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Exercise

10 Fitness Tips For The Senior Citizen

Staying fit is just as important for men and women in the over 55 group as it is for anyone else. In fact, it may be even more important. If your over 55, there are a few things you need to think about. First, start with endurance exercises that condition the heart, lungs and blood vessels. Not only are endurance exercises good for your overall conditioning, but they will help you relax. Start with walking and move on to jogging or running as your conditioning improves. Second, think about muscle strengthening exercises. These are important for good posture. Calisthenics are good muscle strengthening exercises. A third type of exercise to incorporate into your daily routine are those that improve joint mobility. Stretching exercises will prevent or relieve aches and pains.

If you are over 55 and have decided to start an exercise and fitness program, think about the following ten steps:

1. Talk to Your Doctor: Always check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program. Any time you suddenly increase your level of physical activity, it's good to check with your doctor and make sure that everything is working properly beforehand.

2. Take It Slow: When you begin a new exercise program, always start slowly, using a comfortable pace and increasing your exertion level gradually. Walk before you run.

3. Know Your Limits: Use self-testing methods to determine your safety limit for exertion. Stay within it. Overexercising is both dangerous and unnecessary. Watch for warning signs like sleep problems or fatigue the day after a workout to figure out if you're overdoing it.

4. Exercise Regularly: At a minimum, you need to exercise three times a week. Don't overdo it either. You should NOT be working out more than five times a week. Your body needs the rest and recuperation time.

5. Exercise at a Rate Within Your Capacity: Older people generally see the most benefit from exercise at 40-60% of maximum capacity. Especially at the beginning of a program, you may want to exercise for a longer period (sixty minutes or more) at a lower intensity. Eventually you can derive as much benefit from just twenty minutes of more intense work.

6. Warm Up Before You Work Out: Always warm up before you work out in order to protect your muscles, ligaments, and joints. Begin every session with exercises that gradually increase blood flow, and thereby increase the temperature of the local tissue and of the body. This means stretch thoroughly before you start your workout. It also means, if you are a jogger, to start at a slow pace and gradually speed up. This gradual start prevents aches, pains, and injuries. Both muscles and connective tissues are most easily injured then they're cold.

7. Cool Down After a Workout: A cool down is just as important as a warm up. Gradually transition from vigorous exercise back to rest. The circulatory system needs to readjust; the reflexes that open up the circulation during vigorous activity don't reverse quickly when exercise stops. If you abruptly stop strenuous effort and go straight to complete inactivity, your muscles, which normally pump blood back to the heart, are turned off. The circulation system can't rely on auxiliary help from the muscles to get blood to the heart. With less blood available, the heart beats more weakly, and blood pressure drops. In some people the drop can be so dramatic that the flow of blood to the brain slows, and they pass out. Usually two to three minutes of walking after you jog is enough to slow you down.

8. Don't Head for the Shower Immediately: Don't forget that a hot shower opens up the circulation, just as vigorous activity does. Wait just a few minutes-like five or ten-before jumping into the shower after a workout. When you do shower, take a warm shower rather than a hot one.

9. Never Compete in Conditioning: It's always more fun and more of an inspiration to work out with others. Be careful, though. When you exercise with other people, don't put yourself on their pace. Maintain your own pace. They may be in better condition than you. Only compete with yourself, not with others, when you are starting an exercise program. Overexertion creates adrenaline which makes your heart work less efficiently.

10. Never Exercise When You're Sick: When you exercise, you are pushing your body towards it's full potential. When you are sick, even with just a slight cold, your system is compromised. The challenge of fighting sickness and exercising, at the same time, may be too much for your body. You will not get physical benefits out of exercising when you are sick. In fact, you might slow down your conditioning progress and delay your recovery. Wait until your energy is back to normal to start exercising again. Focus your energy on fighting your sickness by getting plenty of rest and following your doctor's orders.

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