Exercise for the 50's

 

 

Having regular physical activity, no matter what your age is key to good health.

 

Here are some guidelines for an effective workout for those 50 and over. 

 

#1 Cardio

 

Get your heart pumping. 

 

Do at least 1/2 hour of moderate cardio exercise every day. 

 

Moderate cardio is brisk walking, running, biking or an exercise class. 

 

3 10 minute sessions per day are equally effective.

 

 

#2  Strength Training

 

Those over 50 often experience muscle shrinkage. 

 

Moreover, muscles lose their ability to contract.  

 

Strength training can overcome this. 

 

Twice a week strength training of 1/2 hour sessions will greatly improve muscle strength & appearance. 

 

Strength training can include pushups, bicep curls, tricep extensions and modified squats & lunges. 

 

To avoid injuries & muscle soreness, leave 1 to 2 days between strength training sessions.

#3  Flexibility Training

Those over 50 may experience changes in connective tissue leading to reduced flexibility and a person's ability to balance themselves. 

This can be countered by regular stretching. 

Ten minutes a day of stretching will regenerate your body leading to the flexibility you had in your earlier years. 

Here are some easy to do stretches you can do anywhere. 

Circle your head several time. 

At the end of your day, stretch calf muscles & hamstrings. 


#4  Balance Training

A loss of balance leads to dizziness, falling & an inability to carry or lift objects. 

To counter this, stand on one leg for a 1/2 minute.  Do several times a day. 

This will strengthen your leg and lead to greater ability to balance yourself. 

Another quick & easy exercise is to stand on your tip toes and hold for a several seconds. 



#5 Core Training

Core training is strengthening your middle section. 

As hormones shift in people over 50, fat accumulates in the abdomen primarily to protect your internal organs. 

This leads to the 'apple' shape in both men & women, a precursor to heart disease & severe back pain. 

Strengthening your 'abs', your abdominal section is a very important objective for people over 50. 

A few abdominal exercises will help. 

They include reverse curl while you're lying on your back & pull your knees into you. 

Hold for several seconds & release.  Start with 10 reps and increase your reps every week.  


#6  Protect Your Back

This is key when you exercise. 

Warm up before you workout to get your blood flowing. 

If you're not in great shape when you start your workout regimen, start out slow & easy and work your way up. 

Trying swimming as it's non invasive to your body but you still get a full workout. 

If you do find yourself in pain, stop.  An injury can take weeks to overcome when you're younger, it can harm you even longer when you're older.

(More About ...) A Results-Driven Fitness Program

#1  Whether walking outdoors or walking the treadmill, remember this. 

Just 10 minutes of vigorous exercise is the same as 30 minutes of slow walking. 

Whatever your workout, you should be sweating, breathing more heavily & your heart rate should be increased after your workout. 

These are signs that your metabolism & your circulation is increasing. 


#2   Stretch 'after' your workout not before.  Why? 

After your exercise, your muscles have tension in them. 

You want to remove that tension and stretching will do this for you. 

Stretching your main muscle groups such as your hip flexors, outer thighs, chest, shoulders & ankles, increases blood flow & circulation which will reduce muscle soreness. 

It also will give you better posture.


#3  Drink room-temperature water before, during & after your workout.  Why? 

Because if you drink cold water, your body has to heat the water you drink in order for the body to use it effectively. 

Heating the water will force your body to release energy.  You want to increase not lose energy.


#4  Set a schedule when you workout and when you rest especially if your workout regimen is intense. 

When you are scheduled to workout, do so.  Don't skip your exercise. 

Even 10 minutes of exercise has an impact on your body. 

Be mindful though not to exercise every day because just as your body needs to exercise, it also needs to rest. 


#5  You're 'never' too old to exercise. 

I repeat 'you're never too old to exercise'. 

Your body must move because movement enhances your body's circulation. 

Movement inside the body (circulation) is life enhancing.  Stagnation inside the body induces illness, pain & eventually death. 

While your type of exercise activity should alter depending on your age, always have a workout plan regardless of how old you are.

Basics of A Results-Driven Fitness Program

A good basic workout program involves has a few key factors that will make it a success.

Benefits of doing a workout program are numerous. 

Increased energy, healthy weight, lean muscle & good skin are just a few of many benefits one acquires with an ongoing, consistent exercise program.

#1 - Intensity

Every good workout program should feel intense. 

In other words, if you exercise and don't feel much different after you've completed your movements, you haven't had a workout that will result in what you're aiming to do. 

You have to push yourself. 

If you're sweating, breathing more heavily, you're likely making the right strides toward meeting your workout goals. 

However, pushing yourself too hard will result in injuries & exhaustion.  As well you may even deplete yourself of wanted minerals within your body. 

Over time you'll break down your muscle tissue and become vulnerable to colds & flus. 

Work your way gradually & incrementally toward your fitness goals.


#2 - Progress

Wherever you start in your fitness regimen, build your routines to become farther, longer, harder, faster, higher. 

To get to where you want to go in fitness, you have to increase your movements incrementally. 



#3 - Variation

Vary your workouts from time to time.  

Vary what you do to get & stay fit with a variety of activities you enjoy. 

Try lifting weights at the gym. 

Pilates or dance classes. 

Morning jogging solo or with a running buddy. 

Long walks in nature.  

Power walking in the park.

Whatever you like to do, you need to sweat and feel more energized by the time you complete your movements. 

If you feel sick or injured, you're working too hard or you're exceeding what your body is able to do right now or ever.

Give yourself 1 to 3 months to do any one activity before you expect to see physical results that others can notice.

To maximize what you're trying to do, ALWAYS match your fitness routines with a healthy eating plan. 

Drink plenty of fresh, purified water. 

Rule of thumb is 8  8 oz glasses of water. 

Of course, a 6'4" 200 lb man will need to drink more water than a 5'1" 100 lb female.

Nutritional supplementation suited for your particular needs is also a very good idea. 

Full body massage & foot reflexology massage will also accelerate your body's release of toxins leading to more energy, great skin, weight loss and lean muscle.

There's so much more to cover about great, results-driven fitness programs. 

Lots more in future posts.

Fermented Foods & Good Bacteria

Fermented food is common within our Western diet. 

 

But did you know that fermented food is food filled with bacteria?  Yes, good bacteria, that is.

 

Fermenting is the process of wine making and dates back thousands of years. 

 

Baking bread also a very old tradition uses the art of fermentation.

 

As I mentioned in previous posts, introducing 'good' bacteria into your diet is a 'must do' to sustain good health.       

 

Examples of fermented food are wine, bread, buttermilk, pickled beets, pickled foods, kefir, yogurt and sauerkraut.

(A Little More About … ) Good Bacteria & Probiotics

 

Probiotics are the ‘good’ bacteria that live in our intestines.  


Most people have about five pounds of it in their intestinal tract.  


We call them good because they serve a worthy purpose and result in giving us a greater level of health. 


Good bacteria are also known as probiotics.  Probiotics have several functions that make us healthier.


They synthesize vitamins B complex and vitamin K.   


They enhance immune function. 


They assist our bodies in fighting yeast, fungus & parasites. 


They produce enzymes enabling better digestion.   


And lastly, they help regulate blood cholesterol and improve colon function.

You may begin to experience poor digestion if your intestinal tract has become compromised.  

 

 

Good functioning of your intestinal tract is a delicate balance and this balance can be upset easily by many things.    

 

 

For example, using antibiotics, receiving radiation, drinking chlorinated water, eating refined sugars and experiencing high levels of stress can all upset the balance within your intestines.  

 

 

When an intestinal imbalance happens, your body becomes overloaded with toxins. 

 

 

Your body is no longer able to fully digest proteins so they enter the bloodstream.   

 

 

This contributes to poor health manifesting in disorders & illnesses such as allergies, nervous disorders, arthritis, asthma, hormone imbalances, joint pain, migraines and a number of other immune disorders. 

 

 

When this imbalance continues for many months & years, your GI tract may experience severe illnesses or disease such as leaky bowel syndrome, colitis or irritable bowel syndrome.  

 

 

An overgrowth of detrimental bacteria, yeast, fungus or parasites has occurred. 

Over 60 percent of your immune system is in your intestinal tract.   

 

 

When your intestinal tract is balanced with the right kind of bacteria, you naturally feel better, digest your food better and are more resistant to colds, flu, bacteria, fungus and parasites. 

 

 

A good probiotic can be taken as a supplement or in foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut or buttermilk.  

 

 

I’ve written extensively about eating well and incorporating ‘smoothies’ into your diet.   

 

 

One of the key ingredients I use as a base in every smoothie is yogurt. 

 

This way I ensure that if the rest of my diet that day does not have probiotics, I know I have included some good bacteria toward my better health.

Benefits of White Vegetables

White vegetables such as cabbage, onions & white mushrooms help reduce bad cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure & reduce the risk of acquiring diabetes II. 

They are rich in phytochemicals & potassium.

Benefits of Purple Vegetables

Rich in antioxidants & phytochemicals that fight the effects of aging, purple vegetables reduce the risk of cancer and support mental clarity.

Benefits of Red Vegetables

 

Red vegetables promote strong heart health and diminish the risk of cancer.

Benefits of Orange Vegetables

 

Orange vegetables are high in beta carotene & Vitamin C promoting strong immune system, good vision and healthy skin.

Benefits of Green Vegetables

 

 

Green vegetables have lutein, an antioxidant that promotes good vision. 

 

Also strong in Vitamin C which promotes good gum health. 

Organic or Natural?

 

Do you ever find yourself getting confused about food labeling? 

 

One very confusing label is organic versus natural.  Are they the same?  Are they different?  If so, how are they different?

 

Here's a quick guide to understanding the differences between the two.

 

Organic in the truest sense is completely free of all pesticides, fertilizers, preservatives, added colouring & flavours.  It's seed source has not been genetically modified.

 

Natural foods also do not have added flavouring, colouring or preservatives.  However, how natural foods differ is that they possibly come from a genetically modified food source (GMO's).  Moreover, fertilizers and pesticides were also possibly used in their production.

 

Conventional foods in stark contrast to both organic and natural foods very likely are GMO in source.  Fertilizers & pesticides were likely used in their production.  Lastly added colouring, flavouring and preservatives were most likely used to produce these foods.

 

Which do you choose?

Good Bacteria & Soy

Once considered the new 'superfood', there is controversy whether soy is a good source at all.  

If you are still open to eating soy, these are sources you may consider.  They all stimulate good bacteria growth in the intestinal tract.  A healthy plus!

Sources include tamari, soy sauce & miso.  You'll note that these are staples in the Japanese diet.

Good Bacteria & Whole Grains

Growth of good bacteria can be stimulated by eating these whole grain sources :  oatmeal & flaxseed.

Good Bacteria & Fruit

Growth of good bacteria can be created by eating these fruits :  berries and bananas.

Good Bacteria & Legumes

Good bacteria can grow in your intestinal tract by eating these legume sources :  kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas & navy beans.

Good Bacteria & Vegetables

These vegetable sources stimulate good bacteria in your intestinal tract :  sauerkraut, pickled beets, tomatoes, garlic, leeks & asparagus.

Good Bacteria & Dairy

Growth of good bacteria can be stimulated by eating these dairy products:  buttermilk, yogurt & blue cheese.

Good Bacteria & Your Health

Fibre rich probiotics help 'good' bacteria thrive in your intestinal tract. 

 

Good bacteria is required to fight off substances from eaten foods that are not supportive of good health. 

 

To acquire good bacteria, you can eat various foods that will stimulate production of good bacteria. 

 

They include vegetables, dairy products, fruits, whole grains, legumes & soy. 

Your Body Rebuilds Itself

 

Did you know your body rejuvenates itself within 2 years? 

 

Every cell in your body dies and is replaced by new cells.  This is what happens. 

 

Your DNA renews itself within 2 months. 

 

Your skin rebuilds itself in a month. 

 

Your stomach lining rebuilds itself in 5 days. 

 

Your liver rebuilds itself in 6 weeks. 

 

Your brain rebuilds itself within a year. 

 

Your blood rebuilds itself in 4 months. 

 

Your bones are rebuilt in their entirety in 3 months.