Senior Fitness - THE MAIN ELEMENT to a wonderful Retirement
For a wonderful retirement, the secret is senior fitness. Many Gerontologists, who study physical, mental and social changes in people as they age, say that the average senior is happier and healthier should they maintain a steady physical exercise program.
Most seniors know that aerobic activity is essential for heart health but they neglect the point that even at advanced age strength training is still needed. Along with getting fit after 50 , many seniors who do regularly perform aerobic activity don't take the time to stretch before each workout leading to increased injuries.
A fit and active 75 year old is often as strong and athletic as an unfit 35 year old. According to one report, an active person will physically decline by no more than �% a year in comparison to a sedimentary one who will decline by almost a full 2%. It is because we lose 3% - 5% of our muscle tissue every decade, after about our 40th birthday, we can still continue to increase muscle strength and speed with regular physical exercise.
Being a fit senior can even enhance your mood. Research has shown that 14% -18% of seniors are depressed. It's been shown a regular fitness activity may also give near to the same effect as antidepressant medication, minus the negative side-effects.
Even the easy act of walking can greatly boost your happiness during retirement. In a Honolulu Heart Program study the death rate of men who walked one mile or less was almost twice that of seniors who walked a lot more than two miles each day. Another study conducted between 1990 and 2001 showed that senior's who walked over half an hour each day had few deaths during the time frame than those who did not.
Even if you're currently out of a shape or haven't worked out in years, a custom program could be designed for you by a senior conditioning expert. Don't make an effort to make up for years of not exercising in a single day. Start slowly and work your way up, for instance: Begin walking and build your time up 5 minutes a day one week, ten minutes a day another so on etc, and when you obtain bored walking start speed walking using the same time frames. Walk, Speed walk, Jog, Run - Don't just start running. Starting quick can injure you or even ensure it is so you're burned out no longer want to workout.
Remember you're "only as old as you are feeling" and being a fit senior will allow you to feel young.