Before getting underway with the gist of this blog, this TOJ wants to go on record that all exercise is good exercise. Whatever you like to do, do. Whether walking, biking, jogging, Pilates, whether alone, in a class, on a team, whatever it might be, go for it.
A few times in the past, I've suggested that sometimes it's a good idea to put the pedal to the metal and push your body very hard for a short period of time via High Intensity Training. Wait, wait! Don't click away! (I know most eyes on this blog don't fear sweat or a fast heartbeat anyway.)
Recently I've been studying stuff about senior fitness and aging. According to experts, this TOJ is an official member of the category called the "Young Old," which spans 65-74. When I read the articles by the PhD experts about the 65 year old threshold, it's alarming how cautious they are about exercise. You'd think we're like pieces of fine China, ready to crack and disintegrate at any moment. Their concern is not completely unfounded because many Boomers have sat on their butts much of their lives and are not physically ready for vigorous exercise. About half already have either an illness or musculoskeletal problem that limits their activity.
However, my concern is that frailty begets more frailty. Obviously nobody should put themselves at high risk for injury. And that's not necessary. Most risk can be removed by starting very slow, even below what you might be capable of, then systematically working up from there. By not pushing yourself a little, you accelerate the onset of frailty down the road.
A little high intensity exercise has amazing benefits. See this excellent discussion by Clarence Bass, a Master TOJ if there ever was one. Easy cardio is great, but there are some life-enhancing things that happen only when all the muscles are worked really hard.
Watch this short video of an older guy doing exemplary HIT workout that lasts about seventeen minutes. Here's what's worth noting:
First, he's on machines which are much safer than free weights for HIT because you can't get in an awkward posture that puts you at risk for injury when your muscles move towards failure.
Second, his trainer is making sure he keeps his form correct so only the targeted muscles are engaged (unlike the grunting twenty-year old guy doing a simple bench press with free weights who's arching his back and jerking his entire body to enlist every possible muscle to get the barbell up).
Third, he's using a weight he can lift only 8 reps, so he's building strength and using his fast twitch fibers (hence the powerful human growth hormones).
Fourth, he's keeping a brisk pace. He pauses only long enough to switch machines.
Fifth, he makes sure to use every major muscle group - shoulders, hips, legs.
It's that simple. Challenging, yes. But very doable. He's not collapsing, gasping for air.
Everyone can do this, at all ages. You can do it without ever going to a gym by using your own body weight in a series of calisthenics like push-ups (from your knees if that helps you), squats, lunges. If the latter two are too easy, you can make it more challenging by holding a plastic milk carton with whatever amount of water you can safely hold tight to your chest. Just move from one exercise to the other with minimal recovery.
Most days, it's fine to cruise along in a lower gear. A couple days a week you want to be like the Little Old Lady from Pasadena. Go, TOJ, go TOJ, go TOJ, go!
Showing posts with label senior exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label senior exercise. Show all posts
Sticky My Fingers
The other day this TOJ was trying to remember some details of what might be the greatest sports and exercise film ever made, even though it was just a 20 minute short. I don't know why I hadn't done this before, but I Googled it to see if by chance I could find a reference to it in cyberspace. My heart soared when right in the top few lines was a link to the actual film on YouTube.
Yeah, there have been some classics: Chariots of Fire, North Dallas Forty, Pre, Field of Dreams, The Natural, Rudy, The Longest Yard, Somebody Up There Love's Me, Rocky, The Wrestler, Bull Durham, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, etc.
But none of them rivals Edmond Levy's "Sticky My Fingers Fleet My Feet." Both hilarious and poignant, it's about weekend warriors, and is so great because it captures the psyche of aging amateurs, where there's no money, fame, or glory. If you're over 40 and compete at anything, you'll see what I mean.
Enjoy!
Sticky My Fingers Fleet My Feet - Part 1
Sticky My Fingers Fleet My Feet - Part 2
Yeah, there have been some classics: Chariots of Fire, North Dallas Forty, Pre, Field of Dreams, The Natural, Rudy, The Longest Yard, Somebody Up There Love's Me, Rocky, The Wrestler, Bull Durham, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, etc.
But none of them rivals Edmond Levy's "Sticky My Fingers Fleet My Feet." Both hilarious and poignant, it's about weekend warriors, and is so great because it captures the psyche of aging amateurs, where there's no money, fame, or glory. If you're over 40 and compete at anything, you'll see what I mean.
Enjoy!
Sticky My Fingers Fleet My Feet - Part 1
Sticky My Fingers Fleet My Feet - Part 2
Sweat: The Fountain of Youth
Gretchen Reynolds of the NY Times reports about some very promising experiments with mice that indicate vigorous exercise slows and, in some cases, reverses the negative effects of aging. What surprised the investigators was that exercise not only had an age retarding effect on muscles, including the heart, but all the tissues in the body.
This is promising news. Too many people (a much higher percentage than exercise hard) are preoccupied with hiding the surface effects of aging. Superficial stuff like face lifts, human growth hormone injections, botox injections, and laser vein removal are a multi-billion dollar business. But those are all only skin deep and have nothing to do with health and maintaining your ability to live independently as you age. What's really important to your long term well-being is what's going on under your skin.
The big three debilitating conditions of old age are:
Muscle Loss - You can't lift groceries or walk to a car. You lose your balance and become prone to falls.
Brain Shrinkage - You can't remember things, get confused easily, can't manage your money.
Bone loss - You become prone to fractures when you fall.
Yes, there are some others like a lower sex drive or less bladder control, but those are inconveniences when compared with the life-altering problems caused by the big three.
A TOJ practices a mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercise, especially resistance, to delay the big three. The variety of exercises is fun, but, more importantly, cause more beneficial results in your body. Sometimes you read that an everyday activity such as walking 30 minutes is enough keep you strong and healthy. I have a hunch it takes more than that. Exercise physiologists have known for a long time that it's necessary to interrupt the routine equilibrium of the muscles for them to grow stronger. As you age, you must make them work in different ways just to maintain their strength and mass. The good news is that you can sustain much of your muscle strength and function well into old age.
Focus on your muscles and most other things will take care of themselves. When you work the muscles hard you will also keep invigorating blood flow to the brain (and stimulate Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor, the elixir of brain health) and place stress on the bones, which naturally stimulates them to grow stronger. Your exercise must be supported by a diet with lots of protein, minerals and phytonutrients found in vegetables and fruit to provide the rebuilding in your tissues which occurs after exercise.
You don't want to be one of those people who suffer the big three because they just assume that as you age you are supposed to be more sedentary and let your body fall into disuse, as if your natural role is to spend all your time sitting on your butt playing chess or poker. Resist the stereotypes you see on TV. Ignore the absence of grey-hairs in sports magazines.
Reynolds reports that one of the professors in charge of the study was impressed how the older mice who exercised had still kept their hair. His younger graduate students were more impressed by how the mice's ovaries and gonads had maintained a healthy size. Now all the grad students exercise. Yep, makes you want to pump some iron.
This is promising news. Too many people (a much higher percentage than exercise hard) are preoccupied with hiding the surface effects of aging. Superficial stuff like face lifts, human growth hormone injections, botox injections, and laser vein removal are a multi-billion dollar business. But those are all only skin deep and have nothing to do with health and maintaining your ability to live independently as you age. What's really important to your long term well-being is what's going on under your skin.
The big three debilitating conditions of old age are:
Muscle Loss - You can't lift groceries or walk to a car. You lose your balance and become prone to falls.
Brain Shrinkage - You can't remember things, get confused easily, can't manage your money.
Bone loss - You become prone to fractures when you fall.
Yes, there are some others like a lower sex drive or less bladder control, but those are inconveniences when compared with the life-altering problems caused by the big three.
A TOJ practices a mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercise, especially resistance, to delay the big three. The variety of exercises is fun, but, more importantly, cause more beneficial results in your body. Sometimes you read that an everyday activity such as walking 30 minutes is enough keep you strong and healthy. I have a hunch it takes more than that. Exercise physiologists have known for a long time that it's necessary to interrupt the routine equilibrium of the muscles for them to grow stronger. As you age, you must make them work in different ways just to maintain their strength and mass. The good news is that you can sustain much of your muscle strength and function well into old age.
Focus on your muscles and most other things will take care of themselves. When you work the muscles hard you will also keep invigorating blood flow to the brain (and stimulate Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor, the elixir of brain health) and place stress on the bones, which naturally stimulates them to grow stronger. Your exercise must be supported by a diet with lots of protein, minerals and phytonutrients found in vegetables and fruit to provide the rebuilding in your tissues which occurs after exercise.
You don't want to be one of those people who suffer the big three because they just assume that as you age you are supposed to be more sedentary and let your body fall into disuse, as if your natural role is to spend all your time sitting on your butt playing chess or poker. Resist the stereotypes you see on TV. Ignore the absence of grey-hairs in sports magazines.
Reynolds reports that one of the professors in charge of the study was impressed how the older mice who exercised had still kept their hair. His younger graduate students were more impressed by how the mice's ovaries and gonads had maintained a healthy size. Now all the grad students exercise. Yep, makes you want to pump some iron.
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