THIS 70 YEAR OLD BODYBUILDER IS STRONGER THAN YOU l Age Is Just Numbers

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), physical activity offers older men and women significant benefits, including helping to control arthritis and maintain healthy bones, stamina, and muscle strength, all of which help prevent falls. It also reduces the risk of dying from heart disease, colon cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

Physical activity may even improve your memory. One study of 120 older adults without dementia, funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), found that moderate aerobic exercise increased the size of the hippocampus (a part of the brain that plays a role in memory) and improved spatial memory, which allows you to recall where things are located on both a short- and long-term basis.”The very easiest exercises are stretching and flexing, and they tend to become more important as people get older,” Ewing Garber says. “[Seniors] tend to have range of motion problems in their joints. These exercises maintain the ability to get around and enjoy your life.” Practices such as yoga or Pilates can improve flexibility; many gyms also offer stretching exercise programs designed for seniors.American Council on Exercise Medical Exercise Specialist Chris Gagliardi also advises doing easy exercises that help maintain and improve your balance. These can be as simple walking backwards and then sideways, and, with your feet together, lifting your heels off the floor and balancing on your toes. “The reality is that we all normally lose some balance and agility as we age,” he explains. “Exercises that promote good balance help maintain your mobility and reduce the risk of falls.”According to the CDC, “Physical activity need not be strenuous to achieve health benefits.” One study published in The Lancet found that people who exercised by walking just 15 minutes a day, or 92 minutes per week, were 14 percent less likely to die from all causes and lived three years longer compared to people who reported engaging in exercise for less than one hour a week.”The hard part as people are getting older is they don’t notice that they don’t see as well, react as quickly, or have the same balance,” says Ewing Garber.Sipping water — even if you may not feel thirsty — helps older people (average age 55) reap the full benefits of exercise, according to research presented in April 2018 at the American Physiological Society’s annual meeting. Staying hydrated is always important, but middle-aged and older adults tend to have a blunted thirst perception, which increases the risk of dehydration.Seniors may be more vulnerable than others to extreme changes in temperature. Older people can lose heat faster in cold weather than they did when they were younger, putting them at risk for hypothermia, according to the NIA. Similarly, spending too much time outdoors on hot days can put them at risk for hyperthermia, or heat stroke. Be sure to dress appropriately and move inside to exercise when the weather isn’t cooperating.Runners may develop knee problems, for example, and have to switch to walking, says Ewing Garber, adding “that can be pretty traumatic for some people.” Fortunately, if you quickly find something else you like, you won’t lose your fitness level.More than 60 Medicare insurance plans nationwide participate in the Silver Sneakers program, which provides free gym memberships and exercise classes at parks and recreation centers led by certified instructors who specialize in working with seniors at all levels of ability.

https://www.everydayhealth.com/senior-health/stay-fit.aspx