Have you achieved Senior Fitness for Life status? It’s never too late to start—even for Super Seniors like me (persons over 70 years.) As a Super Senior, I know what that requires: commitment, time, and certainly dedication. The results are measurable, but not only by the bathroom scale and the tape measure.
There are key senior fitness benchmarks to aim for. The really important results show up internally, and can be seen as improved lab results. Here are some benchmarks.
Senior Fitness Benchmarks
- Increased bone density
- Lowered heart rate
- Lowered blood pressure
- Reduced cholesterol levels
- Better balance
- Greater endurance
- Stronger heart muscle
- Lower body fat percentage
- Added muscle mass
- Improved and deeper sleep
- Reduced risk of Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s
- Increased self-confidence
- Increased mental and physical energy
Yes, those are lofty goals and some seniors may be skeptical that they can achieve any of them. But the truth is―and history shows many examples―we can change our life at any age. Most seniors can achieve Senior Fitness and with some dedication and consistency, they can achieve it in less than two years. How?
Vigorous Exercise
I think most senior women, and many men as well, must decide what’s “vigorous” for them. What it usually means to doctors is activities that raise the heart rate to 60 percent or more of maximum. That is sweat level. And yes, it can be hard, especially at first. But you know it doesn’t have to be punishing for it to be effective. All you need to do is start moving by walking, swimming, or even dancing.
I started exercising later in life, with small efforts, and minimum time in the gym. It has built up over the last few years. Now, I (almost) enjoy working out, and I get more results in less time.
I’m often in and out of the gym in a half-hour. That includes a 10-minute warm up on a cardio machine, and 20 minutes of intensive weightlifting on machines and barbells. I don’t spend two hours on vigorous exercise a day like Rob does. (But I will easily spend two hours playing tennis or Pickleball, and because it’s so much fun, the time flies!)
For most seniors, the key is to regularly engage in sports or an exercise that brings pleasure, fun, AND works muscles, heart, and mind. That can be gardening, dancing, or playing Frisbee with the grandkids.
For Rob and me, it’s tennis and now Pickleball. That usually means playing two hours. If power walking with a friend or Fido gets your heart rate up, then that’s vigorous exercise, as long as you do it for at least 20 minutes. That’s how heart monitors and step trackers help. Trackers show if we’re really getting enough exercise or just fooling ourselves.
You can’t get around aging, but you can avoid debilitating diseases and frailty. Exercise is medicine. And it’s free!
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