You may not be able to avoid ageing, but you can do your best to live a long life. As we age, our bodies undergo many changes, and it's important to stay active and healthy.
We put together this list of exercises that will help you maintain strength, flexibility, balance, and posture, as well as keep your brain sharp.
How Much Muscle Do You Lose With Age?
If you are looking for tips on how to live longer and reduction of the ageing process, then you need to get more exercise. First, let's look at how much muscle we lose with age. Then we will talk about exercises that can help us regain some of what is lost.
Do you know your body stops producing as much hormones after a certain age limit? That causes loss in bone density and muscle mass (among other things). As we get older, our bones stop producing so many collagen proteins, which means they start losing calcium and actually become weaker instead of stronger. Estrogen levels in women and testosterone levels in men drop as well (which has an effect on most people regardless of sex).
Walk at least 10 minutes every day
Walking is one of the best ways to be healthy. So, walk daily - preferably outside in natural sunlight if possible. Walking for at least 10 minutes every day will increase your energy, vitality and endurance. It can also aid in weight loss.
It doesn't matter how fast or slow your walk- just get out the door! It is important to remember that you are walking for health, not competition. So don't worry about the speed at which you walk- but do make sure that you keep it up each day.
Why prefer walking in sunlight
When is the last time you took a walk outside in direct sunlight? If it has been a while, think about getting some natural sunlight into your daily routine. Sunlight helps boost Vitamin D levels and can melt away depression faster than any drug. It can also improve sleep patterns and give you more energy throughout the day than non-natural light sources like fluorescent lights and televisions (try turning off the TV at night to help you relax).
Caution when walking under the sun
Walking in the sunlight is one of the best exercises that can help you live longer if done correctly. Wearing sunscreen, however, is essential if you're walking for more than 10 minutes. Most people don't do enough walking to suffer any health consequences from this, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Walk Away The Years!
Try walking around for one hour every day and see how much easier physical tasks will be soon afterwards.
Walking is an excellent way to exercise and get healthy - so incorporate it into your daily routine today!
Stretch before going to bed
Stretch after getting up from lying down or sitting for a period of time as well as before going to bed at night for a long, healthy life. Stretching before going to bed promotes circulation. Circulation is vital for the health of all cells and tissues. It also helps prevent heart attacks and strokes by getting the blood flowing to your organs through your veins.
To stretch, hold each muscle group that you are going to work on for 15 seconds or until you feel a slight pull. Stretch slowly as if there is an elastic band attached to your body, gently pulling it back when you are stretching. Hold the stretched position for another 15 seconds before releasing. Repeat 2 times per exercise, hold each position 1-2 minutes between stretches for flexibility training. Be sure, however, before beginning any new exercise program or if you have been inactive for some time, consult with your physician first.
Take the stairs
Try to take the stairs when you have a choice.
This is great for cardiovascular health and burns more calories than simply standing still on an escalator or waiting for an elevator car to come up from below ground level (the average person loses about 100 calories each time they take the stairs).
Train and exercise as you can
To maintain a healthy lifestyle, you should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week, including physical activity like brisk walking, swimming, or cycling. In the event that you are not currently exercising and would like to get started, this is a great place to start with easy exercises such as squats, lunges, push-ups and pull-ups, which build strong muscles and burn more calories throughout your day.
Endurance training for ageing individuals
As you grow older, it becomes increasingly challenging to perform strenuous tasks. Endurance training is the best way to combat this while also maintaining an ability to perform daily living activities. This is also great for cardiovascular health and helps strengthen bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
Training tip: Ensure that the shoes or sneakers you wear during your training are appropriate for your activity level. Invest in a good pair of shoes made specifically for walking long distances. And remember, always be sure to stretch before and after exercise.
Strength Training for adults 40 and above
To help improve bone density, experts recommend strength training activities two times a week, with each session lasting around 30 to 40 minutes with 10 to 15 repetitions for each set.
Even though strength training will not reduce your wrinkles or cellulite, it can help make you look and feel more youthful. They even say that people who do some form of regular strength training live longer are less likely to develop dementia and may have a reduced risk of developing osteoporosis later in life. You will also have an easier time doing day-to-day tasks like climbing stairs, carrying groceries and keeping up with your grandchildren. Strength training is also great for improving balance and agility.
Here's how you can incorporate strength training into your regular exercise routine without having to join a gym:
1) Squats - Stand tall while holding weights with your arms at your sides. Start your exercise routine by choosing a dumbbell that is heavy enough to do 8-12 repetitions comfortably. Your feet shouldn't touch each other, but be shoulder-width apart, and you should be resting on the balls of your feet. Slowly bend your knees as far as they will go, then rise back up to a standing position without locking or hyperextending (straightening) your knees. Perform ten squats for one set and do two sets for each exercise.
Regardless of your age, lifting weights with exercise dumbbells will help you stay in shape. That said, consider doing squats as you grow old and adjust them accordingly depending on your fitness levels.
2) Chair Dips - Sit in a sturdy chair and place both hands on its seat. You can place it wherever you are most comfortable -- near the front edge or back edge of the chair's seat or somewhere in between the two edges. Raise yourself by extending your legs out until you're sitting upright on the chair with just about all of your weight supported by your hands. Slowly bend your arms, lower yourself a little bit, and then raise yourself again by extending your arms back to the starting position. Repeat this exercise about four or five times, as many as you can do without hurting yourself.
This is not exactly like regular dips because it doesn't target your triceps alone. Instead, it helps strengthen both of your elbows joints, reducing elbow stiffness that's common in older people while also helping improve balance and reduce falls that could easily lead to broken bones.
3) Chest Press - If you're ready to move on from chair dips, try doing chest presses with dumbbells instead -- but be careful not to let the weights drop down too fast as this can cause injury. You might find it helpful to ask a physical therapist or your family doctor's advice on this.
Watch how a chest press is done from the first part of the video below:
4) Kettle Bell Squats - Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and hold the kettlebell in front of your chest, holding it with both hands. Keep your elbows close to your body, and remember to squat by driving your heels into the ground while pushing your hips back. Keep your thighs parallel with the ground as you return to a standing position. Repeat this motion over and over again until you have finished ten repetitions.
Remember that if you have any pain or discomfort because of this exercise, stop the activity as there's always a risk of injury even if you use proper form.
5) One Arm Lateral Raises - As you've done with the lateral raises on both arms, try doing it again, but this time using just one arm. Doing so will strengthen your upper body and help you lose weight, too, as well as making your other arm stronger and look more toned.
6) Standing Calf Raises - To keep going with the leg exercises, try standing calf raises by lifting up your heels as high as possible until they're perpendicular
High-Intensity Training
Ever seen the acronym HIT or HIIT? HIT stands for High-Intensity Training, while HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training. Although somewhat interchangeable, HIIT differs in the sense that HIIT is done in intervals, as the name implies. However, both are new popular approaches to exercise and fitness training that have been gaining worldwide attention because they promise fast results.
HIIT reflects the intensity of such exercise routines, where you exert all your strength to your maximum and rest briefly between sets. These exercises have been proven effective in burning fats as well as developing your muscles.
Below is a video of HIIT workouts for men and women over 40.
HIIT workouts for women over 40:
HIIT workouts for men over 40:
If you plan to try any HIT or HIIT workouts, be sure to consult your family physician first and do age-appropriate sets.
People today are more into workouts that produce fast results, and that can be done while doing other things like walking or biking instead of having to sit still at a gym or workout area. A lot of studies have verified not just these benefits but also how they help reduce stress levels which is great news, especially for high-level workers who are managing projects left and right from early mornings up until late nights.
Progressive Resistance Training (PRT)
PRT is a form of exercise that can help with muscle strength and improvement for overall performance. One study cited that PRT leads to reduced pain in some people suffering from osteoarthritis. It may sound more extreme than it actually is, but exhaustion after exercises can strengthen the body's muscles.
The key to PRT is that it should be progressive, especially for seniors who may not have the same physical capabilities as younger adults. This means increasing the weight, or resistance, of your exercise routines.
The research behind PRT focuses on growing old not as being a bad thing. A key component in the ability to live longer is strength training. Seniors should be aware that just lifting weights is not enough for muscle growth – you have to keep challenging muscles with heavier and heavier weights over time. This applies more so to those who don't work out on a regular basis or are new to this type of regimen.
More than half of seniors will experience some form of fall during their lifetime where they may break a bone or suffer an injury such as a concussion. Studies show that if seniors add different types of PRT into their existing workout routine (for example, weights, light aerobic activity), they become stronger and are less likely to suffer some kind of fall-related injury. This is very important as seniors are more likely to suffer from a hip fracture if they fall. All those years of doing your Pilates, yoga or resistance training will pay off when you get older because it makes your bones stronger and reduces the risk of bone breakages.
What are Anti-ageing exercises?
Anti-ageing exercises are designed to keep you active for as long as possible by working out and challenging your body to perform certain physical tasks that it may not have done in years or ever before. By incorporating these challenging exercises into your weekly workout routine will help slow down the effects of ageing.
Beware of overdoing training or exercise.
Studies show that stretching is one of the best things people can do to prevent injuries and decrease pain. But there's a fine line between having good flexibility and over stretching. In fact, some experts say that being overly flexible could lead to injury.
How to know when you are over stretching or overdoing your training
Many people think that they should feel some pain in order for their body to increase flexibility. Although this may be true sometimes, doing too much may cause injury.
Generally speaking, stretching should not be painful. You should feel tension when you stretch, but stretching shouldn't hurt or cause soreness afterward.
The most important thing when trying to avoid injury or strain is learning how far you can go without causing yourself pain. When stretching, if something hurts, ease off the stretch instead of continuing the movement until it's painful and then stopping abruptly.
How to avoid over stretching yourself?
Here's how to prevent over stretching and doing too much training:
1. Stretch only after a workout session or after you have warmed up your muscles and joints.
2. Start slowly with stretching exercises, then increase the intensity once you get used to it.
3. Make slow movements as opposed to rapid ones when stretching.
4. Do static stretches for at least 30 seconds for maximum effectiveness. Hold each stretch position longer if possible as you work your way down a muscle group before moving on to the next one (for instance, holding each triceps pose in downward dog yoga for 30 seconds).
5. When stretching, move your joints and muscles as much as possible to maximize flexibility (e.g., flex your toes back when you're stretching a muscle in front of the ankle).
6. Avoid bouncing or jerking while stretching; instead, focus on moving slowly and on straightening only one joint at a time if you have arthritis in any part of your body.
7. Hold each stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds before increasing the intensity level by going into another position or holding it longer – this allows your muscles to relax so that they adapt better to tightness caused by exercise.
8. Stretch regularly at least two times daily: once after waking up, then again about 45 minutes later after warming up. This will make your muscles and body parts less stiff and improve flexibility.
9. Begin your stretching program by increasing the length of time you spend in a stretch each day, rather than trying to increase your range of motion immediately. For example, if you are holding a particular stretch for 10 seconds, try to do it for 20 seconds on Friday and 30 seconds on Monday. A good rule of thumb is to double the length of time you hold each stretch every few days. This will also allow your muscles to get used to being stretched regularly; this way, they won't become as sore when you suddenly lengthen them more quickly.
Why Exercise: A Summary
It makes you happier - Exercising releases endorphins (happy neurotransmitters) into your brain that make you feel good about yourself and increases your self-esteem, which will help make you a more positive person.
Physical activity also generates other feel-good brain chemicals — such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine — that promote a sense of well-being as well as relaxation.
Exercise improves circulation - blood circulation is improved by exercising so your heart doesn't have to work so much to pump all the blood through the body.
The heart grows stronger with exercise too! As long as an individual is not suffering from health problems, exercise can improve one's lifespan drastically by lowering cholesterol, maintaining weight and giving people energy even after working out for short periods of time, such as 20 minutes of aerobic activity at least four times per week or other fun activities like playing sports or gardening at any age.
It helps strengthen your immune system. Physical activity boosts your immunity by increasing the number of infection-fighting cells in the blood, improving the way these cells move around the body and strengthening their ability to fight off disease.
Exercise can improve strength. During an exercise session, muscles are damaged and then rebuilt stronger than before. This change in cellular makeup means that more energy will be used when exercising at a later date.
The cosmetic benefits include but are not limited too; fewer wrinkles, better skin tone and posture, as well as increased muscle mass. It is also associated with a lowered risk of bone loss (osteoporosis) or fracture, such as the hip joint.
It controls weight. Exercise can help maintain a healthy weight by preventing excess gain or helping you keep the weight that you have. Physical activity such as workouts can help you burn calories in a variety of ways. The more intense your training is, the more calories you can burn.
Exercise promotes better sleep. How do you promote better sleep patterns? One of the best ways is to be active during the day.
By getting active, you can help yourself sleep soundly at night. How? Physical activity is associated with better sleep in various ways, including improved blood pressure and heart function. Being physically active also helps your body release hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism. These hormones support healthy weight loss or maintenance.
Exercise your Body and Mind!
As we age, our body's ability to fight against the natural ageing process slows down. But with a few simple exercises, you can help your body ward off the effects of ageing!