The health benefits of regular exercise can never be over emphasized,
that is why I keep banging on about you engaging in some fitness regime or the
other. Exercise has physical and mental health benefits, and we keep on
discovering more benefits every day. Exercise can help protect you from a range
of conditions including heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Exercise also
improves mental cognition and coordination as well as improves your mood. So far
so good, we need to exercise, but what are the most appropriate forms of
exercise for you?
All exercises are good, but some are better and some are not
so good for you, depending on your age. For example, a 12 year old shouldn’t be
doing squats or bench presses in the gym, while if you are over 50, you shouldn’t
still be struggling to play football! Today
on corefitness, we will be looking at
the most appropriate exercise for you based on your age range, it doesn’t
matter if you are in your 20’s or over 50, this article is for you, your spouse
, your child or even your parents. There is something for everybody. To ensure
that you are doing the right exercise for your age, just follow today’s simple
guide.
Thanks, and do have a wonderful weekend!
1. CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE :
Children need exercise as it helps control
body weight, build bone density; it promotes self confidence and builds healthy
sleep patterns. Sadly a lot of us city people have neglected this aspect of
child development as is evident in the ever increasing number of overweight and
obese children. Children should get at least one hour of exercise a day. Little
children fortunately need very little structured exercise, letting them run
around the playground and play with other children helps them develop confidence
also let them engage in sports activities like swimming and kicking balls
around, this helps them improve their coordination.
2. TEENAGE :
If you are a parent, this is where you earn
your stripes, children tend to lose that happy play mentality in their teenage
years, some feel they are not good enough to compete with their peers and just
give up, while some especially girls, develop other interests and exercise is
put on the back burner. At this stage children should be seriously encouraged
to take up organized exercise in the form of sports, it helps to give them a
positive self image and reduce stress and social anxiety. Encourage your teenager to take up team
sports like football, basketball, swimming if possible and my personal
favourite athletics. Older teenagers from age 16 and above can also start to
lift weights seriously in the gym at this stage. They will learn the rudiments
and discipline of training at this stage and some of the on field physical
benefits can be translated to the classroom and life.
3. IN YOUR 20’S:
This is it! At this stage you are at your
absolute physical peak, your hormones are raging, your body is producing huge
amounts of testosterone, your heart and lung capacity is also at its best, in
short you can take on King Kong! Do not waste this period in your life, at this
stage you should focus on building lean muscle mass, bone density and cardio
vascular endurance. All this will help you enjoy optimum health in your later
years. You should be lifting weights seriously at this stage, with emphasis on
losing body fat and gaining muscle. If you are not one for weights then you can
comfortably build cardio vascular endurance by running a lot in your 20’s as
your knees and joints can take the stress that comes with running, training for
endurance events like the marathon can help give you focus at this stage.
4. IN YOUR 30’S:
At this stage you are still strong but
starting to come down from your absolute physical peak, you are probably
married, have kids and a career, other events are competing with exercise for
your time and energy. Do not despair however, the advantage of this life stage
is that you are more experienced in time management and your finances are
stronger. If you have a sedentary job that involves hours of sitting, it is
important that you maintain good posture and break up long periods of sitting
by forcing activity into your day, climb the stairs as much as possible, talk
to co workers in person, not on the phone, moving around every hour is
important.
You have to work smart in the gym at this
stage, choose exercises that will give you the best workout in the least amount
of time. Sports are still important but you have to do them more intensely but
for a shorter time, this concept is known as HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
in this you do your exercises for short intense bursts, then reduce the
intensity for a rest period and then another burst etc, you will fatigue
quicker, but burn energy faster, save time and boost your metabolism. HIIT can
be applied not just in the gym, but for jogging/ running, cycling, swimming etc.
5. IN YOUR 40’S:
Most of us start to put on weight in our 40’,
if you fell off the exercise train in your 20’s or 30’s you are probably seeing
the consequences right now via your dad bod (read it up!) beer belly or Christian
mother arms! Don’t worry, we can still turn back the clock here, the best way
to overcome weight gain and stimulate fat burning is through resistance
exercise i.e. lifting weights. This helps you increase metabolism and reverse
the muscle loss of the last decade. Women especially are encouraged to take up
lifting weights in their 40’s. Don’t be scared, you will not turn into the
incredible hulk, just invest in dumbbells or kettlebells and learn how to use
them, you will burn fat and build toned muscles. You should also take up
jogging/ running at this stage if you are not already into it, cycling is also
a good exercise for the 40 year old. Also core/ abdominal exercises are a must
at this age to guard against back pain.
6. IN YOUR 50’S :
This is the decade when all sorts of aches
and creaks start to creep up, if you have been keeping up with your exercises,
hopefully they will be kept at a minimum, and if you haven’t been exercising,
this is another chance for you to get on board! At this stage, people develop
chronic conditions like diabetes, cardio vascular disease and as estrogen
decreases in post menopausal women, the risk of heart disease increases. What you
need to do is engage in strength training exercise i.e. weight lifting at least
twice a week to preserve muscle mass and bone density. Please note this is not
the weight training of your 30’s or even 40’s! You cannot and do not need to go
all out anymore, just consistent light weight training. At this stage it is
also important to engage in weight bearing exercise such as walking, make sure
you walk fast enough and far enough so that your breathing increases and you
break a sweat.
7.
IN YOUR 60’S AND BEYOND:
Exercise in your 60’s and beyond, help
prevents frailty and falls, and is important for your cognitive function. If you
have a period of ill health, try to keep mobile, if possible. Strength and
fitness can decline rapidly if you are bed bound or very inactive, which can
make it hard to get to previous levels. Older people tend to want to talk more
but that can also be incorporated into exercise, instead of inactive visits
from friends and family, take walks and have your talks while strolling. It will
keep you motivated and boost your health more than solitary exercise.
It is also important to incorporate some
strength, balance and cardiovascular exercise into your regime. Note that at an
advanced age, advice should be sought from a physiotherapist or exercise professional.
As you age the nature of exercises you do
may change, but the fact that you need exercise to be stronger never changes, I
hope you find this guide useful, not just for yourself but for a loved one who
falls into any of the age categories. Whatever your age, exercise can help you
live a better more fulfilling life.
Thanks, and do have a wonderful weekend!
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