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Benefits of Exercise for the 60-Plus Men

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Tai chi
Outdoor tai chi practice in Beijing's Temple of Heaven

Exercise has long been touted for its numerous health benefits. Exercise can help one enjoy a strong immune system, large reserves of energy, and the advantage of feeling and looking good. Exercise has been said to prevent aging and delay the damage it does to our body. But would exercise still have the same beneficial effects for those who are already aged? What could be the benefits of exercise for the 60-plus man?

There are many misconceptions that prevent the elderly from enjoying the benefits of exercise in their twilight years. They may avoid exercise because they perceive that it is futile, that exercise would be meaningless for them who are already old. They may perceive that engaging in exercise activities would only put them into greater risk of injury. That they are too old and tired to try exercising, and that they would just get worn down more and accelerate their demise. They may have physical disabilities that prevent them from experiencing a wide range of motion, thus they see no benefit in even attempting to exercise.

Those who believe these misconceptions should see the truth; that exercise at whatever age can accrue numerous health benefits. Exercise, whether for the young, the middle aged or the elderly is sure to improve one’s life. Let us take a look at some of the many health benefits of exercise for the 60-plus man.

As a person ages, his metabolism gradually slows down. This leads to accumulation of fat, leading to obesity and other health disorders. A feeling of bloating, constant fatigue and lack of vigor characterize obese elderly men. Exercise helps burn those excess calories off that would eventually lead to weight loss which can help prevent the occurrence of many health concerns.

Aside from burning fat, exercise can also fine-tune the machinery of the body, making it more capable of performing daily tasks.  Exercise in 60-plus men can lower incidences of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure and reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Exercise can help strengthen their muscles and bones, preventing osteoporosis and muscle atrophy. Muscle and bone strength will also be beneficial in improving their mobility, flexibility and coordination to reduce their risk of incurring grave injury.

Aside from these great physical benefits, exercising can benefit the mental welfare of seniors. Exercise helps in prolonging their sleep as well as improving sleep quality. Engaging in exercise can also improve an elderly person’s mental well-being. It promotes a positive outlook in life, enhancing one’s self confidence, self-esteem and thinking. It also makes the brain active, increasing oxygen blood flow and enabling the elderly to avoid debilitating mental disorders.

Cardio exercises for seniors are sure to improve daily energy; rejuvenating them and making them feel young again. Strength training would enhance their ability to withstand and prevent injuries, making them more nimble, less clumsy, and more balanced and coordinated.

Exercises need not be tiring activities for seniors. Daily activities like walking, gardening and doing chores are already forms of exercise. Swimming, dancing and yoga are just some of the more low impact exercises the elderly may want to try to improve their health.

Exercise for the elderly induces many benefits. All that is needed is the willpower to start and try exercises that allow them to gradually improve their health. Growing old need not be and unhealthy prospect, and with the many benefits of exercise for the 60-plus man, it may lead not to a feeling of life slipping away, but of new life starting.

Reference

  • Sarah Kovatch, M.F.A, Melinda Smith, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., (2010) Senior Exercise and Fitness Tips How to gain energy and feel stronger retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/life/senior_fitness_sports.htm

Great Exercises for a Pear-Shaped Body

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Pear
Pear

What is the fuss about having a pear-shaped figure? Pear-shaped, as the word conveys, refers to having a symmetrically smaller upper torso and getting gradually packed towards reaching the lower part of the body and needing some more toning in the arms and shoulders. The focal point of slimming a pear-shaped body is to get rid of excess body fat around the lower torso. Contrary to what you might have presumed, no single exercise either on the butt or thighs will help you do this in a snap of the finger.

You must basically have to watch what you eat to reduce body fat on specific areas. Keeping an eye on what you eat, when to eat it and counting how many calories are needed to trim down your weight is understandably painstaking. The sheer number of diet books making dieting like a walk in the park is the blatant proof to that. What you need to realize is if you have been dying to be a toned and healthy person, you must carve yourself to be like one. The time and effort you exert in doing so will reward you for many years, and you can pass on the lessons you have learned to your children and loved ones.

Exercises for a pear-shaped body:

In order to shed off a lot of calories, the exercises needed to be done are widely known as compound exercises. Compound exercises involve more than one muscle group and make use of more than one joint. Some examples of compound exercises are:

  • Squats– This type of exercise is considered as the “grandpa” of all exercise.
  • Bench Presses– Bench press works primarily to build the chest and focuses on the development of the pectoral muscles and triceps.
  • Romanian dead lifts – This has been by far the most taken for granted yet effective exercise of all. Learning how to execute this type of exercise properly helps you reach your goal.
  • Hamstring Raises- The simplest and most humbling exercise has the goal of lowering your torso from vertical to horizontal by bending at the knees.
  • Shoulder Presses- This is an exercise also meant for a pear-shaped body that involves pressing weight from the shoulders until it is locked out overhead. Granting you do not want to put too much focus on the legs, what you can do to place some equilibrium on the look of your body is to perform some shoulder press.
  • Sit-ups- This exercise has been preferred to strengthen and tone the hip and abdominal area. 200 sit-ups a day can help you improve your core strength and physical fitness and of course, modify your pear-shaped figure.

Bottomline:One assumption most people fall on is getting a bunch of inner thigh exercises and outer thigh exercises will help slim down their legs. Wrong! The truth is no single exercise can bust fat build-up from any point on your body. You need to perform the right ones so you can achieve an optimum effect. Combined with a balanced diet, hard work and devotion will result in the desired fat loss.

You do not need to be a rocket scientist to be able to come up with the perfect formula that suits you best. Bear in mind, getting an hour glass figure is merely an icing to the cake. You need not put up with the anxiety of having to live with all the dreaded diseases and awkwardness of picking an appropriate outfit anymore. It is all a matter of getting used to all these routines to be able to live a healthy lifestyle.

Effects of Not Exercising

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Lack of routine workout can land you with an overweight body, weak bones and depressive state of mine.

Pain, sweat and fatigue are just some of the key stumbling blocks in your desire to exercise. Though all of us know that working out is the best way we can keep ourselves fit, the discomfort arrives much before the benefits.

Here we tell you how the effects of not exercising are more harmful and long lasting than the imminent and short-term botheration. Our bodies decay as we age and exercise is just like providing regular service to your most reliable vehicle. The body looks younger while you naturally feel blessed.

Heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, uncontrolled blood sugar, brain stroke and osteoporosis, there is not a single disease which you can’t prevent with regular exercise.

Why exercise?

After reaching middle age, our bodies start the downhill march. Metabolism goes sluggish leading to fat accumulation, skin gets wrinkles, bones turn weak, and brain starts losing its capacity to memorize. Numerous research studies done over the years have shown that exercise and good diet are the only sure shot ways to keep our faculties on track.

After the age of 30 years, the ability of your body to burn food into energy takes a hit and it turns weak. This leads to storage of fat which is mostly visible on abdomen, thighs and hips. High blood pressure, heart ailments, uncontrolled blood sugar and high cholesterol are just some of the problems you can face because of accumulated fat.

Aerobic exercises like jogging, cycling and skipping can deal with these risk factors by reducing the amount of fat deposits. Exercise also perks up your sluggish metabolism hence dealing a direct blow to the root cause of the problem.

In addition, aerobics increase the capacity of your heart to pump blood and ability of lungs to breathe in more oxygen. This means, more nutrient-rich blood circulates in your body nourishing every nook and corner besides sounding the death knell for disease-causing organisms. Better blood circulation also leads to a healthier-looking skin.

Use it or lose it

There are several parts of our which lose their optimum capacity if we don’t use them often. For instance, muscles and bones get feeble with age and if not regularly exercised the rate of decay is faster resulting in frequent fractures and disorders like osteoporosis. A routine work out builds up your muscles and strengthens your bones helping them withstand the travails of ageing.

Flexibility and balance exercises are specifically meant to keep the body supple and avoid loss of the sense of balance with age.

Exercise is also the reason why physiotherapy has become such a popular concept. Physiotherapy involves rehabilitation of trauma or chronic disease patients with help of specific movements.

The happiness pill

Not many know that exercise actually makes you happy. After you get over the initial pain and fatigue due to exercise, you are rewarded with a cheerful mood. It so happens that to deal with the pain of exercise, your brain releases chemicals called endorphins which not only eases discomfort but also creates a feeling of euphoria. Release of serotonin and norepinephrine by the brain during exercise also lifts up your mood. In fact, the euphoria is so addictive that you

Research studies have shown that exercisers are able to deal with mental stress better than physically inactive people. Effects of not exercising also show on your brain power as non-exercisers are more likely to have poor cognitive skills.

Working out has shown to help in development of new neuron connections in the brain resulting in better concentration and memory.

So, get off that couch of yours and start working out because that’s the best way to have a fitter body and a sharper brain.  If you don’t like running, join a swimming class or horse riding. There is something for everyone out there. You just need to get going for a perfect present and a healthy future.

Jumping Jacks and Weight Loss

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Jumping jacks is an exciting cardio routine to lose weight.

Jumping Jack
Jumping Jack

Whether it’s running on a treadmill or pedaling a stationary bicycle for hours, cardiovascular exercises have a tendency to get boring with time. That’s the reason why many people drop out of an exercise regimen since after a while, there is nothing much to keep them perked up. How you wish you could jog in a big park lined by eucalyptus and blooming with lilies or cycle around a blue lake watching the sun rise across the waters.

Alas, you don’t live in Alps. Besides, the harsh weather and lack of time do not even permit you a visit to the neighborhood park. So there you remain sweating it out on the machines and hoping for a change. In such a scenario jumping jacks can be a good option to get out of the rut and still manage to whisk away that body fat for a new and shapely you.
As the name suggests, jumping jacks help you lose weight by making you jump. Sounds like fun? That’s what millions of jumping jacks fan across the world also feel. From school drills to aerobic workouts in gyms, jumping jacks have made their presence felt over the years.

Since no specific equipment is required, jumping jacks can be done anywhere, any time. The exercise has been practiced since the mid-19th century, but it became popular due to efforts of famous fitness trainer Jack Lalanne in the 1950s.  Though it was first regarded as just a stretching or warm up exercise, research studies showed jumping jacks can help lose weight in a significant manner.[ad#728-90 after post]

How you do it

With the first jump, you spread your legs and clap both hands above your head. The next jump gets you back in the original position with your legs straight and arms by your side. Seems simple, does not it? That’s the best part of this exercise. Since it does not seem too intimidating, everybody likes to try it. With time you can do the same jumps at a faster pace and feel the difference. The heart rate goes up, lung capacity increases and the wide stretch opens up your body parts. The jumps also end up strengthening your bones while the heavy breathing and high pulse rate burns off the calories.

The number of calories burned while doing jumping jacks depends on your weight. Interestingly, the heavier a person, the greater is the number of calories burned. Needless to say, increasing intensity and duration will give you better results. Since the jumps also put a lot of stress on the leg joints, it is a good bone-strengthening exercise.

As with all cardiovascular exercises, jumping jacks also reduce risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.

Make it better

Jumping jacks can also be a good warm up routine since they offer the benefits of both cardio and stretching exercises. An increased heart rate due to jumping jacks during warm up will help in burning more calories during your workout. Since the jumps don’t take much time, you can easily incorporate them in your exercise schedule. Besides the warm up, you can also add them in between the strength training.

Despite being an easy-to-do exercise, endless jumps can also get boring for some and they yearn for some variations. Reversing the positions of your hands, you can start with the overhead clap before getting arms sideways with a jump. Also, the position of foot can be diagonal to each other instead of the parallel position. You can also perform alternate jumps on a step hence adding another obstacle to the exercise.

Be aware that jumping jacks put a lot of force on knees, ankles and hips and can lead to injuries. Therefore, regular rest in between the sets is essential.

So what are you waiting for? Put on your shoes and get jumping.[ad#afterpost]