June Series: Be Smart About Fitness

Be Smart About Fitness

Staying active: Helps you remain independent, prevents health problems, and revs your metabolism. Exercise may also improve your strength and balance, give you more energy, boost your mood, and improve your brain function.

Get aerobic exercise: Most older adults need about 2½ hours of aerobic

exercise, like brisk walking, every week. That’s about 30 minutes on most

days. Endurance exercises like walking, dancing, and playing tennis help

your breathing, heart rate, and energy.

Stay flexible: Try stretching and yoga. They keep you limber and make it

easier to move.

Work on your balance: Things like standing on one foot, walking heel-to-

toe, or practicing tai chi or yoga can keep you steady and help prevent falls.

Look out for your joints: Choose things that are gentle on your joints, which

weaken as you age. Make adjustments: Even if you can’t move as well as

you used to, you can still work out. Swimming is a good option. Water

exercise makes it easier for your body to support your weight. It also

increases how far you can move your joints (the doctor will call this range

of motion).

If it’s hard to stand up, try sitting in a chair and doing upper-body exercises

with resistance bands.

If you aren’t active now, take it one step at a time.

Start by getting up and out of your chair. The next day, walk down the hall and back. Later, try marching in place.

Keep it slow, and get ready to see progress as your body adapts.

Also try strength training: It prevents you from losing muscle mass and

strengthens your bones. Aim for 2 days a week. Good choices are lifting

weights, using resistance bands, and doing body weight exercises.

If you’re not exercising now contact me through my website christinethehealthcoach.com for your complimentary consultation

Your Health Coach,

Christine