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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2014)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014 Healthy U: Senior Health Fitness and Movement As a senior, one of the most important things you can do for your health is to keep moving. No, I don’t mean out of your house, I mean mov- ing your body. Exercising on a daily basis, even on a small and moderate scale can im- prove the quality of your life in many ways. Even if you have never had an exercise routine, there are appropriate activities for you. Before you begin, con- sult your health care provider about any obstacles. If you are living with serious or chronic conditions, you may still be able to exercise and your ef- forts may actually improve your conditions over time. For example, if you are living with high blood pressure, adding moderate aerobic activities to your life like walking, swim- ming, or even vigorous yard work can make your heart stronger, pumping blood with less effort, decreasing the ef- fort on your arteries and low- ering blood pressure overall. After identifying any exercises that may not be ap- propriate for you, begin to list what kinds of exercises are of interest to you. Generally there are four types of exercise: en- durance, strength, flexibility, and balance. Endurance in- cludes aerobic exercises that get your heart pumping and your breath flowing. Activi- ties like jogging, tennis, bas- ketball, and dancing improve the health of your heart, lungs and circulatory system. The strength category includes ba- sic weightlifting or resistance training. Muscle building con- tributes to bone health by in- creasing or maintaining bone mass and preventing osteopo- rosis. Third, gaining flexibil- ity in the body can help make your everyday activities easier and less painful. Even rou- tine movements like checking your blind spot while driving can become difficult without proper range of motion. Final- ly, improving balance can help you prevent falls- a leading cause in the downfall of senior health. It is important to incor- porate each of these four types of exercise into every week. It is recommended by the Page A-9 by Lindsey Gillette National Institute on Aging to get 150 minutes of moder- ate-intensity, endurance activi- ties a week. Strength training that works your major muscle groups is recommended two or more days a week, but be sure not to work the same muscle groups on consecutive days. Your muscles need time to re- cover between strengthening sessions. If it is not possible for you to begin with these rec- ommendations, do as much as you can and work your way up to your goals. Also, you can split your workouts into short- er sessions. Three, ten-minute sessions are just as effective as one thirty minute session. Al- low yourself to begin exactly where you are, not where you think you “should be.” Start with activities that you enjoy. If you like being outside, consider walk- ing with your dog or going on hikes. There are many guided hikes and trails to explore in our area. Gardening and land- scaping can count toward your exercise quota, especially if you are lifting bags of soil or shoveling earth. Depending on your workout personality, you may be seeking a solo yoga video in your living room or a step aerobics class in a gym. There are benefits and weaknesses to both. Working out on your own can be comfortable. You can roll out of bed with your pajamas and bedhead and blare music as loud or as soft as you like. No one is there to see you miss that dance step and your workout can be as cre- ative as you can imagine (ob- stacle course in the garage?). However, working out alone can pose safety risks. If your instructor is on the television, he/she can’t tell you that your form is dangerous or that the exercise isn’t appropriate for you. Working out in a group or with a trainer comes with built in motivation. You may get to know others in your class and form new friendships. Your instructor will be able to help you modify exercises or sug- gest other activities that you may enjoy. However, working out in a group can be intimi- dating, expensive, and you are often on a strict agenda or time schedule. If you decide to try a group setting you should look for classes that are appropriate for your level. There will of- ten be a description about the class. Look for the words, “all levels” or “great for seniors and beginners.” Get recom- mendations from your friends and have them accompany you to your first session. Ex- pect to tell the teacher about any health conditions or inju- ries you have like high or low blood pressure, bulging discs, dizziness, or other concerns, such as you would prefer not to partner up with a stranger or receive any hands on ad- justments. Remember in any setting: you are responsible to honor your own limits. If you need a break, take a break, even if that is not what the rest of the class is doing. There are many resourc- es online or in the library for beginning senior exercise programs. If you are very limited in motion for health reasons such as bad knees or being overweight, you might consider a “chair fitness” pro- gram. Participants sit in a chair while doing simple en- ergizing, muscle building, or flexibility exercises. “Sit and Be Fit” is a popular and highly recommended chair fitness program that has aired on PBS since 1987. They have books and DVDs available as well as resources on the Internet. Besides gaining stronger muscles and flexibility from your exercise regime, there are many other benefits that are important to your overall health. With moderate exer- cise, you stimulate production of helpful antibodies in your immune system to prevent sickness. You may also notice your mood and concentration improve over time. Finally, a very important topic for se- niors: independence. Your ability to stay physically active and free from falls is essential for living independently. Whatever fitness ac- tivities you find, stick with it. If you have to take a break, just get back to it when you can. You will soon feel the benefits and exercising will begin to feel like second nature to you. 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