Having an active lifestyle is one of the most important aspects of a healthy lifestyle. From the age of 15 through our adult years it is recommended that we get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. As we get older getting enough exercise becomes even more important.
Being physically active doesn’t have to mean spending an hour on a treadmill at a gym. You can actually split up your hour into increments of 10 minutes at a time, if that works better for you, and it still counts. There are plenty of ways to get moving including:
- Walking.
- Dancing.
- Swimming.
- Water aerobics.
- Jogging and running.
- Aerobic exercise classes.
- Bicycle riding (stationary or on a path)
- Some gardening activities, such as raking and pushing a lawn mower. Learn more about how Gardening is Good for you.
- Weight lifting
Maintaining Muscles
It is becoming more evident that strength building exercises, specifically lifting weight, is particularly vital to physical wellness in elderly individuals. According to the National Institute of Health muscle mass decreases approximately 3–8% per decade after the age of 30 and this rate of decline is even higher after the age of 60. This involuntary loss of muscle mass, strength, and function is a fundamental cause of and contributor to disability in older people. Muscles give you more strength, help aid arthritic joints and muscle building helps keep your bones strong. Numerous studies have shown that strength training can play a role in slowing bone loss, and several show it can even build bone by putting stress on bones that push bone-forming cells into action.
If you’re not already doing some form of weight bearing activity, it’s never too late to start. You can join a gym and use their resources or purchase a starter set of weights from a retailer like Walmart or Amazon. Either way, we recommend that you have someone show you proper form before starting.
Starter Dumbbell Exercises
Here are some simple, basic exercises you can do at home with small set of dumbbell weights. These will help you to:
– Gain upper body strength
– Increase lower body stability
– Begin to lose belly fat
– Start building muscle mass
My husband is a Certified Personal Trainer and championship body builder for over 30 years. At our former fitness studio we conducted boot camps for those wishing to kick start their fitness.
With his consultation and my years of experience curating health content for major healthcare organizations in California we’ll provide you with professionally vetted health information.
We also use sources such as the World Health Organization, Harvard Health, Kaiser Permanente, Healthwise, the National Institute of Health and others to provide the most up to date information on health and wellness. However it should be considered and is intended for informational purposes only.
Before starting any exercise or diet program you should consult with your personal physician.
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