The Principle of Elderly Fitness

How do old people do scientific bodybuilding? They should follow the following principles. For old people, aerobic exercise should come first. What is aerobic exercise? Simply speaking, it is kind of sports activities with moderate intensity. Strictly speaking, heart rate should reach 70% to 75% of the highest rate when doing aerobic exercise.

There are aerobic exercise programs suitable for elderly people: jogging, going quickly, swimming, dancing, mountaineering, climbing stairs, riding a bicycle and doing some ball games. The characteristics of these projects can be long time or short time, breathing more averagely. According to body condition, people can also talk with companions when doing exercise. If people master appropriate intensity without physical fatigue the effect of exercise will not be so good, but excessive fatigue will bring adverse effects to the body.

But how do people master appropriate intensity? Judging from the appearance, after the activity people have no obvious asthma, no uncomfortable tachycardia feelings, and have increased appetite, improved sleep, after the next morning, blood pressure and pulse is stable. In general, it is kind of normal phenomenon when people restore themselves after 24 hours exercise.

Generally speaking, every day people stick to 1 hour of physical activity, or travel 5,000 to 6,000 steps, they can achieve fitness. Doing exercise should go step by step. Each day, people walk gradually from 30 paces to 6000 steps and do not feel tired. People seldom feel asthma when climbing stairs. All above can prove fitness effect. We generally recommend suitable heart health assessment methods to objectively evaluate exercise, especially for old people reducing 170 formulas after movement. For example, a 60 year old person is safer when his heart beats keep in 110 times per minute after exercise (reduced to 60 by 170).

Remember to maintain a balanced diet. Balanced diet is the material base of scientific bodybuilding. Food nutrients contain indispensable sugar, protein, fat, vitamin, mineral and trace element, cellulose and water etc. Prandial balance includes amino acids, heat, nutrients, acid and alkali, etc.

Old people bodybuilding should notice the age limitation. We know high technology can help maintain peak condition, however, with the age keeping climbing, Physiological aging inevitably takes place. People understand their own age limitation and choose the most suitable method so as to continue the better fitness effect.

To find out more about fitness, learn more at Elderly Fitness.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Yang_Moon

Stay Fit and Healthy - Stay Fit After 50

Stay fit and healthy in your 50s

The dreaded 5-O, you've had the celebrations, endured the old people jokes, now you must look ahead at the next 30-40 years.

You may already experience health issues, if not you are certainly aware the risk greatly increases of adverse health issues when you're over the 50 age milestone.

Significant events start to occur in your life now. Loss of parents, and relatives and friends of their generation. You've probably got as far as you'll ever get in your career. You may feel vulnerable with all the career graduates making decisions that affect you.

Your children will have left or about to leave home, and you may even be a grandparent. This could make you feel positively old.

But, you don't need to face your 50s with fear and trepidation. Balance all the negative feelings with positive ingredients and you have the recipe for a rewarding life, and one to look forward to in your 50s and beyond.

Here are 5 suggestions to help you re-invent your outlook as you move into your 50s:

Stay fit and healthy

Your first priority is to stay fit and healthy, you then have the energy to do everything else. Exercise and diet. Yes, there are much more interesting things to do than concern yourself with exercise and diet, but you don't need to become fanatical.

Exercise needs to be a fitness activity you enjoy - walking, gardening, cycling, running, yoga or any activity that leaves you feeling out of breath and your heart pumping faster.

Ensure your diet contains fibre, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Scale down on junk food, and red meat. Watch the calories in what you eat. Limit consumption of food and drink high in sugar and saturated fats. And, drink lots of water.

Family and Friends

Make time for family and friends. This takes effort and probably not one of your high priorities, but you will feel better having made the effort.

Hold a dinner party with close friends where you all dress in black tie and evening dresses. Hold the party in your home to keep costs and ask your friends to bring wine or dessert. You all have a great time without it costing your fortune. Aim to do this two or three times a year so you have something to look forward to.

Volunteer

Volunteer for a community cause or your favourite charity. Follow their activities on the web and write encouraging emails and observations if you aren't in position to play an active role volunteering.

Your Biography

Ok, you're not a famous celebrity but your family, especially children and future grandchildren would love to know what life was like for you growing up. Your fears, aspirations, disappointments and achievements will mean a great deal to your children and grandchildren as you get older.

Stay fit and healthy, activate your brain

Find activities that stimulate your brain. Reading, Chess, Sudoku or playing or learning to play a musical instrument, even something as inexpensive as an acoustic guitar will keep you engaged and active mentally. There is research that shows that an active mind can reduce the risk of developing conditions like Alzheimer’s.

Staying fit and healthy in your 50s means you can have the life you want rather than the life you get.

Guest Post: Tim McGuire

Looking for a Home Gym to Stay Fit?

Buying  a Home Gym.

Purchasing a home gym is a considerable investment as they cost more than most individual machines. If you have the space, and it doesn't take much, a home gym can be a worthwhile investment.

A home gym is ultimately the ideal setting for achieving your workout goals. Working out at home and building a home gym is a great idea since it is so convenient.

What you should look for in a home gym is one that allows you to target all your muscles groups. It defeats the purpose if you still have to go to your local gym because your home is deficient at allowing you to exercise one or more muscle groups.

Questions to ask before buying a home gym

Deciding on acquiring a home gym is not an overnight decision. You’ve already thought of where you are going to locate it in your home. A garage? You need to clear space and make it attractive so you look forward to using the home gym there. A spare room? This is the ideal, if you have one. In the absence of these options you will need to create space.

So what are your choices? Stick to known brands, probably more expensive but replacement parts and additional items will be much easier to acquire.
So where do you start?

Bowflex Blaze Home Gym

 Checkout the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym. It gets a 4.5 star rating on Amazon. You get 60 exercise routines to try out so it will take a long time before you get bored. For Just under a $1000, you get a quality machine.

 This home gym is for muscle workouts and general fitness but it doesn’t offer the benefits of say a good quality cross trainer. If you need to practice cardio routines you need to think of some alternatives like boxing or running to get your heart rate up. If this is your first venture into the home gym market checkout the Bowflex Blaze.

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Did you keep your new year's resolution to stay fit?

Do you ever get that guilty feeling where you know should exercise or complete that workout, especially when you recall your new year resolutions? The ones about getting fit and stay fit? There’s one month to go until 2013 is history, so how are you doing? If you’re like me, the answer is – not very well.

Living in the UK, spring and summer was reasonable so there was no real reason for procrastinating. My exercise regime of choice is cycling. I met up with a friend who has just got back into cycling. Something he did in his youth. He now cycles around 30 miles on a single trip. But, how does he maintain the required level of fitness to cycle such, at least to me, large distances even if the weather isn’t ideal?

I was hoping to hear an excuse like, ‘I wait until the weather is great for cycling’, I didn’t hear that. What I did hear was, ‘I have a cycle roller trainer so I can still practice cycling and maintain my fitness level’.

I did some research to find out what the market is like for cycle roller machines and found you can buy one in the UK for as little as £70 if you choose to buy the Tacx Trainer. But, as with most things the price increases as the quality increases. For a top quality machine you would be looking at paying around £400 for a machine like the Bkool Turbo Trainer. Winter is rapidly approaching so now would be a great time to investigate investing in a cycle roller machine/trainer. When the year ends, you will get a little satisfaction knowing you kept your resolve to do what you promised to do at the beginning of 2013.

Then again you could always sing yourself to fitness and health with Tabata Workout music.

How Dancing For Fitness May Help You Stay Fit

Many people these days are quickly learning that there are far more entertaining ways to get in shape versus doing it through more traditional and often boring methods. Due to this, many individuals are starting to turn towards dancing for fitness, which can be an excellent way to have fun and to get in shape.

Many people assume that exercise has to be the cut-and-dry options that have been thrown at people for decades, when that's not always the case. In fact, there are numerous activities that can often be just as beneficial as traditional aerobics, running, walking and so forth. However, one that many people aren't always aware of as being one of those options is dancing.

When people look at a dancer, they easily note their slim, toned and long silhouette form. While many dancers do work hard for this, a lot of their being in shape can simply come down to dancing and their love and dedication to dance.

Believe it or not, dancing is something that's not only a great cardiovascular routine, but it's also something that can incorporate muscle-toning as well, helping to make it a great, all-around exercise method for many. This is due to the number of muscles that are often used in order to perform certain moves and to control them in a fluid motion, often with the goal of maintaining a good amount of muscle control and resistance.

When it comes to exercise in general, a lot of people tend to fall into the trap of doing something that they're not as likely to stick to. This is often due to becoming bored or the routine simply being too tedious and repetitive. As a result, many tend to give up, even over the most popular exercise fads. However, dancing is something that many people enjoy and have for ages, even as a hobby or for the sake of entertainment. This helps to make it something that people can willingly stick to.

There are numerous dance-related classes that a person can take, and there are even videos that can be used in the comfort of one's home. Some are even catered on a more fitness-based level. Another great thing about dancing as a form of exercise is the fact that it's versatile, thanks to the many different styles of heart-pounding routines to choose from, down to more graceful and slow-paced options as well.

There are plenty of styles to choose from, even for those who are after the optimum calorie-burning routines. For example, many people find that belly dancing, hula, Latin-based styles and others can burn similar calories to what one might find with high-impact aerobics or while going to a gym class.

In the end, fitness dance can be a great option for those who are looking for new ways to get motivated and to stay in shape. Not only do many people find it to be effective, but also enjoyable, increasing their chances to look forward to the next time.

Toronto salsa classes - Looking to meet new people, get fit or spark a romance? Toronto Dance Salsa offers Toronto dance lessons for students of all ages.

Guest Contributor:Adriana N

How to Change Your Metabolism to Lose Weight & Stay Fit

It is possible to change your metabolism to lose weight, specifically your basal metabolic rate, or the amount of energy in the form of calories needed by your body when at rest. The problem with those that overeat and carry out little exercise is that fat tends to lower your basal metabolic rate, so the very fact that you are relatively inactive and fat reduces your need for energy when sleeping and so accelerates the conversion of excess energy into fat.

When you are born, your body contains a discrete number of fat cells which can be either empty or full, or anything in between. Fat has a use in your metabolism in that it provides your body with a long-term emergency store of energy. You short-term energy stores are creatine phosphate and glycogen, but in times of food shortage and famine your body goes to its emergency fat store to keep it supplied with the carbohydrate needed to maintain your basal metabolic rate.

This is what keeps your heart pumping, your lungs breathing and your brain and nervous system operating to maintain life, and without this emergency store that we refer to as 'fat', the human race would not have survived. Unfortunately, fat stores are not included in the concept of 'beauty' by most of the human race, and can also put a strain on the heart and help block the arteries that your blood circulation depends upon.

Therefore it is important from a medical aspect that your fat reserves should be kept as low as possible in this modern world, particularly in the rich West where famines are rare. It is also regarded as a social benefit to look slim, so most people are healthier both physiologically and mentally when they do not look fat. Our success as a species has led to fat stores being redundant, but not to a reduced appetite!

It is possible to change your metabolism to lose weight, because your metabolic rate is dependent on the amount of muscle tissue your body contains and on your general level of activity. By becoming generally more active and by increase the ratio of muscle tissue to fat, you can increase your basal metabolic rate and use up more calories while at rest. A more active lifestyle will make it easier for you to lose weight, not only because activity expends energy in the form of calories, but because your basal metabolic rate also increases.

A fit body will use up more calories on a daily basis than an unfit one with excessive fat stores. That's why many athletes appear to be able to eat so much without putting on weight and without feeling full. It is because their metabolism is working faster and using up more energy than someone that does not live such a healthy lifestyle.

Another factor is that muscle tissue needs more energy to feed it than fatty tissue does. The more muscle bulk you develop, then the more energy you need even when resting. The best way to change your metabolism to lose weight is to build up your muscle tissue by means of anaerobic exercises such as lifting weights, and also to increase your general fitness level through aerobic exercise: walking, jogging, aerobics and circuit training - that sort of thing.

Between the two you will change your metabolism significantly and so use up more excess energy, not only during exercise, but also while you rest. More of the calories in the food you eat will be used up just in maintaining your circulation, breathing, digestion and so on, and you will find that you have to diet less in order to lose weight - or maintain a sensible diet to lose weight faster.

When you try to change your metabolism by increasing the amount of muscle tissue in your body, you will find it easier if you eat more protein in your diet. A sensible diet would include colored fruits and vegetables and lots of protein, or protein supplements. Your body will break down the protein into carbohydrates and amino acids in order to use the carbs as an energy source, and the amino acids will be used to build more muscle tissue. The fruits and vegetables help maintain a healthy intake of antioxidants and other phytochemicals important to your health.

This is important because a diet that is short of carbohydrates without you taking a protein supplement would turn to its own muscle tissue as a source of carbohydrates. These carbohydrates are converted to glucose in your system, glucose and oxygen being the two major raw materials needed for the generation of energy in the form of nature's own battery: adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Less ATP is needed to service a body higher in fatty tissue and more for protein and muscle tissue. So if you want to lose weight naturally, then build up more muscle tissue, reduce the amount of fat in your body and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Your basal metabolic rate will increase, and less carbohydrate will be spare to form fat.

Rachel Tan

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How can I get rid of a headache, staying healthy

I’m sure the last thing you feel like doing if you have a headache is put on your trainers, get your coat and venture out for a brisk walk for 20 or 30 minutes.

If you’re like most people, you reach out for the packet of Paracetamol, Ibuprofen of Advil to get rid of that annoying headache. Going out for a walk is the last thing on your mind.

Medicine not the only way

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) which offers subsidised and even free medication to UK residents spent £61m (GBP) in 2011 on Paracetamol and £20m (GBP) on prescriptions for Ibuprofen.

The huge volume in sales of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen alone is testimony to their effectiveness at getting rid of headaches. But, these tablets can wreak havoc on your liver if not taken with care, which is one of the reasons shops in the UK restrict the amount you can purchase.

A much cheaper alternative, and can be as effective as off the shelf medication is going out for a brisk walk.

A Walk

Why a walk? One reason is that staying at home or in your office can trigger or compound your headaches. Dust mites, air fresheners and other chemical compounds in the air can contribute to your headaches, but dissipated in the atmosphere outside.

Walking can clear your head, especially where stress is a contributing factor. A brisk walk outside gets the blood flowing to your brain, providing it with more nourishment than it would get if you just sat in your armchair or went for a lie down.

The blood provides the oxygen and glucose and helps remove the carbon dioxide and urea, effectively cleaning your brain. You also get a burst of super neurotransmitters more commonly known as endorphins. These endorphins help give you that, ‘I’m on top of the world feeling’ or, ‘I’m in control feeling’.

So, the next time you feel like reaching for that packet of Paracetamol, Ibuprofen or Advil, ask what would my brain prefer? More chemicals from tablets, or a healthy dose of a supply of oxygen and glucose?

Body part insurance, is it worth it?

I accept I'm never going to play sports professionally, as it's already a struggle get fit and stay healthy.

Many sports professionals insure parts of their anatomy as in many cases these are ‘tools of their trade.

We already know superstars like Dolly Parton, Gene Simmons, Jennifer Lopez and Eileen Flatley take out insurance policies on their chests, feet and bums.

But sports professionals would have their earning ability severely limited if they broke a leg and the terms of their contract meant a drop in earnings if they can't play a game. This would be the same as a taxi driver losing his vision or, a designer losing the use of her hands.

Body part(s) insurance provides financial cover if you suffer damage that results in loss in your earning ability.

Body part insurance only covers the specific part of you anatomy mentioned in the policy so is different from a regular life or disablement insurance policy which may have a small amount of cover for loss of limbs.

Body part insurance can be expensive, compared to more conventional insurance and certain conditions will be put in place. You will need to take extra care of the body part specifically insured to limit the risk of damage or injury to that part. For example, an insurer may ask that you wear certain trainers if you are an athlete or limit your involvement in more dangerous sports.

How much does it cost? “There is not a set cover value for individual limbs, because premiums are calculated on an individual basis in order to take the policy holder's career and lifestyle into account, the risks to which their body part is exposed, and the extent to which damage to their body part would affect their income”, according to http://www.monetos.co.uk/insurance/body-insurance/body-part/purchasing/

The premiums are high, the conditions are strict. Proving an injury to a limb will leave you X pounds or X dollars out pocket, for the next 5 or 10 years, will be an uphill struggle. Attractive as the idea of body part insurance may sound, the most prudent advice might be, player beware.