4 TYPES OF EXERCISES THAT CAN IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH

4 TYPES OF EXERCISES THAT CAN IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH

Ever wonder why a body in motion can bring improvement to your health?  There are various ways to be in motion and bring health benefits as we age.  I sometimes joke that if I don’t keep moving, I just might “coagulate”!  Research from NIH has shown 4 types of exercises: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility to benefit our health as we age.  (NIH on aging)

1.  ENDURANCE/AEROBIC EXERCISES

A closer look into endurance exercises shows that it can bring health to your muscles, heart, lungs, and circulatory system and may prevent many common diseases in older adults (i.e.) diabetes, colon, breast cancers, heart disease among other diseases.  I can attest to my muscles changing in this later season of my life.  Muscular health can improve health for mitochondrial content and respiratory capacity of the muscle fibers.  If you find yourself “panting” after climbing a short flight of stairs, then performing regular endurance exercises, will induce major adaptations in skeletal muscles.  Adaptations of muscles to endurance exercises have major metabolic consequences, such as, slower utilization of muscle glycogen and blood glucose, greater fat utilization and less lactic acid production during exercises of a given intensity.  The key to perform prolonged strenuous exercise is to include more endurance type exercises, such as, long slow distance training, sprint intervals (30 seconds max), and HIIT (high intensity interval training, 1-4 mins. all out).  (Holloway, J.O., Coyle E.F. Adaptation of skeletal muscles to endurance exercises and their metabolic consequences.)

1. STRENGTH EXERCISES

As with most things in life, the longer you use something, the less effective it becomes to you.  This is true with lean muscle mass, as it naturally diminishes with age.  We are ALL aging from the moment of birth until we breathe our last breath.  However, from birth until age 30-35 years of age muscle mass and strength increases.  When a person is over 35 years of age, muscle power declines slowly and then rapidly after age 65 for women, and age 70 for men.  Strength training can improve your health by helping to maintain mobility and independence.  As an added bonus, you’ll look stronger and better!  One may choose several types of strength/resistance training, (i.e.) free weights, weight machines, medicine balls, resistance bands, push-ups, squats, or even yoga.  (Roger A. Fielding, “NUTRITION RESEARCH ON AGING”).   Fielding has found the best “recipe” for improving physical function and avoiding disability is a combination of walking and resistance training.

III./IV. BALANCE and FLEXIBILITY

The other types of exercises that can benefit/improve your health is balance and flexibility.  In order      to have a well-rounded fitness program, it’s important to include mobility, balance, and flexibility.  It should come as no surprise, that balance is a skill that declines as we age.  HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL said, “balance training helps reduce the risk of falls in older adults”.  In order to improve balance, you need core strength like, “planks” done regularly.  Some other examples include climbing, surfing, dancing, yoga, or even just “standing on one leg, alternating”.  Flexibility/mobility exercises can be easily incorporated into a “cool-down” from an aerobic work out or strength training.  The Mayo Clinic recommends stretching after muscles are warm, daily if possible, but, at least 3Xs per week.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, incorporating endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility exercises, you can improve your health by keeping your ability to remain independent as we age.  One’s outlook on life will improve as well as we keep MOVING!  The old adage, “if you don’t use it, you will lose it rings true”!