Do These 2 Types of Exercise to Stave off the Effects of Aging

By Contributor Post
October 21st, 2018 Health & Wellness No Comments

Science may not have uncovered the secret to the eternal fountain of youth (yet!), but it has found proven ways to slow the natural aging process down to a crawl. 

One of those ways is through exercise. There is limitless research out there to support the notion that regular exercise is invaluable for seniors wishing to remain active and independent well into their 70s, 80s and 90s. And we’re not only talking about your body here, we’re talking about your brain as well.

A small but growing body of research shows evidence of a link between regular exercise — specifically cardio — and a lower risk of dementia and a protection against age-related decline because of reduced brain connectivity (e.g., memory loss).

Of course, just the word exercise conjures up images of tortorous, uncomfortable punishment on the body for some people. The good news is you don’t have to be Jack LaLanne or Jane Fonda to prevent old age from sidelining you in your golden years. According to a recent comprehensive Business Insider article, you simply have to understand the type of activity your body needs, find a few activities you can handle and do them on a fairly regular basis.

The Big 2

 Regardless of what you do (swim, walk, Tai chi, surf, run with the bulls, etc.), you’ll want to be sure to incorporate a little of both of these types of exercise into your regular routine:
  • Aerobic or cardio: This can include any type of exercise that gets your heart pumping a little faster and cause you to work up a healthy lather. This type of exercise is so important as we age because it helps with the performance of our heart. As we age, it’s normal for certain muscles in our heart to stiffen a bit. This can impact our heart’s ability to supply our body with freshly oxygenated blood. But depending on the intensity, regular cardio can do everything from prevent or even reverse muscle stiffing in the heart to reduce the risk of heart failure.
  • Strength or resistance training: Far too often, people only associate strength training with lifting big heavy weights, something none of us want to do as we get up there in age. But strength/resistance training is anything that involves a series of movements geared toward building or preserving muscle. This can run the gamut from yoga to Tai Chi to the simple strength-building exercises you would do at physical or occupational therapy.
Cardio options
 
Here are a few of the more common forms of cardio among seniors as well as the benefits of each specific type:
Walking and heart health. Not only is walking one of the most simple forms of exercise out there, it’s also one of the most beneficial. In fact, a recent study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology looked at the physical activity levels of almost 140,000 women aged 50 to 79 and found a considerable link between walking and a reduced risk of heart failure.
How considerable a link are we talking? Women who walked regularly were 25% less likely to experience heart failure than their peers who didn’t exercise. What’s more, for every extra 30-45 minutes a woman walked, her risk of a heart failure went down an everage of 9%, according to the study’s researchers.
Jogging and heart-muscle stiffening. If your body can handle it, there’s new research to suggest that higher-intensity exercising such as jogging and running can lead to significant improvements in the heart’s performance. In other words, some of the age-related stiffening of the muscles in the heart can be prevented or even reversed by a moderate amout of running/jogging four to five days per week.
Cyling and immune system protection. Cycling is not only a great, joint-saving exercise, it’s also been linked to healthier and younger-looking immune systems (particularly the thymus glands which produces T-cells), according to an Aging Cell report which looked at individuals aged 55 to 79.
Strength training for any age
 
Tai chi and muscle, balance preservation. Health and fitness experts of all stripes tend to always point to Tai chi as the ideal strength training excercise for seniors — and rightly so. For one thing, the movements — a flowing series of moves with an emphasis on focus and breathing — incorporate the resistance that is a critical component of all strength training.
Plus, it’s a self-paced activity, so it’s accessible for many people, regarldless of age, physical limitations or fitness level. Finally, Tai chi a balance saver,  and as I-Min Lee, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, says it “is particularly good for older people because balance is an important component of fitness, and balance is something we lose as we get older.”
Obviously, there are plenty of additional examples we could list. But because strength training options can vary greatly depending on seniors’ fitness level and/or physical limitations, it may be a good idea to consult a guide like this to see which options are likely to work for you before embarking on a serious, regular strength training regimen.

Leave a Comment