Senior Fitness - The Key to a Pleasurable Retirement
For how to stay fit after 50 , the secret is senior fitness. Many Gerontologists, who study physical, mental and social changes in people because they age, say that the average senior is happier and healthier should they maintain a steady physical exercise program.
Most seniors understand that aerobic activity is essential for heart health however they neglect the truth that even at advanced age strength training is still needed. Along with that, many seniors who do regularly perform aerobic activity don't take the time to stretch before every workout leading to increased injuries.
A fit and active 75 year old is often as strong and athletic as an unfit 35 year old. In accordance with one report, a dynamic person will physically decline by no more than �% a year compared to a sedimentary person who will decline by almost a full 2%. For the reason that we lose 3% - 5% of our muscle mass every decade, after about our 40th birthday, we can still continue to increase muscle strength and speed with regular exercise.
Being a fit senior may also improve your mood. Research has shown that 14% -18% of seniors are depressed. It has been shown that a regular fitness activity can even give close to the same effect as antidepressant medication, without 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 more than two miles per day. Another study conducted between 1990 and 2001 showed that senior's who walked over half an hour a 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 way of a senior physical fitness expert. Don't try 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, 10 minutes a day the next 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 work out.
Remember you're "only as old as you feel" and being a fit senior can help you feel young.