Page 41 - Scene Magazine September 2023 48-09

For Your Health
BY SHERII SHERBAN
According to John Hopkins Medi- cine one of the most important reasons to exercise at 50-plus is to keep your weight in check. By maintaining a healthy weight, you lower your blood pressure and decrease your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis.
It’s never too late to start an exer- cise program. But exercise should be approached carefully. Exercise doesn’t have to be vigorous to be helpful. Even a walk around the park can be posi- tive for any age body and mind. And
so can 30 minutes of working in the garden. Furthermore, you don’t have
to do 30 minutes of exercise all at one time. Research now suggests it’s just as effective to do three, 10-minute periods of exercise spread out over the day.
is linked to obesity and diabetes, even in people who are active for part of the day. Research shows that sitting still for long periods of time can cancel out the effects of 30 minutes of exercise, but consider the reverse... an extra bit of movement can help if your job causes you to be sedentary.
There are many more benefits of fol- lowing a regular exercise program. This is true even for people who have joint pain, back pain, arthritis, or osteoporo- sis. And it is also true for people who are recovering from an injury. Or people who are recovering from surgery such as joint replacement or arthroscopy. Ex- ercise has also been shown to lower the risks of falls and serious injuries (such as hip or wrist fractures), and slow the body’s loss of muscle and bone mass. Exercise also helps to do the following: • Increaseflexibility
• Tone muscles
• Build stronger bones
• Improve mobility and balance
• Boost self-image
• Relieve insomnia
• Relieve tension and stress
• Offset feelings of anxiety and
Talk with your healthcare provider
if you have an existing health condition or you are just starting an exercise pro- gram. Your provider can help make sure the exercise program that you choose is designed with your health and wellness in mind.
Knowing you should exercise more can feel daunting, especially when you’re just starting out. Some people don’t feel they can fit in the full amount of physical activity their doctor recom- mends – and they give up on moving altogether. But those recommendations are just guidelines. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
depression
• Stay at a healthy weight
• Enhance cardiovascular fitness
• Increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol
levels
• Reduce the risk of chronic diseases
(such as type 2 diabetes or certain types of cancer, such as breast cancer or colon cancer)
• Provide fun and enjoyment
• Live a longer, healthier life
• Reduce joint and muscle pain
Move for Better Health
There is evidence that being too sedentary, such as prolonged time in front of a TV or computer, is perhaps as harmful to your heart health as not exercising at all. Prolonged inactivity
Try to focus on being less sedentary rather than more active.
Daily exercise is important, but so is regularly getting up and just moving around throughout the day. Create opportunities to move to sup- port healthy aging.
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Muscular strength declines with age, so strength training is key for maintaining strength and preventing muscle atrophy at 50-plus. Strength training has also been shown to help with bone density, which decreases
the rate of bone breakdown, helping reduce the risk of fractures later in life. As our bodies age, our tendons get thicker and less elastic; stretching can counter this and help prevent injury at 50-plus. Remember to stretch slowly; do not force it by bouncing.
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HEALTH ISSUE I SCENE 4809 41
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