Sure You’re getting Older, But Are You Aging Well?

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Someone once said that all human beings, from the earliest age, are on a slow road to death. By that it was meant that we have a limited lifespan which eventually ends, though many young people don’t seem to realize it. Fact is, everything around us has limitations – beginnings and endings. We are aware of infants being born and of grandparents dying. We also observe animals, plants and insects go through this cycle of life. We speak of the birth and the death of cultures and civilizations, even ideas, trends and fads. We are accustomed to seeing things get old. Clothing and furniture wear out. Automobiles fall apart. Buildings deteriorate and yes, our bodies become wrinkled and old.

To humans, everything is measurable by hours, days and years. At the beginning of our life, time seems eternal, lazy and endless as we enjoy the blessing of youthful vitality and dynamism. As we grow into adulthood, the excitement of careers, marriage, and family life dictate that our minds are pre-occupied with being busy. But then something happens as we reach middle age. We realize that half our life is over and that we have achieved a measure of financial success. But we are also bothered by pains, illness or handicapped by some physical ailment which prevents us from enjoying life as we should. What happened? How did we get to feeling lethargic, achy and physically uninspired?

Part of our problem is lack of exercise. Anaerobic and aerobic are the two basics types which are a big part of the solution. Generally, anaerobic activities build muscles, and aerobic activities strengthen the cardiovascular system. A typical anaerobic exercise is weight lifting. It involves little continuous deep breathing, though it certainly can be done at a rapid pace to encourage faster oxygen intake. One of the benefits of weight-bearing exercise is the fact that it strengthens bones, which is good news to women who tend to lose a lot of calcium and develop osteoporosis.

The kind of exercise vital to building and maintaining our cardiovascular system—the heart, lungs and liver—is aerobic exercises such as jogging and brisk walking. The heart contracts and dilates at an average rate of 72 times a minute, 100,000 times a day, and close to 40 million times a year, and aerobic activity strengthens your heart to do this job efficiently. For some reason though, we believe that the needs of the human body have changed in our modern society. But of course it has not, and in fact, the adage of “use it or lose it” applies even more today as we slave away at sedentary jobs. When muscles are not used they deteriorate, our heart becomes smaller and less efficient, pumping less blood, delivering less oxygen to tissues, and eliminates less waste. In short, we’re in big trouble.

But exercise can turn fat into fitness, fatigue into vitality, and worry about health into energy filled living! So what do we do for exercise? I know for a fact that many people can only walk due to health concerns. Keep in mind that even walking revives tired blood and helps lessen the danger of arterial blockage. Plus, our cells will convert food and oxygen into energy more rapidly, firm up muscles, improve posture, and contribute to a better physical appearance.

Remember, exercise may not add years to your life, but it will add life to your years.

Get Out Of That Used Body And Get Into A New Life!

Jack LaLanne - still a stud at 95 - aliveat95.com

A while back I spoke to a distressed senior who was told that his condition of general weakness and bodily pain was the inevitable result of aging. Now naturally, I disagree with such simple advice, as it is not rooted in wisdom.

Where does the idea come from that age takes away our strength? Is there really a descriptive and precise time marking the homestretch of strength and vitality; of pain and suffering? Or is it that people merely justify their sedentary existence by blaming their age?

The irony of being alive in this age of instant communication – where we are in touch with anyone and everywhere – is that we are now completely out of touch with our own body. We ask others to take care of it because we have forgotten how to nurture and nourish it.

How did we come to this sad state of affairs? We grow from children to adults merely because of automatic growth; no commitment is necessary. But the journey is shaped by the way we measure and act upon the choices which confront us. Tremendous consequences (good or bad), come from taking the road well travelled or the road seldom taken. If you control the process of choosing, you control all aspects of life, including a body free of pain and suffering.

Yes, there are many variables and life tends to be unpredictable even if we follow all the rules, but if you buy into the getting-old and weak-is-inevitable theory, then you are probably well into the act of premature aging. Bad habits and gravity may have done a number on the body, but by making some lifestyle changes, it can be redeemed. You need your muscles as much now as you did when you were younger – perhaps even more. How can you enjoy the best years of your life if you haven’t got the energy or ability to get off your couch? Graceful aging means being active and staying healthy into our fifty’s, sixty’s and beyond to feel and act younger than our chronological age.

I’m not talking about fantasizing, cosmetic surgery, implants or any other instant “cure.” That nonsense is for dreamers and deceivers. I’m talking about lifestyle changes that can have you rollerblading at 75 or being in the gym at 100. Is that really so inconceivable?

Let me give you an example of the benefits of an active, healthy lifestyle. Jack LaLanne, the Godfather of Fitness, is now 95 years old. Yet he is still considered one of the fittest men on this planet. His feats of strength would be considered incredible even for a young man, proving that muscle power and good nutrition help the body stand the test of time.

Here’s some advice. Drop the sugar and simple carbohydrates while there is still time. Get rid of too much alcohol, fatty foods, smoking and other body killing compounds. De-stress your life through activity and cleaner living, making the body stronger, rather than weaker. You’ll sail through your golden years without disability and disease; without loss of strength, endurance, flexibility and balance problems. In fact, regular weight bearing exercise can help you reduce your chances of heart disease, regulate blood pressure and boost the good cholesterol, HDL. It also reduces obesity and has been proven to help prevent osteoporosis. In other words, it helps slow the physical (not biological – sorry) aging process.

“Too old” and “too frail” are not good enough reason to keep you from becoming more active.

Fitness After 50: Keep It Movin’

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Are you over 50 and thinking of changing your lifestyle? Now is the time because as we age, our body begins to change. Fat deposits show up where there were none before, muscles become droopy and processes stop working, all without ever asking for your permission.

However, there is something which comes as close to an anti-aging antidote as possible. Fitness can play a key role in maintaining optimum health, feeling good, and looking great. A lot of the severe problems we used to think of as being related to aging are actually connected to disuse of the body.

But hey, we can do something about that. Research published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society found that inactivity doubles the risk of mobility limitations as we age, while vigorous activity has the opposite effect. In another study, published in the journal Neurology, doctors found that exercise can slow cognitive declines. That means the mind stays sharper longer, and we find those glasses on top of our cranium faster.

No matter what area you look at, be it heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, or osteoporosis, research shows that being physically fit into senior years will keep you healthier. Not only that, but exercising regularly more than halves your chance of dying prematurely, (Archives of Internal Medicine, December 2007), which is always a good thing. Another Swedish study also revealed that those who raised their level of physical activity between the ages of 50 and 60 experienced the same mortality rates as those who had always been physically active. How’s that for fair? The results were so pronounced that the study team compared the reduction in mortality to people who stop smoking.

That’s good news for the estimated 90% of retirees who get virtually no meaningful exercise, and even more so for the 50% who are totally sedentary. Instead of simply hoping to hang around long enough to collect retirement benefits like their grandparents, this generation has the ability after 60 to be doing the same things they did at age 45, though hopefully in a wiser fashion.

Psychological well-being improves, while depression and anxiety seem to melt away. Balance, strength, range of motion, and energy levels also get better, along with reduced body fat, and improved weight control. It’s not the ‘perfect body’ dream anymore, but a realistic ‘lifestyle and better health’ outlook starts to look mighty good at this point.

By now you should be more than a little interested in what I speak of here. But before you run out and throw yourself into the next exercise class, there are a few cautions to consider. The spirit may be willing, but a 50 or 60 year old person who hasn’t moved properly for about two decades will require a little extra attention to benefit in both the short and the long run.

Any change you make to your exercise regimen should be incorporated in a gradual, systematic way, to allow your body to get used to it, and to make sure your muscles are “conditioned” properly. Make sure you also have a thorough physical and get the go-ahead from your physician before starting your exercise protocol.

So where to begin? Numerous studies show that vigorous muscle strengthening exercises are superior to aerobic counterparts, especially when it comes to fat loss. Why? Because that added muscle causes the body to burn calories even while at rest, as it expends more energy. If you happen to add five pounds of muscle to your body, you could burn up an additional 200 calories per day, or 72,800 calories a year, which equals a weight loss of 20 pounds. That’s not bad for making the right exercise decision. Just don’t blow it with a nacho chip and diet coke habit.

So whether you pick up dumbbells, use a medicine ball, give the heavy bag a thumping, climb stairs or even do bodyweight exercises, after two months you can expect to reverse the effects of two decades of muscle loss, increasing your strength by a whopping 40%. Mull that one over before your next arm wrestling contest.

By now it should be evident that it’s never too late to start exercising, even after reaching or passing middle age. Unfortunately, most people embrace age-related decline as inevitable, or are unlikely to change bad habits through excuses. The former is a lack of information, while the latter is a poor widow to potential health consequences.