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“I
don’t have time.”
“I’m too old—I might
hurt myself.”
“I’d be too embarrassed
at a gym with all those fit
young people around.”
Sound
familiar? Maybe one of these
is the reason you aren’t
physically active or
exercising. But, in fact,
scientists now know that
it’s usually more
dangerous to not exercise,
no matter how old you are.
And you don’t need to buy
fancy clothes or belong to a
gym to become more active.
Most
older people don’t get
enough physical activity.
Here are some reasons why
they should:
- Lack
of physical activity and
not eating the right
foods, taken together,
are the second greatest
underlying cause of
death in the United
States. (Smoking is the
#1 cause.)
- Exercise
can help older people
feel better and enjoy
life more. No one is too
old or too out of shape
to be more active.
- Regular
exercise can prevent or
delay some diseases like
cancer, heart disease,
or diabetes. It can also
perk up your mood and
help depression, too.
- Being
active can help older
people to stay
independent and able to
keep doing things like
getting around or
dressing themselves.
So,
make physical activity a
part of your everyday life.
Find things you enjoy. Go
for brisk walks. Ride a
bike. Dance. Work around the
house and in the yard. Take
care of your garden. Climb
stairs. Rake leaves. Do a
mix of things that keep you
moving and active.
Four
Types of Exercise
There
are four types of exercises
you need to do to have the
right mixture of physical
activities.
One—Be sure to
get at least 30 minutes of
activity that makes you
breathe harder on most or
all days of the week.
That’s called “endurance
activity,” because it
builds your energy or
“staying power.” You
don’t have to be active
for 30 minutes all at once.
Ten minutes of endurance
activity at a time is fine.
Just make sure those
10-minute sessions add up to
a total of 30 minutes most
days.
How hard do you need to push
yourself? One doctor
describes the right level of
effort this way: If you can
talk without any trouble at
all, you’re not working
hard enough. If you can’t
talk at all, it’s too
hard.
Two—Keep using
your muscles. When muscles
aren’t used, they waste
away at any age.
How
important is it to have
“enough” muscle? Very!
When you have enough muscle,
you can get up from a chair
by yourself. When you
don’t—you have to wait
for someone to help you.
When you have enough muscle,
you can walk through the
park with your
grandchildren. When you
don’t—you have to stay
home. That’s true for
younger adults as well as
for people age 90 and older.
Keeping your muscles in
shape can help prevent
another serious problem in
older people—falls that
cause problems like broken
hips. When the leg and hip
muscles that support you are
strong, you’re less likely
to fall. Even if you do
fall, you will be more
likely to be able to get up
on your own. And using your
muscles may make your bones
stronger, too.
Three—Do
things to help your balance.
For example, stand on one
foot, then the other. If you
can, don’t hold on to
anything for support. Stand
up from sitting in a chair
without using your hands or
arms. Every now and then
walk heel-to-toe. When you
walk this way, the toes of
the foot in back should
almost touch the heel of the
foot in front.
Four—Stretch.
Stretching can help keep you
flexible. You will be able
to move more freely. Stretch
when your muscles are warmed
up. Never stretch so far
that it hurts.
Who
Should Exercise?
Almost
anyone, at any age, can
improve his or her health by
doing some type of activity.
But, check with your doctor
first if you plan to do
strenuous activity (the kind
that makes you breathe hard
and sweat) and you are a man
over 40 or a woman over 50.
Your doctor might be able to
give you a go-ahead over the
phone, or he or she might
ask you to come in for a
visit.
You
can still exercise even if
you have a long-term
condition like heart disease
or diabetes. In fact,
physical activity may help
your illness, but only if
it’s done during times
when your condition is under
control. During flare-ups,
exercise could be harmful.
If you have any of the
following problems, it’s
important to check with your
doctor before starting an
exercise program:
- a
chronic disease, or a
high risk of getting
one—for example, if
you smoke, if you are
obese, or if you have a
family history of a
long-term disease
- any
new symptom you
haven’t talked about
with your doctor
- chest
pain
- shortness
of breath
- the
feeling that your heart
is skipping, racing, or
fluttering
- blood
clots
- infections
or fever
- unplanned
weight loss
- foot
or ankle sores that
won’t heal
- joint
swelling
- pain
or trouble walking after
you’ve fallen
- a
bleeding or detached
retina, eye surgery, or
laser treatment
- a
hernia
- hip
surgery
Safety
Tips
Here
are some things you can do
to make sure you are
exercising safely:
- Start
slowly. Little by little
build up your activities
and how hard you work at
them. Doing too much,
too soon, can hurt you,
especially if you have
not been active.
- Don’t
hold your breath while
straining—when using
your muscles, for
example. That could
cause changes in your
blood pressure. It may
seem strange at first,
but the rule is to
breathe out while your
muscle is working,
breathe in when it
relaxes. For example, if
you are lifting
something, breathe out
as you lift; breathe in
when you stop.
- If
you are taking any
medicines or have any
illnesses that change
your natural heart rate,
don’t use your pulse
rate as a way of judging
how hard you should
exercise. One example of
this kind of medicine is
a type of blood pressure
drug known as a beta
blocker.
- Use
safety equipment to keep
you from getting hurt.
That means, for example,
a helmet for bike riding
or the right shoes for
walking or jogging.
- Unless
your doctor has asked
you to limit fluids, be
sure to drink plenty
when you are doing
activities that make you
sweat. Many older people
tend to be low on fluid
much of the time, even
when not exercising.
- Always
bend forward from the
hips, not the waist. If
you keep your back
straight, you’re
probably bending the
right way. If your back
“humps,” that’s
probably wrong.
- Warm
up your muscles before
you stretch. For
example, do a little
easy biking, or walking
and light arm pumping
first.
Exercises
should not hurt or make you
feel really tired. You might
feel some soreness, a little
discomfort, or a bit weary,
but you should not feel
pain. In fact, in many ways,
being physically active will
probably make you feel
better.
How
to Find Out More
Local
gyms, universities, or
hospitals might be able to
help you find a teacher or
program that works for you.
You can also check with
nearby churches or
synagogues, senior and civic
centers, parks, recreation
associations, YMCAs, YWCAs,
or even area shopping malls
for exercise, wellness, or
walking programs.
Looking for a safe exercise
program? The National
Institute on Aging (NIA)
publishes Exercise:
A Guide from the National
Institute on Aging.
This free 80-page booklet
has instructions and
drawings for many strength,
balance, and stretching
exercises you can do at
home. Will they work?
Scientific research
supported by the NIA helped
experts develop these
exercises so they should
help you if you do them as
described. You can get the
guide in English or Spanish.
In addition, the NIA has a
48-minute exercise video for
$7. You can order the video
from the NIA Information
Center.
Many
organizations have
information for older people
about physical activity and
exercise. The following list
will help you get started:
American
College of Sports Medicine
P.O. Box 1440
Indianapolis, IN 46206-1440
317-637-9200
www.acsm.org
American
Physical Therapy Association
1111 North Fairfax Street
Alexandria. VA 22314-1488
800-999-2782
www.apta.org
Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention
1600 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30333
800-311-3435
www.cdc.gov
Fifty-Plus
Lifelong Fitness
P.O. Box 20230
Stanford , CA 94309
650-843-1750
www.50plus.org
MedlinePlus
“Exercise for Seniors”
"Exercise and Physiucal
Fitness"
www.medlineplus.gov
The
President’s Council on
Physical Fitness and Sports
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 738-H, Dept. W
Washington, DC 20201-0004
202-690-9000
http://fitness.gov
Small
Steps
www.smallstep.gov
Visit
NIHSeniorHealth
(www.nihseniorhealth.gov),
a senior-friendly Web site
from the National Institute
on Aging and the National
Library of Medicine. This
site features popular health
topics, including exercise,
for older adults. It has
large type and a
“talking” feature that
reads the text aloud.
The
National Institute
on Aging (NIA)
distributes Age Pages
and other materials on a
wide range of topics related
to health and aging. Some
are in Spanish as well as
English. You can order any
of these publications
including the exercise book
and video or a list of free
publications online at www.niapublications.org,
or contact::
NIA Information
Center
P.O. Box 8057
Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057
800-222-2225
TTY: 800-222-4225
www.nia.nih.gov
National
Institute on Aging
U. S. Department of Health
and Human Services
National Institutes of
Health
May 2004
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