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AntiAging Exercise

Antiaging Exercise Workouts

If you haven’t followed a regular exercise program for a while, even if you’re in pretty good physical condition, please read the first article in this series, The Antiaging Benefits of Exercise, before trying to decide on your personal antiaging fitness program. Also, check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

If you have read the first article, you already know that studies have demonstrated time and time again that it’s never too late to improve your level of physical fitness with a well designed fitness program appropriate to your current physical condition.

You also know that there are three essential components to a well-rounded fitness program: aerobic (or cardio); strength (or resistance); and flexibility.

Strength and flexibility exercises, in addition to making you stronger and increasing your range of motion, also serve to improve your balance. Aerobic exercise is strength training for the most important muscle in your body, your heart.

Things You Should Know About the Three Exercise Essentials

Flexibility Training

The body responds very quickly to stretching exercises; so flexibility training is a very encouraging place to start a fitness program. Full range of motion allows you to do such things as look behind you to back up the car, reach the can of beans on the top shelf, release muscle tightness or kinks, rise up on tiptoe, touch your toes – not a daily life skill, but something that feels good to be able to do.

Flexibility training also improves your ability to balance, helping to prevent falls and minimizing injury if you should fall.

Workouts that are primarily flexibility-oriented are yoga, tai chi and similar oriental disciplines.

Pilates also has a strong flexibility component.

Any good exercise class or tape includes at least one stretching segment. Experts advise stretching before and/or after most other forms of exercise, like walking, jogging and biking. So you can see that it is easy to incorporate flexibility training into your workout.

When stretching, do not bounce to obtain a longer stretch. Stretch slowly and only to the point of gentle tension. Then hold the stretch for up to fifteen seconds.

Pay attention to how your body feels; never try to compete with someone else in the class or on your TV screen. If you’re consistent, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your flexibility improves.

Strength Training

It’s difficult to overstate the importance of strength training – at any age.

Muscles atrophy quite quickly. Ask anyone who has been laid up after an injury or locked into a cast that prevented use of key muscles.

On the other hand, muscles respond quickly to strength training.

Yes, strength training is hard work. You need to challenge the muscles to make them grow. But consider the alternative: the more sedentary you become, the more strength you will lose, until you will find it difficult to get up from a chair or lift the lightest bag of groceries.

It’s a very depressing prospect. The alternative, strength training, is empowering, energizing and antiaging.

Start slowly and with low weights or exercises that use your body’s own weight for resistance (e.g. wall push-ups, bent-knee push-ups, abdominal crunches, tricep dips, squats and lunges).

Workouts that incorporate considerable strength training are Pilates, stability ball workouts, Body Sculpt classes, Curves classes and more traditional weight machine sessions.

One caution on strength training if you progress to working with heavy weights: lifting heavy weights is anaerobic. It does not bring oxygen to the heart effectively and therefore places a strain on the heart muscle.

Listen to your body. If you feel that you are straining too much (think of the heavy lifters you’ve seen on TV grunting and straining) or that your face is turning red with the exertion, back off.

Lower the weights carefully. Walk around, breathing deeply until the feeling of strain is gone. That’s enough for today.

Aerobic or Cardio Training

Aerobic exercise is strength training for your heart.

As with any muscle, use it or lose it. Unlike strength and flexibility training which can be rotated among numerous muscles to avoid overwork and injury, aerobic exercise focuses on your most important and, in some ways, most vulnerable muscle – the heart.

Aerobic exercise is defined simply as any type of movement that gets your heart pumping and increases your oxygen intake. When you exercise aerobically, you use large muscle groups, such as your legs and arms, to increase your breathing and your heart rate.

With very good reason, any good aerobic class or tape will encourage you to mind your level of perceived exertion or will periodically have you take a heart beat count.

You want to get your heart working in the range where you perceive you are working hard but are still able to talk. Above this level, you may be overtaxing your heart.

Think about the number of heart attacks reported after a major snowstorm and take heed. If you have a weak heart or family history of heart problems, your doctor can best advise you as to whether you should undertake an aerobic exercise program.

Exercises that are primarily aerobic are jogging, biking, vigorous dancing, floor aerobic or step classes, and sports like basketball or racquet ball.

Determining Your Preferred Exercise Style

Now that you know the essentials of a well-rounded fitness program, you need to think about your personal preferences and budget. Think about the type of activity you enjoyed as a child.

Did you love dance classes, competitive sports or were you never very physically active? Your answers are clues to the type of program that will work for you.

Do you prefer to work out in private? Is it hard to squeeze workouts into your busy schedule? Do you need a class or personal trainer to motivate you? Don't think you have to spend hours in the gym to see any effects.

At least 30 minutes of activity is enough for most days of the week. This can be accomplished at the gym, in the privacy of your own home or on your lunch break. It may take a few weeks to build up to 20 or 30 minutes of continuous activity. So commit yourself to stick with your program at least that long.

A limited budget is not an excuse either. All you really need is a good pair of athletic shoes. You can purchase inexpensive free weights or use your own body’s weight for resistance. You can join a class or a team.

Many parks have very affordable classes or sports programs.

If you prefer the flexibility and privacy of working out at home, buy a few exercise DVDs. With these, you benefit from the experience of the best exercise instructors available. What you’ll miss is the correction and guidance only a live trainer can provide.

If you choose the DVD option, find a spot where you can see your reflection in a mirror or window. You will need to be your own trainer. Watch and compare your form to the examples on screen.

Many DVD workouts have exercisers of various levels as examples for you to follow. You will often be instructed who to watch if you are a beginner, have a weak back, etc.

Selecting Video or DVD Workouts

I admit to being an exercise video junkie.

I have a collection of over one hundred tapes and like to rotate among them. I'm gradually replacing the worn-out videos with DVDs

I was very pleased to see that some of my all time favorites are still popular and available.

I love The Firm workouts, almost anything by Kari Anderson, (like the Fitness Formula), Karen Voight or Kathy Smith, the Winsor Pilates Series, Jennifer Kries’ The Method - Pilates - Precision Toning and Raquel Welch’s Total Beauty & Fitness.

All of these routines are excellent and will soon have you back in great shape.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be taken as medical advice.

 

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