Exercise has been proven to do everything from treating depression to improving ones memory. With exercising having the ability to cure and prevent a handful of conditions why wouldn’t you want to exercise to continue to get the most out of your life? Exercise releases certain neurotransmitters in the brain that reduce pain, both mentally and physically. Exercise exerts its effects on the brain through Neurogenesis (a process that develops new neurons to enhance learning reduce stress and prevent certain diseases), mood enhancement, and releasing certain endorphins.
Regular exercise is very beneficial for the body as well as to the mind. Some of the benefits of exercise include less chances of coronary heart diseases, reduced risk of high blood pressure and hypertension, decreased resting heart rate so that the heart need not work as hard to pump the same amount of blood (resting heart rate is the number of heart beats per minute when you first wake up and before you get up), causes an increase in the bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Besides, regular exercise improves the strength and stamina of the individual, improves blood circulation, reduces excessive weight, and even helps in reducing stress. Older people can benefit from exercises through an improvement in the level of co-ordination and balance, relieving constipation, helps to control weight and improves sense of general well-being.
There are several different things that physical activities and playing sports can do to increase your life in a physical health point of view, but there are several other benefits that playing sports and staying active can improve ones overall quality of life. Staying active will give you better quality of sleep. Those who perform regular exercise sleep more easily and deeply. Sleep helps the body repair itself, keeps your heart healthy, increases cognitive thinking, helps reduce stress, and improves your memory. Being apart of a team can give you a better social life. In times of getting older most adults spend only time with their spouses and being apart of a team can provide you friends and a social life.
Exercising in the older age has more benefits then one can come to realize. Becoming or staying active provides the body with cardio-respiratory and cardiovascular function. Regular physical activity lowers the risk of heart disease and heart attacks as well as high blood pressure. If an elderly person has hypertension or higher stress levels, exercise will lower the blood pressure. Most elderly especially in today’s time smoke. Smoking is another risk for heart disease and can cause blockage in the arteries. The more you exercise the easier blood is passed through your arteries and veins which lowers the risk for blockage.
Not only does good physical activity help the heart is also helps the bones. Exercise protects against loss in bone mass. Better bone density will reduce the risk of osteoporosis and lowers risk of falling and broken bones. Post-menopausal women can lose as much as 2 percent bone mass each year and men also lose bone mass as they age. Research done at Tufts University
Exercising allows the body to release natural endorphins, and this will help the older population feel happier and reduce stress levels. This also leads to continuing to stay active which leads to reducing joint pain be building up the surrounding muscle and reducing swelling and stiffness. Furthermore; this can lead to a build of immunity to viruses and infections. Physical activity builds up the immune system which is very important in an older adult because some older adults have trouble getting over illness and could lead to further complications.
The body needs to cleanse itself and for the body to feel good the mind needs to, and for the mind to feel good the body must. With the increase of physical activity it does not only just reduce stress and release endorphins for better feelings, it also helps for better gastrointestinal function. This allows the body to promote efficient elimination of wastes and encourages better digestive health.
The elderly are already predisposed to chronic conditions/illness and certain types of cancer. Regular physical activity lowers risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, diabetes, obesity, colon cancer, and previously mentioned heart disease, and osteoporosis. It also helps in the management of high cholesterol and arthritis pain. Regular physical activity is also associated with decreased mortality and age-related morbidity in older adults. In addition, a study by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society examined exercise in the elderly and found that exercise training led to improvement in functional reach, balance and fear of falling.
Elderly adults are often frail and brittle leading to the demise of aerobic exercise
(Cardiovascular; running) because they body is unable to take the pounding on a regular basis because of the lack of endurance. It has been shown the about 50% of the endurance that has been lost is due to the decrease of muscle mass. The decrease of muscle mass is due to the sedentary life style and lack of physical activity. The ideal exercise prescription for the elderly consists of three components: aerobic exercise, strength training, and balance and flexibility.
Cardiovascular and endurance training is recommended by physicians for the elderly about 30 minutes each day. Most people get confused with what constitutes this type of training, especially in the elderly. This does not mean to have the go out and run a mile it constitutes raising the heart rate and breathing faster, including walking, biking, and swimming. Each one of those exercise will do more then a good job for an elderly adult.
Most elderly adults, especially depending on age and past physical activity levels will not be able to do a continues 30 minutes so three intervals at ten minutes is sufficient. Allowing your body tor train in a cardiovascular type of way allows your body to deliver oxygen and nutrients to tissues and to remove waste over sustained periods of time. Results are not instant; especially when working on endurance, if the person consistently trains for a few weeks and continues to they will see improvement in the ability to perform everyday tasks without becoming tired or winded and will have less stress on the body.
Strength training and resistance training allows the muscles to become stronger, bigger, and increase endurance. This training can consist through lifting weights or resistance bands/thera bands. This type of training is much more strenuous on the body and time is needed to recover so only two to three times a week is beneficial in the elderly population. Exercise using all muscle groups and doing light weight and about ten to fifteen reps. during continues working out small progressive amounts is recommended. This type of training prevents loss of bone mass, which is mentioned through osteoporosis, and improves balance. Most older adults are have the mental attitude that they can’t do certain things and are afraid of falling or getting hurt. This type of exercise will provide you with a better mental outlook on life and increasing confidence.
The third and final way that the elderly should exercise is stretching and flexibility exercises. Stretching is not only vital to the elderly but to exercising in general. One should stretch before to warm up the muscles as well as after exercise to gradually cool down the muscles. This allows the person to not feel as stiff and sore after exercise and in the morning giving them more confidence and a positive start to the day. Stretching can also be a time of rest and relaxation, some can simulate it to a time like meditation and appreciate how the body feels.
Exercises such as Pilates or yoga are a good form of stretching and understanding your body and getting into a positive mindset. These activities can provide the body with a good stretch and focus on isolating and developing different groups of muscles. Most movements in these exercise focus on working on the core, and the core is the foundation for all movement and strength. Having a strong core assists in all movement and allows for better posture and will reduce muscle pain.
There are thoughts about the elderly and the ones that have medical conditions and how are they supposed to exercise and do all this physical activity. But the fact is it doesn’t dismiss them completely from exercise or at least staying active. These adults just need to be more careful and listen to their bodies more then ones that are healthy. Also if while working out your body can’t take the pounding swimming and water aerobics is a great way to continue to stay active and exercise with out the same wear and tear on your body. With proper instruction, goal setting, and guidance the elderly can learn these exercises to improve their mobility and overall outlook on life. Most elderly have no idea where to start there exercise training or learning so the local park district or signing up for programs at the YMCA are great ideas to get started.
There are some precursors for the elderly exercising. Before one starts a work out routine it is always safe to get checked by the family doctor just to make sure there everything is ok, and you do not have any physical limitations. Again it is always smart to warm up and cool down. The most heart attacks occur after exercise because people do not cool down. They get there hearts racing and the just stop, and it is hard for the veins and arteries to assimilate the immediate stop. Drinking liquids to stay hydrated and to have the cool liquids cool your temperature as well. And the most important part is to focus on the posture and the right technique instead of how much weight is being lifted. It is much easier, especially at an older age to hurt your self doing to much weight or bad technique and posture.
It is no question that the older you get the fewer healthy habits you continue to use and the more illness and chronic conditions you are exposed and predisposed to. There are several different ideas people have come up with to try and stay young, but it has been proven that exercise does not only just keep you in a physically healthy condition but it also helps you to stay healthy mentally. To have a healthy body you need a healthy mind and to have a healthy mind you need a healthy body. Exercise releases endorphins that create happiness, reduce stress levels, and prevents chronic illness and diseases such as heart disease, osteoporosis, colon cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. There are a few negatives to exercising at an elderly age but the concerns are to not exercising correctly and having good habits and posture. Exercising and staying active at an elderly level will give you a more youthful and beneficial life. You can stay younger longer because age is just a number and enjoy activities you never thought you could.
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