What are the benefits of exercise on aging? Exercise has a major effect on aging and it should be a part of any anti-aging program. There is also evidence that some of the effects of aging can be offset and even reversed with aerobic fitness program.
Proper aerobic exercise can also reduce the risk of heart disease, improve blood circulation, strengthen bones and tendons, and reduce tension and psychological stress. A proper workout plan would enhance your body image and you look and feel younger.
With the proper exercise, your heart can pump more blood through your system in fewer beats per minute, whether you are at rest or engaged in physical activity. The heart of a conditioned person doesn’t have to work as hard to supply the body with blood.
In addition to strengthening your heart and improving your blood circulation, exercise also improves your ability to take in and utilize oxygen. Increase heart output plus improved blood circulation leads to an improved supply of oxygen to the muscles. The muscles, which need oxygen, can respond better to long periods of exercise without excessive fatigue.
The heart rate you should maintain is called your target heart rate. A conditioned heart rate is 50 beats per minute which is 72,000 beats in 24 hours. Unconditioned heart rate is 70-80 beats per minute which is 100,800-115,200 beats in 24 hours. This is just a guide however and people with any medical limitations should discuss this with their physician.
If you knew you could live longer and healthier from commitment of only 30-60 minutes per day, 3-5 times per week, would that be worth it? It is not only a matter of living longer, but the quality of life that you could be missing if you’re not exercising regularly.
Using exercise as part of a weight loss program is critical to long-term success and overall health. Short-term exercise may not result in a loss of weight. You should be watching for changes in inches or how your clothes fit instead of stepping up on a scale every day. As you build muscle and lose fat, actual weight may increase or become stable because muscle weight about twice as much as fat.
It takes about an hour to burn 300-700 calories, depending on the type of activity. It takes about a loss of 3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat. If you exercise 5 hours each week, you would lose about 2 pounds every months.
Strenuous exercise can reduce your appetite, help your metabolism, and may lead to calorie reduction. Regular physical activity is associated with lower death rates for adults, even when it is only moderate levels of activity. There is less heart disease, less diabetes, and fewer problems with high blood pressure.
Regular exercise has been shown to reduce depression, reduce premenstrual syndrome symptoms and reduce the complaints of fatigue in women.
Exercise build your strength, increases your flexibility, and reduce your risk for osteoporosis.
Cardiovascular fitness should be the major goal of most exercise programs. Your target heart rate, maintained for 20-30 minutes 3-4 times per week, will take 12 weeks to develop significant fitness and health benefits from exercise.
To calculate your heart rate, use this simple formula:
(220 – Age in years) x 0.7 = Target heart rate range
While on your exercise program, you should not have problems breathing, feeling dizzy, or with nausea and vomiting. If you feel tired longer than two hours after your exercise, consult your doctor. You may have to start slowly into your exercise program to gradually build your muscle and bone strength.
It is important to start with 10 minutes warm up. Begin with stretching and walking or slowly running in your place to avoid injuries to your muscles. It is also very important to have a 10 minutes cool down to get your heart rate to return to normal at the end of your exercise, to allow the blood pumped into your muscles to be redistributed throughout your body. A cool down session is to slow down during the last 10 minutes and finish by stretching your body for a few minutes.
Never take a shower, or use sauna or spa right after exercise since the heat can cause you to feel faint by drawing your blood away from your heart and brain.
How often should you engage in an aerobic exercise? For beginners, three times a week in enough. As you progress, you should exercise every day. The more frequently you exercise, the more progress you make towards fitness.
You can do different types of aerobic activities, say walking one day, jogging or swimming the next. Make sure you choose an activity that can be done regularly and is enjoyable for you. The important thing to remember is not to skip too many days between workout, or fitness benefits will be lost. If you must lose a few days, gradually work back into your routine.
You should also remember that an aerobic exercise should be steady and continuous with no break for a minimum of 20 minutes in order to build cardiovascular strength and endurance. This is also a minimum time to produce growth of fat-burning enzymes.
In addition to the aerobic exercise, you should supplement your program with muscle strengthening and stretching exercise. The stronger your muscles, the longer you will be able to keep going during aerobic activity, and the less chance of injury.
Make sure to consult your physician before starting a fitness program, especially if you are over 50, or if you smoke, have high blood pressure, have heart problems, a cholesterol over 240 mg/dl or you don’t know your cholesterol level, a family history of heart attacks, are postmenopausal, have had your ovaries removed, or more than 20 lb. overweight. You should also consult your doctor if you take any prescription medication, if you are pregnant, or if you have muscle or joint problems.
It is a good idea to always have a complete physical checkup and to consult your physician before starting any fitness program.
By David Jacobson – 2019 – Update 2020
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For additional articles written by David Jacobson, see alliedpublishing.com/look-younger. David Jacobson is the author of How to Look 10 Years Younger Without Plastic Surgery.