Older Adult Fitness Programs Fort Lauderdale FL

From an athletic perspective, research reveals that strength training improves golf performance by increasing club head speed and driving power ⁸ . Empirical evidence indicates that strength exercise may also enhance other physical activities s as tennis ⁹ and cycling ¹⁰ .

While all of these health and performance factors are important, perhaps the most compelling concerns for most seniors are the three "B"s. These are bodyweight, body composition, and blood pressure. Generally speaking, senior men and women are concerned about gaining weight, getting soft, and experiencing elevated blood pressure. They have already discovered that dieting doesn't produce permanent weight loss, and that walking is not very effective for firming muscles. Quite true. They are afraid to try strength training because they've heard that it will increase their blood pressure. Untrue.

Several small-scale studies have shown that strength exercise is effective for decreasing bodyweight ¹¹ , increasing lean weight ¹² , and reducing resting blood pressure ¹³ . In addition, strength training results in a higher resting metabolic rate ¹⁴ and greater daily energy utilization ⁵ .

But what specific changes can seniors expect from a basic program of strength exercise? We recently analyzed data on 1,132 men and women who completed the South Shore YMCA basic fitness program ¹⁵ . All of the participants performed 25 minutes of strength exercise and 25 minutes of endurance exercise, two or three days per week for a period of eight weeks.

The strength training program included the following Nautilus exercises: (1)leg extension; (2) leg curl; (3) leg press; (4) chest cross; (5) chest press; (6) super pullover; (7) lateral raise; (8) biceps curl; (9) triceps extension; (10) low back; (11) abdominal; (12) neck flexion; and (13) neck extension. Each exercise was performed for one set of 8 to 12 repetitions, at a slow movement speed (2 seconds lifting and 4 seconds lowering), and through a full movement range. Resistance was increased by approximately five percent when 12 repetitions were completed.

The endurance training program involved treadmill walking and stationary cycling. Participants exercised at about 70 to 75 percent of their maximum heart rate, and progressively increased their training time to 25 minutes of continuo...

Let’s discuss the relationship of exercise on longevity in a logical manner. I’ve always sensed that the healthier one is, the longer that person should live. Comparatively speaking, if one is weak and out-of-shape, and is prone to pain, illness, and disease, I don’t figure that person would live a long life, and if they did, they’d live a long miserable life.

Now how’s that for practical common sense. No science in my theory, just a gut feeling on what makes man live each day to his fullest and his life to its longest length possible.

Unfortunately, I personally cannot prove my theory. Life extension is difficult, if not impossible, to provide fact. However, if you do agree with me, or at least, sense some truth behind my theory, the remainder of this article should enlighten your today, tomorrow and lifespan. And although I’m interjecting my common logic in this piece, you can rest assure that plenty of scientific research can back most of it up.

Exercise: Friend or Foe?
It is now known that conditioning yourself through fitness activities can help to make you healthier. And fitness means proper exercise, food, supplementation, relaxation, and a positive cheerful attitude. When you have developed a routine that comprises all of these elements; and have learned to integrate and balance them into your personal, social, family, and occupational life, you will become resistant to many of the stresses and ailments so many others fall victim to.

Several studies have proven that exercise will increase lifespan. Exercise contributes to the quality of ones life by improving both physiologic and psychological functions. This improvement in ones life can eliminate the need for special care reducing the consumption of toxic drugs and therapies which offer temporary results with an association of negative consequences.

In other studies conducted in laboratory animals, it was found that sedentary rats lived shorter lives than their active counterparts. It can then be safely stated that lifespan and energy expenditure do have a correlation, however the expended energy must be at intensities which stimulate growth and repair of the body, instead of placing too much trauma to the tissues, organs, and nervous system.

I believe many athletes might actually be shortening their lifespans with the intensity they train under. The loads they subject themselves to during training often times over burdens their bodies. Intense training is a necessity in today’s world of competitive sports, as training sessions are designed to improve on ones own personal ability to surpasses his/her competition. And with the frequency of training sessions, recuperation time between worko...