Staying fit in middle age leads to healthy mind

How often do we read about the prospects of living to 100 are close to being reality. Improvement in medicine and health awareness are possible the biggest contributors in helping us extend our mortality. But, living longer with a poor quaility of life doesn't fil me with joy.

Now in my early fifties my short term memory suffers temporay lapses, forgetting peoples' names, where I put down my glasses or car keys. There is a technical name for this according to scientists - CRS, or Can't Remember Stuff, says David R Jacobs, a professor public health.

The solution to halting the decline in mental agility is physical agility. This article in the New Yorks times shows that if you you're middle aged or approaching this phase in your life, getting fit can help arrest mental decline.

The Benefits of Middle-Age Fitness - NYTimes.com

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/  

Even if you haven't previously bothered with exercise, getting fit in middle age appears to reshape the landscape of aging.

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And, from a practical view check out this you tube video that shows how to get fit without going to the gym. Let's face it, of you have the physique of a Mr Universe and surrounded by fit 20-30 year olds you're not likely to be in  a hurry to join a gym to gain a leap in your self esteem. Don't take the video too seriously and I'll ask you to forgive me in advance of the soundtrack...

Exercise for keeping healthy and looking young for middle and old age people

PHYSICAL EXERCISE FOR MIDDLE AGE PEOPLE.

Don't let muscle cramps cramp your fitness goals

I’ve got cramp. A painful condition and one which most of us can sympathise or even empathise with the sufferer, as we'll have suffered ourselves.  But, it is arguably a good enough reason for those of us struggling to stay and keep fit to give up the struggle.

Leg cramps can be the worst type of cramp preventing you from exercising and doing those workouts you promised you'd do. While cramps are short lived and don’t cause permanent damage it’s a setback you don’t need. 

So what causes cramp, and can you do anything to stop it or, reduce the pain so it doesn’t become a blocker to getting and staying fit?

Why you get muscle cramps

Here are a number of reasons why you may be getting leg cramps at the beginning of an exercise period. Just to note, cramps are involuntary contractions of your muscles:

- potassium deficiency
- Calcium deficiency
- Magnesium deficiency
- Lack of activity
- Dehydration
- Too much activity
- Poor circulation
- Muscle injury/strain
- Staying in the same position for a prolonged period of time

So there’s the list above, there may be more causes but the above are the most common.

How to prevent cramps or reduce the pain they cause

Here are some tips to reduce the impact leg cramps before you start exercising and end up giving up…
Tip 1: Stretch. You see professional atheletes do it before they begin playing a game. Stretch before and after exercising

Tip 2: Drink plenty of fluids. This maintains the nutrients in your body. When you exercise your body ‘leaks’ water and will cause dehydration if you don’t maintain the balance by taking in fluids

Tip 3: Massage the affected muscle

Tip 4: Apply a cold pack to the affected muscle

Folklore Remedies:

I can’t swear to these as I’ve never tried them but you could try the following if none of the above tips bring relief:1. Mustard. The acetic acid in mustard is believed to stimulate the muscles by producing more acetylcholine in the body. Since leg cramps may be caused by a deficiency of this compound, having a spoon of mustard can prevent leg cramps

2. Pickle juice

3. Tiger Balm (available in supermarkets or pharmacies)

4. Epsom salt is typically used as a soaking solution to treat muscle cramps

5. Bilberry fruits is not limited in preparing jams and pies, but is also used in treating muscle cramps. Anthocyanosides, present in Bilberries help in strengthening the blood vessels and relaxing the muscles


So there you have it, at least nine options to choose from next time you get cramp so you can overcome one of the struggles you have that can easily divert you during the journey towards   getting and staying fit.

Wear antiblister socks to prevent and treat your blisters

Stay fit, ride a pedibus

Stay fit on a Pedibus

Seeing a tandem cycle go by often makes you look twice. Imagine seeing a machine with not two but 10 people pedaling on some strange contraption float past you. You'll probably hear before you see a group of up to ten people, pedal past you. These people are taking a Pedibus or, a cyclebus.

I stopped in amazement as did a fellow a pedestrian as a Pedibus sped past us on a busy city road in London last summer.

Watching 10 people cycling, laughing and even drinking together on the same machine was fascinating. They were having fun.

See a Pedibus in action

Pedibus in London

Multi-cyclist drinking and riding. Adding and burning the calories simultaneously.

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LONDON PEDIBUS. | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

http://www.flickr.com

'So...let's get this right ; we each pay £23 and then do all the work?...' This is a rather popular and certainly different way of sight-seeing around the capital...my personal preference is to go along the river on a boat...a big boat ...

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Image via Flickr

Image via Flickr

Stay fit with an activity tracker

Do you remember a time when a watch was purchased just to tell the time? Then Came the fancy watches with chronographs, the calculators. Now have watches to tell you the state  of your body and health just as important as knowing the time if not more so.

Stay fit with an activity tracker

5 Best Wireless Activity Trackers – Egg you on to act | Tool Box

http://www.tlbox.com Wed, 12 Feb 2014 06:51:06 GMT

If you can't control yourself to do exercise and keep diet, you need a wireless activity tracker giving your help. All of them have advanced tracking.

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A Guide to the Best Activity-Trackers - The Next Web

http://thenextweb.com Mon, 11 Nov 2013 17:35:02 GMT

This year will be remembered for many things, but for anyone in the market for a dedicated activity-tracking device, 2013 welcomed more than a few fresh contraptions to the market. Indeed, with so many players now vying for ...

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Garmin Vivofit Fitness

Rеad mоre оn аmazоn.соm http://bit.ly/1eFxuY8 Garmin Vivofit Fitness Fitness Band That Moves at the Pace of Your Life Learns your activity level and assigns ...

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How to choose the best activity tracker - FLA.EDU.VN

http://fla.edu.vn Tue, 18 Feb 2014 09:04:51 GMT

An activity tracker is a smart wearable mini-computer used to track your data in daily routine, then analyze it and display progress over time to help you gain healthier habits. It monitors your steps, heart rate, calories, distance, ...

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Stay fit, training barefoot

Barefoot trainers are really a compromise to running barefoot and running with specially formed running shoes that fit the contours of your feet. What makes them different from normal trainers is they have individual sections for each toe. Imagine a glove with individual ‘sleeve’s for each finger, with barefoot trainers there are individual ‘sleeves’ for each toe.

Why would anyone sacrifice the real comfort of branded trainers like say Nike to start exercising or training barefoot or nearly barefoot with barefoot trainers?

Well, Nike, of all companies discovered from their research that, “a foot sans shoe makes more natural contact with the ground. Without confinement, the foot moves freely, pressure is evenly dispersed among the foot bones and toe muscles contract to grip the ground—incorporating more muscles throughout the rest of the body”.

When you get home from work or college the first thing most of do after opening the door is take of the shoes or boots. We feel more relaxed and comfortable walking around our home without shoes or barefoot. On a humrous note, have you ever seen a dog, cat, or any animal that needs to wear shoes or footwear to walk around?

To make the transition to barefoot training, start out on a flat cushioned surface such as carpet or cushioned tiled flooring. If outside, look for a grassy area free of small stones and debris. You’ll find the experience liberating. No major conflict with common sense. But how do you protect your feet from sharp objects, rough terrain, tough tarmac, razor sharp blades of grass?

One of the leading products for barefoot trainers is the Vibram FiveFingers collection of training shoes which give atheletes the closet experience to training barefoot without actually training barefoot by protecting the sole of the foot and providing a footed grip. And, like Nike, the Vibram barefoot trainer are heavily into design.

If you want to experience barefoot training you try out barefoot trainers. They look odd but you soon get use to them.

Guest Post: Tim McGuire