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"Elderly
individuals should try to stay
active and strive for a well
balanced diet. Even though the aged
body isn't the same as it used to
be, proper care and the right
nutrients can help the elderly enjoy
a healthy and long life."
Healthy Eating for Senior Citizens,
Phyllis Wasserman, May 15, 2006,
Articlesbase.com |
 Did You
Know! Extraordinary Facts About
Exercise
By Dave
Elger. August 15, 2007.
Articlesbase.com
Contemplating a workout
program but having a hard
time getting going? Here are
a few facts about
exercise
that may convince you to get
started.
Exercise can accelerate fat
burning. A study done back
in the 1970s at Ball State
University found that the
leg muscle of distance
runners were 7 times more
capable of
burning
fat
after marathon training than
the leg muscle of untrained
subjects. Just imagine what
that kind of training can do
for weight loss!
Exercise can lower blood
pressure. The number of
capillaries surrounding each
leg muscle fiber increases
by 5-10% following endurance
training. This not only
makes exercise easier but
also lowers blood pressure.
Numerous studies support
that exercise training does
indeed lower blood pressure
in hypertensive subjects.
Exercise improves heart
function. When you start an
endurance based exercise
program, expect your resting
heart rate to decrease by
about 1 beat per minute
every week during the
initial weeks. This is an
indication that your heart
is becoming more efficient
and pumping more blood each
beat. Highly trained
endurance athletes can have
a resting heart rate as low
as 40 beats per minute or
even less.
Exercise can prevent muscle
loss. Sedentary adults lose
6-10 percent of their muscle
mass per decade after age
30, leading to a condition
called sarcopenia. Regular
strength
training
can delay or in some cases
reverse this trend. When it
comes to muscle, you must
use it or you will lose it!
Exercise can help you live
longer. Studies on large
populations have discovered
the highest death rates in
those who are the least fit.
Those who are the most fit
have the lowest death rates.
Exercise can improve sex
life. A study published by
the Harvard School of Public
Health found that men who
exercised vigorously were
half as likely to experience
sexual
dysfunction
when compared to men who did
no exercise.
Exercise can improve brain
function. Research has
discovered that the fittest
kids generally score the
highest on test scores.
Older adults who are fit
show less cognitive decline
compared to their sedentary
counterparts.
Exercise can speed up wound
healing. A study out of Ohio
State found that skin wounds
healed an average of 10 days
faster in the exercise group
compared to the non exercise
group.
Exercise can help the
elderly. A study in the
Journal of the American
Medical Association reported
gains in leg strength of 374
percent over baseline in men
over 90 years of age who
began strength training in
as little as 8 weeks! Other
research has found a
reversal in normal age
related characteristics in
the muscle of seniors who
took up weight lifting.
The evidence supporting the
benefits of regular physical
activity is overwhelmingly
positive and seemingly
endless. What are you
waiting for?
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