WHY YOUR NEVER TOO OLD TO GET FIT

Attention seniors and couch potatoes. If you are feeling tired and out of shape it’s not too late to improve your health and get fit. Studies indicate, that no matter what your age or inactivity rate, your body will respond to a healthful lifestyle. So that being said, anyone can change his or her fitness level, however, fitness does not happen over night.

Even if you’ve been inactive for a period of time or have eaten foods that you know might not be the best choices, you can make positive changes that will make you more fit. Just remember, that you need to learn to walk before you can run. The first step is to make a plan.

Diet

A 20-year study of Rheses monkeys found that monkeys that consumed 30% fewer calories lived longer and developed less age related diseases. It has been hypothesized the same is true for humans.

Consuming fewer calories every day may be beneficial, but you want to get the most bang for your buck. You want to make sure your body has the right foods to replenish and repair. Eat from the food of life: natural foods in their natural state. That is, fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grain breads and cereals. Try to consume less red meat and incorporate a meatless day into you week. Eat organic foods whenever possible, to diminish risks of pesticides and herbicides. If the goal is to shave of pounds, eat healthful foods in small quantities. Small meals with snacks, stabilizes metabolism and blood sugar levels. Be sure to drink plenty of water to flush away toxins and wastes.

Exercise

With fitness programs, the main thing to remember is to build up your stamina and endurance first. This is especially true when you have been inactive for a long period of time. When creating an exercise program, factors like osteoporosis, back problem, heart problem and blood pressure should be a consideration. Always check with you doctor if you have a concern about what exercises you can do. Remember you can modify you exercise workout to accommodate your abilities or how you feel that day.

Exercise can improve health impairments and even prevent some diseases. It can also improve our emotional state and mood. The key to a sensible workout program is, take it slow and keep it up. A balanced exercise program for any age should consist of three types of exercise: cardiovascular, resistance and stretching.

Cardiovascular

There are many types of aerobic exercise, however, low impact may be best for seniors or the fitness challenged. Walking and swimming are perfect exercises for a gentle workout. Strive for exercising aerobically 5 times a week with duration of 20-60 minutes.

Resistance

Resistance exercises utilize specific muscle groups in order to improve muscular strength and endurance. Resistance can be done using either external weight such as dumbbells, machines at your local gym or by utilizing your own body weight as the resistance force, as in pushups.
With resistance training your health and physical fitness will increase a lot quicker than with aerobic exercise alone. Adding resistance exercise builds muscle mass, which helps to burn fat and speeds up the metabolism.

Stretching

Stretching exercises elongate the muscles, helps with flexibility and decreases the risk of injury. Stretching should be done as part of the warm up and the cool down. Yoga and Tai Chi are excellent forms of stretching workouts.

Pay Attention To What Your Body Is Saying

You can improve your health and fitness at any age but you should pay attention to what your body is saying. Sure you can expect some aches and pains as you body adjusts to the new demands you place on it, but take it slow to build that fitness, without injury. If you listen carefully, your body will let you know which things are beneficial.

By  Renee Rotto