Any time is a good time to start. Being physically active and maintaining a healthy weight is good practice for all age groups. Make it a practice to get some exercise every day. Children, teens, adults, and seniors - all can improve their health and well-being and have fun by including moderate amounts of physical activity in their daily lives. Start easy - there’s nothing to be gained by rushing things. The real benefit is a life-long routine of physical fitness.

There are many different ways to go about it. Try for exercise routines that are varied. Try for a variety that will benefit all major muscle groups. Doing the same thing every day can be boring and is less beneficial. A good bench mark is about 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise. Less is ok - better than being sedentary. Exercising longer will reap more benefits.

No matter what your age, the benefits of exercise are the same — increased energy, heightened self-esteem, healthy heart and lungs, improved muscle tone, and greater function of bones and joints. Not a bad reward for doing something you love!

Ask Your Doctor
Seniors know that what we love isn’t always good for us…like Rocky Road ice cream, for example. That’s why older fitness seekers are urged to consult with their health care providers before beginning a new workout regimen. While a senior’s health goal of raising his/her heart rate with jogging or cycling is a good one, a doctor would probably recommend against it because of the stress it puts on the knees. A doctor can also look for “hidden’ challenges to senior health, such as elevated blood pressure or asthma, that could create problems if the body is put under stress.

Pick Four
Seniors in search of health and fitness should choose a variety of exercises in four different categories. Strength exercises build older adult muscles and increase metabolism. (This helps keep weight and blood sugar in check.) Balance exercises build leg muscles, and this helps to prevent falls. Stretching exercises can give you more freedom of movement, while endurance exercises increases heart rate and breathing for an extended period of time. Creating a workout routine that touches on all these areas has multiple benefits. The variety keeps you motivated and the difference exercises work on everything from seniors heart rate to mood.

Exercise vs. Medication
Seniors, many with an interest in natural senior health and a desire to lower their prescription medication costs, are finding that exercise is the magic ‘cure-all’ they’ve been searching for. One of the best ways to treat asthma and particularly bad allergies is with properly executed exercise, physicians say. For some seniors, vigorous exercise during the day and mild exercise at bedtime helps them fall asleep and stay asleep more easily, cutting down their need for sleep aids. It’s even been reported that seniors who exercise and workout regularly have been able to stop smoking without the use of a nicotine patch!

Exercise Is A Senior Woman’s Best Friend
Senior health studies show that women over 60 who exercise for at least 30 minutes three times per week have the heart, lungs, and muscles of a woman ten years younger. Perhaps that’s why the number of American women 55 and older who play basketball once a week has grown to nearly 131,000. And exercise, in addition to eating enough dietary calcium, is an important way to prevent bone loss in senior women. The truly amazing thing is that even women in their 90's who never exercised before can become more physically fit, and can enjoy an improved quality of life if they exercise.

The Keys To Sticking With It
Seniors are living long and living better through regular, consistent exercise and workouts. To make it easier to prioritize fitness, it’s important to choose something you like to do and that is a good “match” for your physical abilities. And since exercising with someone else can make it more fun, you’ll do better if you have a workout partner. If you have to workout alone, consider listening to music or learning a new language when you’re walking outside or on a treadmill. Be sure to vary your routine. You may be less likely to get bored or injured if you “mix things up” a bit.

Fitness - Let’s Get Going
A couple of thoughts on fitness and how to go about an exercise routine. The decision to take up an exercise program is the first step but how important is step 2?