There are more people getting fitter after forty than ever before. We now know that it is possible, and desirable, to keep exercising into old age.
Exercise will help prevent the onset of many diseases associated with old age, i.e. arthritis, rheumatism, poor circulation, heart disease, obesity. The benefits are endless.
Exercise is also known to improve the sex drive. This is due to improved blood flow to all the organs.
OK, Hugh Hefner needs to use a little Viagra, but when you are as active as him, at his age, it’s to be expected. Last I heard, he has three lovers who he is “faithful” to and keeps satisfied. I can’t wait to get to his age!
There are senior weight lifters setting new records almost daily. Senior bodybuilders are destroying the younger competitors. Athletes in every field are being amazed by the seniors.
This is not to say that the oldies are as fast as the youngsters in top competition, “but they are darn close”
You do not have to compete against others to enjoy fitness. Just find something that is fun.
Walking is a great exercise and if you get away from all the traffic it is most relaxing. If you feel strange walking on your own why not take the dog out more often. If you don’t have a dog, borrow one, I’m sure there is an elderly person near you who would be glad of a dog walker.
How about starting a dog walking business? There are loads of people who are working long hours and do not have the time to walk their dogs. Getting paid to exercise sounds like a winner to me. It’s also a good way to meet like minded people and make friends.
Swimming is a fantastic way to keep fit and healthy. Most pools have adult only sessions so you will not be dive bombed by spotty youths. Swimming is a gentle exercise that takes the strain of joints and today’s heated pools are a great benefit to sufferers of arthritis and rheumatism.
If you have not done any exercise for a long time you need to start of gently. It took years to turn you into a couch potato and you can not become an Adonis overnight.
The main thing is to start slowly without forcing anything. If you have not done any walking (except for shopping) for a few years then a walk of a few hundred yards may feel like a marathon but it will be a start. Walk a little further each day and it will become easier. If you are with a dog, play fetch, it will get a few more muscles working and the dog will love you more.
If you can only swim a few feet before stopping for breath, that’s OK. Go again a few days later and swim a bit further before catching your breath. You will soon be swimming lengths of the pool with ease.
If you decide to work out in the gym, do not try to lift the whole rack of weights on your first day, maybe day 2. Start out with an empty bar until you get a feel for the exercises and then slowly add weight as you master the movements.
Perform only one set of each exercise the first few times you work out. You will feel like doing more but this will only set you up for sore muscles the next few days, and may even make you to sore to go to work.
Take time to learn strict form with each exercise and do not jerk the weights. Ask advice from the instructors, it’s what they are paid for.
Do not forget to warm up and do some stretches before starting any vigorous exercise. This warm up becomes more important as we get older and will help prevent injuries and lay offs.
The programs you see on the TV are not real life (that goes on outside in the real world) they are scripted. Do you want to be a lazy couch potato or youthful and active? The choice is yours.
Click here for a free report and more inspirations on exercise for the over 40's
http://johnbeck99.bevopub.hop.clickbank.net/
Showing posts with label fittness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fittness. Show all posts
Thursday, 19 July 2007
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Try Some Rubbers To Make You A Man Of Steel
No I don’t mean like that. I mean build some muscles.
Working out in the gym is great for building strength and muscle. Heavy iron is responsible for some of the best physiques of all time.
But there is another way to build muscle and strength.
Most of us have owned Chest Expanders/Bullworkers with steel springs at one time or another and had great results from them. Then one day we go to the gym and see everyone working out with iron and think “that is the ‘only’ way to do it”.
Nowadays you can get chest expanders with rubber strands instead of steel. These have fewer disadvantages (i.e. pinched chest hairs) and are lighter.
Many of the old time strongmen performed feats of strength and set records for strand pulling.
Exercising with traditional weights, the resistance is the same throughout the exercise but, with springs and strands the resistance increases as it stretches.
This will work the muscles in a totally different way, starting with very low resistance and increasing as you get to your strongest point.
Want To Add A New Twist?
How about a few sets of slow motion exercises. These can be done with iron or strands.
You will need to reduce your regular resistance by at least 30%. Now do the exercise in slow motion so that it takes 10 seconds to lift the weight and 5 to lower it again. Aim for 3 sets of 8 reps, each to total failure.
When I say total failure I mean it. If you can finish a rep it is not total failure. Total failure is when you get part way through a rep and can not go any further. At failure point do not just stop, try for 4 seconds more to move the resistance before slowly lowering back to starting point.
If you can complete 3 sets of 8 reps then it is time to increase the resistance by 10%. If you can not complete the first set of eight in slow motion educe the weight so you can do at least 2 of the 3 sets for eight reps.
Do the exercise in perfect form without using any other cheating moves, if you do a curl, just use your biceps, not your hips or back.
You can perform many exercises with a set of strands and keep in shape if you can not get out to the gym.
With a little imagination you can do a variety of exercises in addition to the standard chest pulls.
You can put one foot in one of the handles to do one arm curls or upright rowing.
You can hold a handle behind your back and do overhead presses or tricep extensions.
Hold a handle by your abs to do lateral side raises.
Now There Is A New Kid On The Block And The Name Is Bodylastics!
Bodylastics are different sized rubber strands of varying resistance and you can exercise each body part with any resistance.
They come with, a door anchor that can be used on most doors at any height, 2 hand grips and 2 ankle straps.
With a little thought you can emulate any exercise you can do in the gym (and a few you can’t). The Bodylastics website shows 140 different exercises.
What about the times when you cant get to the gym? Bodylastics are light at less than 2 pounds weight and can easily be packed in your hand luggage when travelling.
http://www.bodylastics.com/?img=3&kbid=1924
Working out in the gym is great for building strength and muscle. Heavy iron is responsible for some of the best physiques of all time.
But there is another way to build muscle and strength.
Most of us have owned Chest Expanders/Bullworkers with steel springs at one time or another and had great results from them. Then one day we go to the gym and see everyone working out with iron and think “that is the ‘only’ way to do it”.
Nowadays you can get chest expanders with rubber strands instead of steel. These have fewer disadvantages (i.e. pinched chest hairs) and are lighter.
Many of the old time strongmen performed feats of strength and set records for strand pulling.
Exercising with traditional weights, the resistance is the same throughout the exercise but, with springs and strands the resistance increases as it stretches.
This will work the muscles in a totally different way, starting with very low resistance and increasing as you get to your strongest point.
Want To Add A New Twist?
How about a few sets of slow motion exercises. These can be done with iron or strands.
You will need to reduce your regular resistance by at least 30%. Now do the exercise in slow motion so that it takes 10 seconds to lift the weight and 5 to lower it again. Aim for 3 sets of 8 reps, each to total failure.
When I say total failure I mean it. If you can finish a rep it is not total failure. Total failure is when you get part way through a rep and can not go any further. At failure point do not just stop, try for 4 seconds more to move the resistance before slowly lowering back to starting point.
If you can complete 3 sets of 8 reps then it is time to increase the resistance by 10%. If you can not complete the first set of eight in slow motion educe the weight so you can do at least 2 of the 3 sets for eight reps.
Do the exercise in perfect form without using any other cheating moves, if you do a curl, just use your biceps, not your hips or back.
You can perform many exercises with a set of strands and keep in shape if you can not get out to the gym.
With a little imagination you can do a variety of exercises in addition to the standard chest pulls.
You can put one foot in one of the handles to do one arm curls or upright rowing.
You can hold a handle behind your back and do overhead presses or tricep extensions.
Hold a handle by your abs to do lateral side raises.
Now There Is A New Kid On The Block And The Name Is Bodylastics!
Bodylastics are different sized rubber strands of varying resistance and you can exercise each body part with any resistance.
They come with, a door anchor that can be used on most doors at any height, 2 hand grips and 2 ankle straps.
With a little thought you can emulate any exercise you can do in the gym (and a few you can’t). The Bodylastics website shows 140 different exercises.
What about the times when you cant get to the gym? Bodylastics are light at less than 2 pounds weight and can easily be packed in your hand luggage when travelling.
http://www.bodylastics.com/?img=3&kbid=1924
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