Gentle Stretching for Increased Flexibility (Senior Yoga)

September 11, 2018/in Personal Training, Senior Fitness, Yoga

Many senior citizens find that their mobility, flexibility and body strength has certain limitations. This can be due to injuries, the aging process, arthritis and other health conditions. There is also in some people a fear of falling and concern of the recovery involved in breaking a hip.

On the other side of things, many elderly people have more free time and wish to increase their blood circulation, range of motion and stay in shape. Women are advised by their physicians to exercise to help with bone density. Exercise is also advised for heart health and to maintain blood pressure levels.

Fortunately, there are forms of yoga that help one stay active yet take into account some of the limitations that many people have. Senior yoga classes can include restorative yoga, gentle yoga and chair sessions. Breathing, relaxation, gentle stretching and body strengthening are part of the classes, but done much less vigorously than ashtanga or other types of classes. Of course, in any yoga class, one can modify the movements and do them in accord with one’s own circumstance.

It is important to not spend the days only in sedentary living but to continue some type of physical activity routine unless your doctor advises against it. Not only is this important physically, but mentally it is very encouraging and lifting to the spirit to be able to do some physical movements that might have seemed impossible. Senior yoga classes also are a social setting where friendships can be built and new interactions broadened.

Some people feel cautious of trying yoga because some of the postures or asanas can appear to be contorted or required developed balancing skills. Yoga for seniors classes are taught with modifications so that people with any degree of flexibility can join in. The teacher will discuss with students how to adapt poses for various conditions and situations so that you are comfortable and still challenge yourself.

Yoga and the Elderly

September 10, 2018/in Blog, Personal Training, Senior Fitness

Yoga is ideal for people of all ages, but particularly for seniors for a number of reasons. Because yoga is not a purely physical practice, there is flexibility to adapt one’s practice to meet one’s needs. This is a significant factor why yoga has become so popular with seniors.

In short, there IS a yoga practice available to you, no matter your age, nor your physical limitations. And with the boon in senior specific classes available, there’s never been a better time for seniors to discover yoga.

Low Impact

The first is that in most cases, yoga is low impact. Hatha, Kundalini and Vinyasa yoga are all good examples of low-impact yoga that can be done safely even by complete beginners.

Increased Strength and Flexibility

A second reason is how much yoga can improve strength, flexibility and stability. This means less risk of slips, trips and falls, which can cause bones to break and even be life-threatening due to complications such as blood clots in the legs and pneumonia from inactivity.

Being more mobile and flexible also means greater independence well into your senior years. After all, it’s not just about how long we live, but the quality of life we enjoy as well. Staying fit and active is one of the best ways to care for your health, especially if you are a caregiver for an older relative or partner, have grandchildren and so on.

A Mental Workout

Yoga is also great for mental fitness. It improves mood, focus and concentration, especially in relation to the types of yoga which include meditation as part of their routines. Two such types are Hatha, the origin of all yogas, and Kundalini yoga. Kundalini yoga was formed in the 5th century AD to work on the energy centers of the body, known as the chakras in traditional Indian medicine (Ayurvedic medicine).

Increased Mobility

One of the biggest health challenges for the elderly tends to be pain and stiffness, such as that of arthritis. If we feel pain when we work out, we avoid working out. However, the less we move, the stiffer we become and the more pain we suffer. So we work out even less, leading to a vicious cycle of pain, stiffness and lack of exercise that can leave many people house-bound or even chair-bound when they could be out making the most of their golden years.

Starting Safely

As with all forms of exercise, it is important to start safely and sensibly through slowly adding activity to your day and not trying to overdo things. For this reason, certain types of yoga such as Bikram and Ashtanga are not a good idea. Bikram, known as hot yoga, is not just physically demanding – it is also known as hot yoga because of the roasting conditions in the studio, with temperatures often reaching 100F or more. This can lead to dehydration and a severe strain for anyone who has heart health issues.

Ashtanga has seven levels, a basic one and six more of gradually increasing difficulty. The fact that few practitioners have ever reached the most advanced levels will give you an idea of how demanding this yoga can be.

Finding the Right Studio for You

If you live in a moderately large urban area, chances are you have more than one studio close by to choose from. Many will offer free introductory lessons so you can try the yoga and see the studio for yourself. Many studios also offer discounted lessons or unlimited classes as part of a reasonably priced monthly membership.

You will naturally wish to focus on the classes themselves and how much health benefit you think you will get from them. Other important considerations in relation to choosing the right studio for you will be the skills, qualifications and experience of the teacher’s. Some specialize in yoga for seniors.

Check out an introductory class near you and see what a difference it can make to your health.

Fitness Tips for Senior Citizens

September 7, 2018/in Blog, Personal Training, Senior Fitness

As senior citizens get older it is very important to stay active in order to maintain overall health. Some of you cannot exercise like you use to, but you can still workout and keep safe at the same time. Here are some tips to help you.

I recommend checking with your doctor if you have not worked out in over a year. It is wise to get a check up once a year any way, so while your there ask about an exercise program.

It is important to do something that you enjoy when thinking about a fitness plan. It could be lifting weights or walking on a treadmill. Any exercise is better than nothing at all. I find that seniors love to workout provided that the exercise routines are fun.

Most seniors like to workout with a trainer or a partner. I feel the reason for this is that they feel comfortable with someone helping them with their exercises. If it makes them train harder and safer then it’s great for them.

Some seniors nowadays are in such good shape they can help me workout. I’m always amazed at what some senior citizens can do in a gym. Quite a few of them are still very strong and muscular. I can only hope that I will be in that good of shape.

If you never worked out or starting to get back into the swing of things. I would start off very slow at first. The individual does not want to hurt themselves right off the starting block. Take your time and the strength and endurance will come back gradually. You will have some muscle soreness when starting off. Just don’t overdo it at first. The body has ways to overcome muscle soreness with rest and proper nutrition.

Starting out a fitness plan for senior citizens, I would recommend setting some short- term goals to get going. It could be something like walking a block. Walking on the treadmill, or even lifting some light weights. The more goals you set the more likely the person will keep exercising and making progress.

Please make sure you stay hydrated by drinking water throughout your workouts. Staying hydrated will also help if you suffer from cramping.

Also please make sure you have good fitted sneakers. It’s very important for your safety to have a nice pair of sneakers.

Please stretch before and after you exercise. Your body will love this and prevent injuries. As we get older our joints and ligaments shorten, so stretching helps to elongate the muscle.

As senior citizens it is wise to start a fitness routine in order to maintain a healthy body and mind. It won’t take long once you have a fitness plan to see great results.

Firm Up Flabby Arms (Fitness for Seniors)

September 6, 2018/in Blog, Personal Training, Senior Fitness

Everyone needs to partake in some type of physical activity. It doesn’t matter what your size or age is, you need to exercise. Fitness for seniors is especially important because once the human body reaches a certain age, it needs extra care, particularly where the muscles are concerned.

There are a lot of people in this world with flabby arms. The great thing about it is that they’re not difficult to get rid of. Seniors usually develop flabby arms from not being active. The flab that hangs from the arms is undeveloped muscle and sometimes, it can also be fat.

Before working on toning up flabby arms, seniors must first participate in some sort of low-impact to moderate cardiovascular workout. All fitness for seniors should include at least three days per week of 30 minute-walks, jogs, aerobics, swimming, etc.

It’s important to mix up the intensity and types of cardiovascular workouts. For one, mixing it up helps prevent workouts from becoming boring. It also helps to make sure that the whole body is targeted. Mixing up the intensity burns more fat and contributes to less flab around the arms. Without some sort of cardio, there won’t be any fat burning.

Getting involved in cardio also helps prepare the body for lifting weights and other forms of working out. Fitness for seniors should include a warmup, stretch, some weight-lifting, and then another stretch. Once the warmup is complete, the next step is to stretch for about 10 minutes. This will help to prevent injury.

After stretching is complete, then it’s time to start lifting weights and toning up the arms. A good exercise for seniors to firm up flabby arms is the triceps extension. This exercise involves lowering a light weight behind your head slowly and then lifting it up, and lowering again.

Fitness for seniors should be as comfortable as possible. The triceps extension can be performed standing up, sitting down, or lying down. You also may want to consider alternating to keep it interesting and make sure that your muscles are targeted from all angles. Try to do about 3 to 4 sets, twice per week.

Perform the exercises really slow and do not forget to breathe as you are performing the movements. If you start to feel like you are straining, you probably are. If so, then stop immediately and begin stretching very slowly and carefully.

After the workout is complete, stretch for about 5 to 10 more minutes. If you feel like it, try to hop on an exercise bike or walk for a few minutes on the treadmill. This will help to cool your body down and make you feel better once the workout is complete.

The most important thing to know about fitness for seniors is that it should be practiced. The more you exercise, the better you will feel. By working out the body, you strengthen your heart and your immune system. Lifting weights helps to burn fat, tone muscle, and protect the joints, which is particularly important for seniors. Make sure to work out at least three times per week, and you should be able to see some fairly quick results.

Workout Tips – Senior Citizens Should Still Workout

September 5, 2018/in Blog, Personal Training, Senior Fitness

As you grow older, staying fit and healthy is more important than ever before as a senior citizen. By following an active lifestyle and working out regularly, you will definitely take care of your health and increase stamina. The suggestions listed here will present some handy fitness strategies for a senior.

Growing older doesn’t mean you have to stop working out. In fact tons of senior citizens are becoming more active than ever. They might have to start making small changes in the way they go about exercising.

Always putting safety first and foremost. Senior citizens should workout and can do all the exercises of younger people. This includes, weightlifting, yoga, running, cardio and aerobics.

Seniors have to exercise and build muscle to prevent bone mass loss. The longer the person puts off working out the more chances of developing osteoporosis and other ailments. To prevent loss of strength the individual should do some form of strength training and incorporate some cardio for stamina. Cardio exercise also keeps the heart healthy. Yoga is also a great exercise for seniors. It helps with balance and flexibility.

Joining a senior class at a local gym is a very good for you. Not only will it help the person to get into shape, but help make new friends to workout with. The more people you can find to exercise the more fun the class is going to be. There are more senior classes opening up than ever before. Enjoy this time and workout hard. You’re body will reward you with increased energy and more stamina.

People have to realize that walking is one of the best exercises you can do. Walking costs nothing but the time and effort that the person puts forth. It’s one exercise that can help almost all seniors. Anyone can do it, and for the most part there is not much stress on the joints. Walking outside, walking on the treadmill, and walking on trails offer you lots of options. Try to walk a minimum of twenty minutes a day, one hour maximum. The more the individual walks, the more likely they are going to see positive results.

Swimming for senior citizens is very helpful for joints and tendons. Low impact swimming also aids in muscle recovery and healing. Senior classes normally offer swimming and most people love the benefits and feeling after a nice swim. The amount or swimming is totally up to the person. I have seen many seniors swimming laps in the pool, so for a good workout maybe start with one or two laps and work up from there.

As we get older it’s even more important to take care of your body. Yes it is true seniors do get some aches and pains from time to time. That should not stop the person from being active. Keep striving everyday to exercise to fight of disease and to feel great.

Should Seniors Exercise and What are the Benefits?

September 4, 2018/in Blog, Personal Training, Senior Fitness

As we grow older our bodies go through various changes. One of the best ways to ensure the health and fitness is to practice safe senior exercise in our retirement years. Many doctors will often prescribe a regime of exercises that are safe and effective. However, due to the fact that many seniors are dealing with different degrees of various illnesses and health concerns, every senior exercise routine should be tailored to meet each individual’s health needs.

It is best to choose simple forms of senior exercise if you haven’t been steadily training or exercising in your former years. Always consult with your physician before embarking on a new method of exercise. However, once you receive your physician’s OK; you should feel confident in beginning your routine.

A great way to learn a new workout is to use a senior exercise video or DVD. Aerobics is a wonderful workout and it keeps the heart healthy and strong. If your doctor has given you a target heart rate to maintain, then consider choosing an aerobic senior exercise workout video.

For those who suffer with painful arthritis, senior exercise may be prescribed as a form of therapy. You can find special arthritis based workouts that will slowly help you move and restore flexibility to your joints. Continuing to exercise is one of the most beneficial tools that you have to fight off the painful stiffness of arthritis.

Some seniors have limited mobility and there are many seated exercises that you can still perform. Choosing a video or DVD that will instruct you in these exercises is a great way to keep flexible and healthy. Many seniors choose to perform yoga for its stretching and toning benefits. This gentle form of exercise will help keep the spine flexible and supple.

One of the most effective forms of senior exercise available today is good old-fashioned walking. Walking can help keep the hips strong and flexible, keep the legs toned, and improve circulation throughout the entire body. Try walking whenever possible to receive these life saving benefits. You can avoid many sicknesses and illnesses just by increasing circulation and keeping the body in a lifestyle of motion.

Many active seniors prefer to exercise through hobbies such as dancing and swimming. Most senior communities will include a health club, fitness room, swimming pool, and offer dance lessons. Weight training is also beneficial in senior years, and research is showing that a weight-training regime can help prevent bone loss in seniors.

By participating in the exercise programs offered in your senior community you are taking the best course of action to maintain your level of health, as well as to improve your current state of health. Whether it is swimming, dancing, weight training, yoga, playing golf or simply walking exercise is the key to enjoying your retirement years and limiting painful conditions.

Always follow your physician’s advice and consult with him or her before starting any new exercise routines. By living a lifestyle that includes proper nutrition, plenty of rest, and a reduction of stress, you can be sure that you are taking vital steps to ensure your health.

Workout Routines for Seniors

September 3, 2018/in Blog, Personal Training, Senior Fitness

Seniors are finally getting involved in the health movement! Move it or lose it! What is the best workout routine for senior citizens? And why should seniors workout? We will explore more on this topic during this article.

Did you know that there are some health insurance companies that will actually pay for your gym membership. When this was implemented several years ago, the insurance companies saved around 1.6 billion dollars in health care in the first two years! Senior citizens were getting into the gym, and getting fit and healthy!

Of course, if you have read any of my other articles, you know that I am a big advocate of weight lifting. And yes, this goes for you too, seniors. Lifting weights can really help with osteoporosis. If you don’t believe me, ask your doctor. Your doctor will tell you. I have some clients that have come to me because their doctor has told them that they have to get a personal trainer.

My hope for everyone and their health is that they get into the gym BEFORE their doctor tells them that they have to do it. Once you are at a place where your doctor tells you that you HAVE to lose weight, or you have to get a personal trainer, this can mean that your health is at stake. This always makes my heart just drop, because I know for many people, that a lot of their health problems could have been prevented if they had just lead a healthy lifestyle and gotten into the gym.

So, don’t be one of those people. Get in to the gym now. Also, for most seniors, it’s about getting back your mobility, your range of motion, and a bit of strength and energy. Yes, I recommend lifting weights, but, don’t go in and just start throwing weights around. Get yourself at least a month of sessions with a personal trainer. Many injuries can be prevented by just knowing where to place your hands or your feet during certain exercises.

One rule of thumb can be the ninety degree angle rule. Now, this doesn’t apply for every exercise. There are always exceptions to the rule. Basically, you never let your legs or your arms go past a ninety degree angle. For instance, if you are doing an overhead shoulder press, your arms above your head should each form ninety degree angles.

This way, you are keeping the weight in your muscle rather than your joints. But, if this isn’t making any sense to you, please take the time to seek out a personal trainer in your area. They can help you with all of your fitness goals and give you a great workout routine for seniors!

Ab Workouts – Muscular Strength vs Muscular Endurance

August 31, 2018/in Blog, Muscular Endurance, Personal Training

Muscular strength is different from muscular endurance when it comes to ab workouts. Both types are very good at helping people lead a healthy, fit lifestyle and keep the body strong. However, if you want ripped abs, your best choice would be muscular strength training. You will get faster results!

People often have an ideal image of how they want to look, which determines what type of exercise program they should follow. If looking lean and muscular is your goal, then going for a long run will not be effective.

Muscular endurance activities will condition your body to perform well for that activity. The long, low intensity activity will require your muscles to be light, lean and sleek to be able to last for long distances or durations.

Muscular strength training is very effective at increasing the body’s metabolism. The increased size of the muscles causes the body to work harder to supply energy to the bigger muscles, which results in more calories burned and greater fat burning.

The increased muscular activity burns the food that we eat and when the body needs more fuel, it will use the excess body fat and burn that. When the body starts burning more fat, the abdominal area of our body will begin to show the underlying abs and give us more ab definition.

Resistance training with heavy weights and low repetitions forces the muscles to hypertrophy and increase its overall muscle activity. The increased intensity of the activity will cause a buildup of lactic acid and carbon dioxide. Once the muscles slow down its intensity, the body will then deliver more oxygen to the muscles, to help replenish and remove waste products.

When the exercise intensity slows down or stops, the body will then continue to send oxygen to the muscles to remove waste and replenish the muscles to prepare for the next bout of exercise or activity. What also ends up happening is the body continues to replenish and repair the muscles, well after the exercise session and the body ends up burning fat throughout the day and night.

Having muscular endurance is good for general health and fitness. But if you want killer abs, you need to train for muscular strength. Training for strength will turn your body into a fat burning machine that will get you the rock hard abs that you’ve dreamed of.

Thoughts On Improving Muscular Endurance in Women

August 30, 2018/in Blog, Muscular Endurance, Personal Training

People often times get confused about what muscle endurance is and how to train to improve it. This is especially important in training women since many are afraid of “bulking up”.

First of all, muscle endurance is the ability of a muscle or muscle group to repeatedly contract without fatiguing. If you were riding a bicycle for a 40 miles, the thigh and leg muscles would be demonstrating their muscular endurance as they would be contracting with each pedal stroke for this distance.

Muscle endurance is not the same as cardiovascular or aerobic endurance which illustrates the ability of your body to deliver oxygen to the body tissues. One would have a different workout emphasis to improve the heart and lungs and blood delivery of oxygen to the tissues than for muscular endurance as the emphasis. At the same time, training for one dimension of health like muscle endurance in the bicycling example, doesn’t preclude you from improving cardiovascular endurance. Chances are you would improve both even if that is not your goal.

Secondly, I am writing about muscle endurance because, as a female, I often hear women say they want to participate in a weight training program but not if they are going to “bulk” up. Commonly the trainer leading them in such a routine will suggest the use of lighter weights with many repetitions so they can improve muscular endurance in lieu of getting bigger muscles.

As a certified personal trainer, a university professor, and a woman with many years of experience in health and fitness from a variety of perspectives, this desire to “tone up” rather than “bulk up” always serves as a source of discussion for me.

First of all, women don’t have the testosterone levels to significantly increase the size of their muscles. Pick up an exercise physiology text and you can read the research that documents such. Secondly, women, especially pre- and post-menopausal women, need to lift a decent amount of weight to stimulate bone health which is decreasing as we age. Bone loss is especially substantial in the years following menopause. Another reason to engage in a weight routine with some “healthy” amount of weight, is to prevent sarcopenia, a loss of muscle mass which is usual with the aging process.

Bone loss or poor density can translate into fractures. Loss of muscle mass demonstrates a loss in strength. Both indicate a decreased ability to accomplish daily life tasks and ultimately, independent living can be the cost.

What would I suggest as an appropriate program for muscle endurance? Choose a weight for each exercise that is about 65% of the maximum weight you can lift in that exercise. For instance, if you can leg press 100 pounds, then you should have about a 65 pound load to train for muscle endurance. Press this 65 pound load for more than 12 times or repetitions. Rest 30 seconds, Repeat. Perform 2 or 3 sets of this exercise. Advance to the next muscle or muscle group and use the same “routine”.

Too many times, people are not engaging the principles that allow them to build muscle endurance. Too frequently, one set is performed and then a person “chats” with someone nearby and 5 minutes has passed before attempting the second set. For endurance, the rest periods must be short. Also, in many cases, the weight is too light for the benefits of helping the muscle “endure”.

If your goal is to build the endurance of a muscle, then you must lift the appropriate weight (about 65% of max for that exercise) and have short rest periods (less than 30 seconds). With such a program, a person will build some level of strength because you can’t improve endurance without some improvement in strength. But, the overriding improvement will be in the endurance of the muscle.

Women won’t likely increase the size of their muscle with this programming but they will achieve greater benefits by a heavier weight and shorter rest periods that are closely monitored and recorded than from previous “random” attempts at lifting without enough weight and rest periods of too great a length.

Finally, what if a woman gains a little muscle mass? If improving bone health and muscle endurance and strength is achieved so that quality of life is improved, isn’t this a small cost?!

Muscular Endurance Training

August 29, 2018/in Blog, Muscular Endurance, Personal Training

Increase you stamina with muscular endurance training, short bursts of exercise and the long tedious endurance are both beneficial to the heart, don’t think the endurance training is only for marathon athletes simply playing football , swimming or cycling is classed as endurance training.

It has been found that a person who cycles stationary at a moderate intense speed for 40-60 minutes 3 days a week or 6 sets of shorter busts at 30-40 seconds allowing a recovery period of 4 minutes improves the arteries function and helps prevents the risk of disease, this builds up your stamina without this any exercise over a long period of time will be difficult with the lack of endurance.

Aerobic endurance with this training the body is pushed to meet the intake of oxygen and fuel, as the body will only cope without oxygen for a short period of time that’s why endurance exercises are important as it helps produce energy for the body, which in turn improves the cardiovascular system and helps the blood flow and oxygen to circulate around your body.

With the modern sports of today stamina has become more recognized that’s why it is very important to engage in endurance training especially for sports like football, swimming or basketball where you are involved in short bursts of endurance over a long period in a game or race, but like any exercise only push yourself to what you body can cope with as you do not want to cause injury to your body, also remember to couple your training with the proper nutrition for your body to sustain any type of endurance training.