Exercise For Older Adults
Regular exercise and strength training does more than bulk up muscles. While older folks usually are not interested in bulking up, exercise, especially strength training offers a slew of benefits that may be worth looking at.
Consider this, strength training may reduce depression, give older people better cognitive function, boost good cholesterol and more.
Strength training has been considered to be the in the realm of body builders for a very long time, but it has finally strong-armed its way into exercise programs for people of all walks of life. Muscles are the largest organ in the human body, something that most people forget about and it is a fact that strengthening the muscles has a ripple effect on whole body health. It can help increase metabolic functions and reduce excess fat and obesity.
A recent article in the L.A. Times reports that a growing body of research shows that working out with weights, or strength training, has health benefits go way beyond simply bulking up one’s muscles and strengthening bones. It also states that more lean muscle mass may allow kidney dialysis patients to live longer, may give older people better cognitive function, reduce depression, boost good cholesterol and help lower the risk of diabetes.
Over the last 20 years or so, weight or strength training has become popularity with the general public as a way to lose weight and improve overall fitness. Jeffrey Potteiger, an exercise physiologist at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich., stated in the times article, “One can argue that if you don’t do some resistance training through your lifespan, you’re missing out on some benefits, especially as you get older or battle weight gain,”
Everyone knows that when we hit middle age, our muscle mass gradually diminishes. By some reports as much as 1% a year. And women are in danger of losing bone mass as they age, especially after the onset of menopause. While some bone loss can be slowed with medication, some studies have shown that moderate to intense strength training not only builds skeletal muscle but increases bone density as well.
Another historical fact is that strength training often takes a back seat to cardiovascular training, but it can benefit the heart in ways that cardio training can’t. Consider this, during a cardiovascular exercise, the heart loads up with blood and pumps it out to the rest of the body making the heart stronger and more efficient at pumping blood to the rest of the body. But this by itself does not increase whole body strength or cause the body to burn more calories.
Resistance training causes the muscles to generate more force than they do during endurance (cardio) exercises, and the heart muscle is no exception. Think about this, during a strength-training workout, the heart’s muscle tissue contracts forcefully to push the blood out. Like all muscles, stress causes small tears in the muscle fibers. When the body repairs those tears, the heart grows stronger. The result is a stronger body with a stronger heart, not just one that’s more efficient at pumping.
Strength Training Workouts
The verdict is in. Exercise and strength training is good for older adults. So, now that you have decided to start doing some strength training, what are your options. In my opinion, there are several ways to go about selecting a fitness program.
1. Join a local fitness club. The downside is that you have to join and most have a contract commitment. It is also necessary to go to the center to workout. Body Smart, Gold’s Gym and World Gym may have franchises in your area.
There are several advantages to using a local fitness center, such as body smart. You can get help and guidance from professionals in designing your exercise program and you get immediate feedback if you need help doing an exercise correctly. Another advantage is that there are people around who will become your exercise buddies and give you encouragement and support.
2. Sign up for an online program. Again, you have to join the club and then work the program into your schedule. But, you can workout in the privacy of your home at your own schedule. This could make it harder to stay committed to losing weight and strengthening your body.
There are many online programs that have been proven to work. Jillian Michaels and Denise Austin are two that come to mind. You can get help designing a diet and exercise program and guidance from an expert. But, it is online and help might not be immediate. Most online programs come with videos that show the correct way to do your exercises, either on your computer or a DVD. Everyone has a computer and a DVD player, so this should not be a real problem.
3. Go it alone. This is the way most people try to shape up. It is difficult to stay with (I am speaking from experience here) and anything can interrupt your exercise schedule. The real difficulty is that it is hard to stay committed when you are working out by yourself. There is no readily available advice, no encouragement and no support. The advantage is that you get to work out at your own pace, on your own schedule and you do not have to share the equipment.
4. My personal favorite. Sign up for a fitness course at your local college. This is the one that I have had the most success with. The encouragement and support advantages are the same as a local fitness center, and the equipment may be as good. A local college may not be as pricey as a health club and you can usually find people your own age in the class.
One downside is that there is no help with a diet that will help you lose weight and stay healthy. You have to go to the college gym and the classes only last a quarter or semester, then you have to sign up again.
There are several things I recommend an older adult do when starting an exercise program:
1. See your doctor. Make sure there are no underlying medical conditions that will stand in your way. If you have arthritis, there may be some exercises you want to stay away from. Make sure the fitness center or online program are aware of any limitations you may have.
2. Do some research and find out if people are satisfied with the service of their local fitness center or your online program. Find out if the people working there are certified and can help with your diet and exercise program. Make sure the promises on the brochures are actually delivered.
3. After you have made your selection and set up your schedule, start slowly. Your muscles may not have been vigorously used in some time and sore muscles will happen. But work at it gradually to avoid having sore muscles that will keep you from exercising. There is some truth to the “No pain, no gain” statement, but lots of pain will equal no gain.
4. Get feedback on your progress. Keep a chart of exercise reps and duration. Get the experts to watch you and make suggestions that will help make your workout better and more productive.
Exercise for older adults has an impact on their survival. It’s not just about having more muscle and looking better, we’re talking about staying healthy, improving quality of life and living longer. There is not doubt about how necessary exercise is, the doubt comes when you commit yourself to a better life. Get up, exercise and enjoy the journey.