requirements are very reasonable. A good target for aerobic exercise is 30 minutes per day. But, sessions of as little as 10 minutes each (if you do 3 per day) have been found to create good results. For strength training, duration is not too important. It’s more important that you make sure you do a variety of exercises that target all of your major muscle groups.

4. Stretching – As we get older, most of us lose some of the flexibility in our joints. Regaining as much of this flexibility as we can is extremely beneficial. I recommend to my clients that they try to do some stretching exercises every day. Even a few minutes a day can make a big difference.

5. Warm-up – Everyone should include at least a few minutes of warm-ups before they start their regular exercises. Your goal with a warm-up is to simply loosen up the muscles you’re about to use and get some extra blood flowing to them. For strength training a warm-up might include a set of your exercises with little or no weight. For aerobic exercise, doing the exercise at a slower rate at the beginning works well. A warm-up before stretching is also a good idea. A few calisthenics that gently move the joints you’re going to stretch is all that’s needed.

6. Cool Down – This is overlooked by many people. The principle is pretty much the opposite of a warm-up. When you are through exercising and increasing your heart rate and the blood flow to your muscles, you need to slow everything down again. Make sure you do some movements to slowly bring your body back down to a more normal level before you stop completely.

Using these keys will help you to develop an exercise program that is both beneficial and easy for you to follow. The results that you will start to feel in just a few short months will make the effort well worth it. Keep in mind that an exercise program to improve your health is something you must plan on doing the rest of your life. And, you are worth it.

©2005 Thomas D. Manfredi, MS

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 mailto:teleclasses@fitness-after-50.com

Questions and Answers

Q: What do I really need to do to lose weight?

A: This is an easy one to answer, but a harder one to follow successfully. In order to lose one pound you have to negatively modify your caloric expenditure by 3,500 calories. In other words you have to take in 3,500 fewer calories and/or burn those calories in exercise. For the best results you need to do a combination of exercise and reduce how much you eat. It isn’t advisable to try to lose weight just through dieting. If you do this, you may lose more muscle than fat. Also, what you eat will have a bearing on fat loss. Certain foods can cause your body to store more fat or lose muscle. To get more information on how to develop a program that can help you lose fat weight, please go to my site – http://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 mailto: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

Online 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 fitness-after-50.com

To help anyone struggling with the confussion and uncertainty of how to get started on a balanced, sensible exercise program, Tom offers individualized online coaching services at OnLine Coach.

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

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 © 2005 Thomas D. Manfredi, MS. All rights reserved.