Senior Health Connection newsletter Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital Center April 2011 Fitness for Older Adults Throughout time men have searched for the fountain of youth, today we know that the fountain does exist. Research has discovered that keeping active and remaining fit can help to keep us feeling younger and delay illness or disabilities as we grow older. The benefits of physical activity extends throughout life and can improve several health conditions. We know that physical activity reduces risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. You have probably discussed the benefits of physical fitness with your health care provider. Strength training is an important part of physical activity. Strength training is crucial to building and maintaining muscle. You will truly "lose it" if you don't use it; to keep from losing muscle, you need to use resistance training with weights, bands, or your own body weight. Besides making you stronger, maintaining and building muscle is good for your metabolism, helps to keep you from falling by improving your balance, prevents injury, and makes you feel happier. You should check with your doctor about how your health conditions might effect your ability to be active before you begin your strength training workout. When starting an exercise program start slow with low-intensity exercises. Warm up with easy rhythmic moves and low-intensity exercises. Drink water before, during and after your workout. Most important; listen to your body, it will tell you when you need to slow down or stop. Here are some simple strength training guidelines. • Plan 2 to 3 days per week, with a day off between sessions to let your muscles recover. • Begin with 1 exercise set per muscle group, with 8 to 12 repetitions per set. Build up to 3 sets per muscle group. Rest for 30 seconds between sets. • Your intensity should feel moderate. If the weight is too easy increase your resistance. Don't hold your breath while lifting weights. • To prevent unhealthy muscle imbalances and prevent injury, be sure to work all your major muscle groups. • Finish your workout session by stretching the muscles you have worked out. Go slow and easy. Stretch only to the point where you feel mild tension in the muscle you are stretching. For exercise and stretching illustrations go to: www.selecthealth.org/getfit 55