Sunday, September 27, 2015

How to keep fit after 50

 

Slowing down after middle age could prove detrimental to your health, according to experts. We investigate



As we age, most of us begin to take it a little easier.
Instead of running for the bus we walk, instead of risking a back injury by lifting heavy bags, we have our shopping delivered to our doors. We generally tend to go about things at a much slower pace.
And because we are less concerned with appearance than quality of life by the time the grandkids arrive, a regular fitness regime tends to get thrown out with the old 70s compilation CDs.
But is this the right approach to growing older? And should we be more active, not less, after we hit retirement age? According to fitness professionals the answer is yes.

"One of the defining things about ageing is the loss of muscle mass," explains health and fitness lecturer Richard Scrivener. "We lose muscle as a natural part of aging and as we do, our metabolisms slow down which causes weight gain. A decrease in muscle mass also makes us physically and mentally weaker."
It’s been estimated that almost half of the over-fifties in the UK do little or no exercise. And with the number of people in this age category expected to rise by 37 per cent to over 27 million by the year 2031, this will soon amount to a huge chunk of the population.
"I have never let my age stop me from enjoying life and I think it is important for everyone to exercise"
Jennie Bond

The benefits of exercise for people in their 50s, 60s and 70s have been widely documented. Not only does it improve joint mobility and increase physical strength and energy, but it can enhance sleep, cognitive function and help prevent illness and disease. So why aren’t more seniors joining gyms or signing up to fitness classes?
"Part of the problem is psychological," says Scrivener. "As people move into retirement they start taking it easier because they think they have to. They might have worked hard all their lives and think that now is the time to rest more or perhaps they used to play a sport like football or netball when younger and gave up playing it because they thought less physically demanding sports like golf or swimming were more appropriate and safer.


 
"It is true that there is a greater risk of injury as we age because our joints are older and therefore more fragile. But that doesn’t mean we can’t push ourselves. We might not be able to sprint like the wind as we did in our twenties but it doesn’t mean we have to stick to gentler forms of activity."
Exercise for older individuals can have just as many mental rewards as physical, such as reducing stress, anxiety and depression - especially the kind that often accompanies post-retirement boredom. People who suddenly find themselves with all the spare time in the world once they are no longer working often feel like they’ve lost their sense of purpose and identity.
Because exercise boosts feel-good chemicals in the brain, and helps improve body image, it can help prevent this psychological slump.
"It’s all about quality of life," adds Scrivener. "And this doesn’t just mean being able to get up and down the stairs with ease or having the energy to do chores, it’s about feeling good too. When you are stronger and more capable you feel it and that gives you better mental strength."

Maintaining this mental strength has something to do with a protein called BDNF, which stands for brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This protein stimulates the repair and regeneration of both nerve and brain cells and is very active in the areas of the brain linked to memory, learning, and higher thinking. Exercise has been shown to increase the secretion of BDNF, which is why it can dramatically reduce the risk of dementia and other cognitive diseases.
Believe it or not, our brains actually start beginning to slow down when we reach the age of 30. It used to be thought that this couldn’t be prevented, but countless studies have since proved otherwise. The fact is people can train their brains to function better and faster at any age. And the secret isn’t just focusing on mind games but physical ones too.
"We might not be able to sprint like the wind as we did in our twenties but it doesn’t mean we have to stick to gentler forms of activity"
Richard Scrivener

Dr Barbara Bushman of the American College of Sports Medicine agrees that regular physical activity can minimise the physiological changes that occur with age: "Older adults can benefit from exercise, and although absolute improvements may be less than for younger adults, relative increases can be similar."
So the best sharpener for your grey matter may not be jumping into a crossword puzzle at all but slipping into your trainers instead, something television presenter Jennie Bond realised when she tried running for the first time.
The 64-year-old former BBC Royal Correspondent had practiced yoga and Pilates for years but decided to take up the sport last year when she began suffering from insomnia.
"I had tried everything before – herbal teas and supplements, changing my diet and even cutting down on caffeine. But for some reason no matter what time my head hit the pillow, I would wake up regularly throughout the night," Bond says.



"Then I was approached by Bupa in April and asked if I wanted to take part in a special 10k run in support of their campaign to encourage more people over 50 to exercise. I jumped at the chance. I started running most days in preparation and in just a few weeks my sleeping patterns completely changed."
According to Bupa, 93 per cent of people aged 50 to 65 don’t run because they think it’s bad for them.
"I have never let my age stop me from enjoying life and I think it is important for everyone to exercise," adds Bond. "I’ll admit that at first, running felt completely alien to me. I managed about 30 steps and hated it. The fronts of my legs were aching the next day. But I persevered and my runs gradually got longer and easier. After two weeks I started to feel really energised and confident. I even lost some weight as my clothes began feeling much looser, which was a huge bonus."

"We lose muscle as a natural part of aging and as we do, our metabolisms slow down which causes weight gain"
Richard Scrivener

Ideally, a physical activity program for people over 50 should include a combination of balance, stretching, cardiovascular, and crucially, weight-training exercise. It is important to match the program to the individual’s ability though, which is why Scrivener suggests starting out with an experienced personal trainer.
"It might take longer to ease into gradually and you also have to take account of the fact that there may be some wear and tear on the joints so your reaction and recovery times may be slower, but as long as you have someone who understands all that you certainly can and should start weight training and can do it at any age," he adds.
"Even if a person can’t jump around with a barbell on their back, they can still perform bodyweight squats or get on a leg press. It’s all about knowing how far to push."
How to stay fit after 50
Warm up well
It takes longer to get your muscles working properly as you get older because the various systems take a little longer to fire up. So always perform a light five-minute warm up first like a jog.
Mix it up
Don’t keep doing the same thing day in day out. Change your routine regularly. If you lift the same weights or run at the same speed all the time you won’t get any stronger or fitter. Incorporate some interval training, combining high and low intensities, or classes into your fitness program.
Don't cut it short
You need to exercise for a minimum of 20 minutes to reap any benefits so aim to work out for around half an hour to 45-minutes each time to begin with. As you get fitter you can increase this to an hour.
Work your core
As we age our core strength suffers, which can result in bad posture and a sore back, knees and hips. So make sure you incorporate some core-strengthening exercises twice a week.
Keep it steady
If running for the first time, use a metronome and set it to 180 beats per minute. This ensures you take shorter strides and limits impact on joints.

To learn more, click Fitnessover50Plan.com

Originally posted at The Telegraph.com

No comments:

Post a Comment