Fitness

Are you as old as you feel? Does your chronological age match your biological age? We’ve all met people who seem much younger than their age and have boundless energy. We’ve also known people who look and act much older than their age.

As we age, our metabolism slows, making it tougher to lose weight. After 40, our biological age starts to speed up, and we age faster than our chronological age. It doesn’t need to be this way. You have more control over the aging process than you think. You have the power to slow aging and prolong your youth.

TRY STRENGTH TRAINING

When we add strength training to an exercise routine, we can stimulate our muscles to unleash a powerful flood of muscle-strengthening, fat-burning and anti-aging hormones to reverse the aging process and greatly slow down both biological and chronological aging.

Stimulating and exhausting all of our muscle fibers is the key that will cause the other metabolic processes and organs of the body to respond better.

In order for a strength-training workout to produce results, sufficient rest and recovery time are necessary to allow growth. If we provide a sufficient stimulus to the body and allow for rest and recovery, the body will respond in a positive way with the desired physical and metabolic changes.

GET WITH THE (STRENGTH) PROGRAM

When you incorporate strength training into your exercise routine, you will:

• Re-ignite your metabolism, reprogramming your body to start burning body fat.

• Reboot the endocrine system, creating a resurgence of youth-enhancing hormones so you can get infinitely more energy and replace flab with lean, strong muscle.

• Fortify your body by regaining bone density and building a solid foundation.

• Boost your brainpower, enhance memory and improve cognitive function.

• Improve functional ability, making daily activities easier and more enjoyable.

Had a good laugh lately?

It’s no joke that humor is good for your health. Sharing laughter really may be the best medicine. Does that mean a doctor can tell us to “take two jokes and call us in the morning”? Not exactly, but research suggests that laughing has short-term and long-term benefits to health and well-being.

Short-term benefits can include a variety of physical changes in your body that have a positive impact. Laughter has been shown to increase your oxygen level, to lower blood pressure, to stimulate your heart, lungs and muscles, and to release endorphins — the “feel good” hormones.

Laughter also reduces the body’s response to stress. Stress and anxiety release hormones that over time can wear down your body and immune system. If you can share a joke or find a light moment in times of stress, it can reduce those hormones, stimulate muscle relaxation and cut down on anxiety, creating a relaxed feeling.

And, believe it or not, laughter is good exercise. It is great for your abdominals. When you laugh, the muscles in your stomach contract, so it’s like doing a sit-up.

LAUGH NOW, GET BENEFITS LATER

In the long term, studies have shown that laughter can  boost the immune system and offset negative chemical effects in the body, again thanks to  endorphins.

Laughter can act like a natural pain reliever to decrease the amount of pain we might feel, according to research.

Laughter also increases our personal satisfaction with life, helps us cope with difficult issues — such as chronic illness — and has social benefits. When we share a laugh with someone, it connects us to them. Those with more social involvement have improved health and well-being.

BUT LIFE’S JUST NOT THAT FUNNY

What if laughter doesn’t come easily to you?

Remember that fluid feeling of freedom that bicycling brought you as a kid? You could glide through the neighborhood with little effort. Breezes tussled your hair as the road rolled beneath your wheels. Those were the days.

RECLAIM YOUR WHEELS

If you’re like Lynda Warner of Mayfield Heights, bicycling faded from life when the demands of parenthood and career took over. Now 73, she recalls, “It wasn’t until 20 years ago — when I was in my 50s — that a friend/bike shop owner encouraged me to again become a bicycle owner. From then until now, my cycling time has increased each year, and I don’t see it stopping any time soon.

“More than anything else, bicycling gives me a feeling of well-being and joy. I have read many articles and firsthand accounts about the physical benefits it offers. Mentally, too, it’s uplifting to the mind and spirit. ‘Happiness endorphins’ can be created by walking, running, and any number of other physical activities, but personally, none of them compare to the ones created by bicycling. It’s like flying on the ground,” Warner says.

Fitness experts agree. Bicycling is a good exercise as we age because of its light impact on your frame, especially knees. It helps strengthen muscles around the knee, stabilizing the joint and minimizing pain. Bicycling may put stress on shoulders and back muscles, but if you work on core strength, this should be minimal.

OLD? OUT OF SHAPE? NO PROBLEM.

Even if you’ve been inactive and are advanced in years, bicycling can increase breathing capacity, muscle strength and muscle mass. According to a study published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, formerly inactive seniors ages 70 to 80 enjoyed these measurable benefits after training three times a week for 30 to 45 minutes per session over a four-month period.

As much as some of us (me included) would like to control every aspect of our lives, we can’t. What we can control is our attitude toward what happens to us.

We all experience and continue to experience trying times in our lives. The what in these situations is less important than the how.

CUT THE NEGATIVE ATTITUDE

How we react and move through these particular situations will determine their effect on our physical, mental and emotional well-being. Up to 40 percent of our happiness comes from how we choose to approach our lives. We tend to focus on our problems, especially during trying times. We then get in the habit of focusing our attention on all the negative things happening in our lives.

What would happen instead if we switched that focus to the many good things that happen to us each day?

What if we took time daily or weekly to reflect on things we are grateful for in our lives?

EXAMPLE GRATITUDE JOURNAL ENTRIES

• I am grateful for my knowledge of how to live a healthy lifestyle and that I can help others do the same.

• I am grateful that I devoted time to my strength-training routine today.

• I am grateful for my family and friends.

INCREASING HAPPINESS

Gratitude is the forgotten factor in happiness research. Studies show grateful people:

• Report higher levels of positive emotions

• Have greater life satisfaction

• Experience greater vitality

• Are more optimistic

• Are healthier

• Build strong relationships

• Handle adversity better

• Experience lower levels of depression and stress

People who have a strong disposition toward gratitude have the capacity to be empathetic and to take the perspec – tive of others. They are also rated as more generous and more helpful.

Grateful individuals place less importance on material goods, are less likely to judge their own and others’ success in terms of possessions accumulated, and are less envious of others.

As people age and face the challenges of growing older, many turn to fitness programs to stay healthy and active.

When people enter their fourth, fifth or sixth decade, their bodies lose some resiliency. A well-rounded exercise routine can help reduce injuries and the onset or frequency of conditions associated with aging, such as heart disease, Type II diabetes, osteoporosis and some neurological conditions.

A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

A fitness regime should include exercises that work on the cardiovascular system, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, balance or neuromuscular control, and proper nutrition.

It’s important to begin slowly and progress steadily. Exercise two to three times weekly at a minimum.

Strength training exercises should focus on the whole body. Lifting weights, pulling on resistance bands or using exercise machines, for example, can develop strength with proper use. Lift weights very slowly with proper form for best results.

FLEX IT

Over the decades, joint flexibility usually begins decreasing due to the natural aging of soft tissue and posture position. While it’s important to spend a lot of time stretching, it does not have to be intensely painful. Hold stretches for 20 to 30 seconds or longer in a position that causes slight discomfort.

A GOOD BALANCE

Weakness from muscle loss can lead to balance problems, especially when changing positions too quickly or walking on uneven or unstable ground.

Balance problems lead to falls and injuries. Simple drills such as balancing on one leg with the eyes open and then closed can help the nervous system stay “in tune” with the musculoskeletal system.

For most people, much of what they do is aimed at improving happiness.

Careers can provide personal satisfaction and enhanced self-esteem from earning money and providing for others.

The same is true for many recreational activities, fulfilling marriages and some aspects of parenting (as a parent of three, I know firsthand that it’s not always fun, however).

Achieving happiness is often challenging. About one in six Americans experience anxiety for 15 to 30 days each month. Anxiety often results in feeling nervous, afraid or apprehensive. About 7 percent experience depression annually. Americans spend about $50 billion each year to treat depression. Anxiety and depression can lead to insomnia, pain, social withdrawal and poor health.

THE EXERCISE OPTION

Medications as well as psychotherapy can be effective for treating depression and anxiety. However, researchers from the University of Georgia studied another option: exercise. They found seven studies involving strength training in which anxiety levels were a measured outcome. Most people in the studies had moderate anxiety; two studies had people with high levels. All of the studies found that strength training reduced anxiety.

The research team looked at the effects of activity on depression. As a whole, physical activity reduces depression among all types of people (older adults, college students, cancer patients), Regardless of the initial depression level, strength training significantly cut depression. They found it was much more effective than low-intensity aerobic activities for reducing depression symptoms.

This leads to the next question: How does strength training improve mental health? Strength training increases the production of neurotransmitters, which are the chemical substances that send signals between nerve cells. One neurotransmitter is dopamine, which is responsible for delivering the message of joy that we feel after winning a game or receiving a gift. Strength training may also help create new blood vessels in the brain.