Find a blend of activities you enjoy and a schedule you can stick with over the long haul. Start out gradually, set realistic goals, and reward yourself for accomplishments along the way. In short, your fitness plan should give you recess without the bell. Plentiful and well- established science supports the benefits of aerobic and strength training, as well as balance training for older adults.
Flexibility and relaxation exercises are also important components of an enjoyable and effective fitness plan. Aerobic exercise. Often called cardio or endurance activities, aerobic activities are great for burning calories and paring down unwanted fat. They consist of activities that require large muscles to repeatedly contract and relax: think of walking, biking, running, and swimming, for example.
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This temporarily boosts your heart rate and breathing, allowing more oxygen to reach your muscles and tuning up cardiovascular endurance. These are activities that are associated with lower risk for many diseases and lengthening lifespan. Make aerobic exercise the centerpiece of your fitness program, since the bulk of research on disease- quelling benefits of exercise revolves around cardiovascular activity. How much. Current guidelines for physical activity recommend accumulating a weekly total of at least two–and–a–half hours of moderate aerobic activity, or one hour and 1. A single exercise session should last at least 1. Get started. Walking is usually safe for any age or level of fitness, and can easily be adjusted to a comfortable speed. It doesn't jar joints or raise your heart rate to dangerous levels.
Use this workout and flexible dieting program to lose up to 10. How to Build a Workout Routine for Gaining. I work out my biceps 3 times in my 9 day. 5 Ways to Work Out Without Weights. People love to say they don’t have time to work out. A 3-day training program for you and your friend. For many years I’ve wanted to work out and lose weight, but I’ve always had circumstances that make sticking to a program difficult. For one thing, I don’t live.
Expanding a walking program is simple—add time, distance, or hills to improve endurance. If you prefer another aerobic activity, though, feel free to substitute it. Otherwise, follow these tips to get the best workout from your walks: Find a safe place to walk. Quiet streets with sidewalks, park trails, athletic tracks at local schools, or shopping malls are often good choices. Buy a good pair of shoes.
Look for thick, flexible soles that cushion your feet and elevate your heel one- half to three- quarters of an inch above the sole. Choose shoes with “breathable” uppers, such as nylon mesh. Dress for comfort and safety. Wear lighter clothes than you’d need if standing still. Dress in layers so you can peel off garments if you get hot. Light- colored clothes and a reflective vest help drivers notice you.
Do a five- minute warm- up and cool- down. Start off at a slower pace for your warm- up. During your cool- down, you could incorporate stretching, thus accomplishing two goals at once.
Practice good technique: Walk at a brisk, steady pace. Slow down if you’re too breathless to carry on a conversation. Keep your back straight. Hold your head up. Lift your chest and shoulders. Point your toes straight ahead. Let your arms swing loosely at your sides.
If you want to boost your speed, bend your elbows at a 9. Land on your heel, then roll forward onto the ball of your foot, pushing off from your toes. Take long, easy strides, but don’t strain. To go faster, take quicker steps instead of longer ones. Lean forward slightly when walking faster or going up hills. Strength training. Strength or resistance training, which typically employs equipment such as weight machines, free weights, and resistance bands or tubing, protects against bone loss and builds muscle.
It also improves your body’s ratio of lean muscle mass to fat. It, too, deserves an important place in your exercise routine.
Technically, strength or resistance training takes place any time your muscles face a stronger- than- usual counterforce, such as pushing against a wall or lifting a dumbbell. Using progressively heavier weights or increasing resistance makes muscles stronger. Aside from toning you, strength training provides the functional strength you need to do everyday activities—lifting groceries, climbing stairs, rising from a chair, rushing for the bus—with ease.
How much. Current guidelines recommend strengthening exercises for all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms) twice or more weekly. One set per session is effective, though two to three sets may be better. Repeat each exercise eight to 1. Your body needs at least 4.
Get started. These tips for safe strength training will help you get the most from your workouts: Plan to warm up and cool down for five to 1. Walking is a fine way to warm up; stretching is an excellent way to cool down. Focus on form, not weight. Align your body correctly and move smoothly through each exercise. Poor form can prompt injuries and slow gains. Many experts suggest starting with no weight, or very light weight, when learning a strength training routine.
Concentrate on slow, smooth lifts and equally controlled descents while isolating a muscle group. You isolate muscles by holding your body in a specific position while consciously contracting and releasing certain muscles. Tempo, tempo. Tempo helps you stay in control rather than undercut strength gains through momentum. For example, count to three while lowering a dumbbell, hold, then count to three while raising it to the starting position. Breathe. Blood pressure rises even more if you hold your breath while performing strength exercises.
Exhale as you work against resistance by lifting, pushing, or pulling; inhale as you release. Keep challenging muscles. The right weight differs depending on the exercise.
Choose a weight that tires the targeted muscle or muscles by the last two repetitions (reps) while still allowing you to maintain good form. If you can’t do the last two reps, choose a lighter weight. When it feels too easy to complete all the reps, challenge your muscles again by adding weight (roughly 1 to 2 pounds for arms, 2 to 5 pounds for legs), or by adding another set of reps to your workout (up to three sets), or by working out additional days per week. If you add weight, remember that you should be able to do all the reps with good form and the targeted muscles should feel tired by the last two reps. Practice regularly.
Working all the major muscles of your body two to three times a week is ideal. You can choose to do one full- body strength workout two or three times a week, or you may opt to break your strength workout into upper- and lower- body components. In this case, be sure that you perform each of these components two or three times a week. Give muscles time off.
Strenuous exercise like strength training causes tiny tears in muscle tissue. These tears aren’t harmful, but they are important: muscles grow stronger as the tears knit up. Always allow at least 4.
So, if you do a full- body strength workout on Monday, wait until at least Wednesday to repeat it. In this case, it may be easier to do aerobic exercise on the days between your strength training. If you’re doing a partial- body strength session, however, you might do upper- body exercises on Monday, lower- body exercises on Tuesday, upper- body exercises on Wednesday, lower- body exercises on Thursday, etc., and do aerobic exercise on as many days as possible. Balance exercises. Our sense of balance typically worsens as we age.
It can be further compromised by medical conditions like neuropathy (a complication of diabetes) and certain chemotherapy drugs and other medications; uncorrected vision problems; or lack of flexibility. Poor balance often leads to falls, which can cause head injuries and temporarily or permanently disabling injuries to the bones and nervous system. Hip fractures, particularly, can lead to serious health complications and can impair independence. Evidence suggests that older adults at risk for falls benefit from a combination of walking, strength training, and balance- enhancing activities such as tai chi, yoga, and Pilates.
Even walking on uneven surfaces, like cobblestones or hiking trails, helps improve balance over time. How much. Older adults at risk for falls should get 3. Consider adding the heel- to- toe walk and single- leg stance to your warm- ups or cool- downs(see Better Balance Report below), and including other balance- promoting exercises in your strength- training program. Get started. Try working these exercises into your strength training routine—three times a week or even daily—to enhance balance: Heel- to- toe walk. Position your heel right in front of the toes of the opposite foot each time you take a step. Heel and toes should touch as you walk forward for eight to 1.
If necessary, steady yourself by putting one hand on a counter as you walk. Then work toward doing the exercise without support. Repeat two to four times. Single- leg stance. Stand on one foot for up to 3. Put your foot down and steady yourself, then repeat on the opposite leg. Perform two to four times on each leg.
If necessary, hold on to the back of a chair or counter. Then work toward doing the exercise without support. Flexibility exercises. Flexibility exercises like stretching, yoga, and Pilates gently reverse the shortening and tightening of muscles that typically occur with disuse and age. Shorter, stiffer muscle fibers may make you vulnerable to injuries and contribute to back pain and balance problems. Frequently performing exercises that isolate and stretch elastic fibers surrounding muscles and tendons helps counteract this.
A well- stretched muscle more easily achieves its full range of motion. This improves athletic performance—imagine an easier, less restricted golf swing or tennis serve—and functional abilities, such as reaching, bending, or stooping during daily tasks. At one time, experts prescribed stretching before exercise to help avoid injuries, but newer research suggests this does little good. Or, even better, do your flexibility exercises as your post- workout cool- down. Stretching between exercises may be fine, too, and possibly helps boost flexibility.
To achieve lasting effects, stretch daily or at least several times a week. This is easier than you might think.