The Health and Fitness ChannelJune, 2002 IssueYour Truth In Fitness Source
NUTRITION AND HEALTH SECRETSStrength Training is the closest thing to a fountain of youth That's what research conducted by Gary Hunter, PhD, professor of human studies at the University of Alabama's School of Education found. The study found that women as old as age 77 who began training on weight machines increased their physical strength more than 50% within four months. Such strength is vital in preventing debilitating injuries often associated with aging - from gradual weakening and lessening of mobility, to osteoporosis and injuries from falls. The women in the study also increased their walking speed by 18% even though walking was not part of their training. You may be wondering what this has to do with you if you are decades from your retirement years. Let me tell you...plenty! I have first hand experience with the fraility that old age brings on. My father died because of it. You see, although my father was not overweight and ate a healthy diet for as long as I can remember, he never exercised. I vividly remember how weak and slow my father became as the years wore on. This lack of exercise finally caught up with him one day. He tripped,
fell. and broke his hip. While most of us can survive minor trips without
falling, the typical elderly person cannot. Many times a weak and elderly
person just doesn't have the speed And because the years of inactivity caused leaching of calcium from their bones (osteoporosis), most elderly people that fall also break bone(s) in the process, usually their hips. In my fathers case, as well as most other elderly people who fall and break their hips, this usually signals the beginning of the end. In the case of my father he had 2 falls within a years time, breaking his hip each time. After the second fall he never walked again and passed away within the year. I somehow felt responsible not convincing him to exercise, especially knowing what I knew about exercise and how it could increase his strength, vitality, and bone density. When he died I made a promise to myself...I would strive to teach as many people as I could about the positive, life enhancing benefits of exercise. And with this I pass the baton on to you. As you've just learned you can help yourself now and prevent the typical age-related declines in health and vitality. But, don't forget to help and teach your friends and family members of the positive benefits of regular exercise as well. Biomarkers - Keys to Lifelong VitalityAs I mentioned already, weakness and fraility are not inevitable parts of aging. Most often, weakness is due to physical inactivity. If someone has to stay in bed for a while, all of the changes that typically occur with age happen within a matter of days, even if the person is young. These changes include: Shift in the ratio of body fat and muscle mass, in favor of fat. Fortunately, these effects can be halted -- and reversed -- at ANY AGE through physical activity and diet. William J. Evans, PhD, director of the Nutrition, Metabolism and Exercise Laboratory at the University of Arkansass for Medical Sciences coauthored "Biomarkers: The 10 Keys to Prolonging Vitality" In it he says through exercise and sound nutrition you can alter your body's aging process by changing 10 key aspects of good health. He calls these factors biomarkers. BIOMARKERSBiomarker 1: MUSCLE MASS. In general, Americans carry too much
body Reason: People with high ratios of muscle to fat have higher metabolic rates, and don't have to worry a lot about gaining weight. A muscle that is pushed to the limits of its capacity through regular strength training will grow in size significantly, even in elderly people. Biomarker 2: STRENGTH. As we age, we lose the use of some motor units -- groups of muscle fibers that are linked to a certain nerve ending. This neurological loss, along with reduced muscle mass, contributes to some loss of strength as people age. However, studies have shown that age-related declines in strength can be dramatically reduced or reversed with strength training -- elderly people can experience the same gains in muscle size and strength as younger people. Biomarker 3: BASAL METABOLIC RATE. Basal metabolic rate is the
This rate tends to fall with age, reducing your food needs and making weight gain more likely. For instance, the average 70-year-old needs 500 fewer calories a day than the average 25-year-old. This decline, too, is far from inevitable. Research now suggests that this reduction in basal metabolic rate is almost wholly caused by a loss of muscle mass -- a loss that can be reversed by weight training exercise. Biomarker 4: BODY FAT PERCENTAGE. Obesity puts us at risk for other ailments, including heart disease and diabetes. Unfortunately, most of us add fat as we age, even if we haven't gained weight. Again, this is why I advise forgetting about losing weight and concentrating on shedding fat and gaining muscle mass. Do that through a combination of aerobic and strength-building exercises and moderate calorie restriction. Biomarker 5: AEROBIC CAPACITY. Most people's aerobic capacities -- the amount of oxygen the body can process in a given time -- decline with age, typically dropping by 30% or 40% in men and women by age 65. However, this decline is significantly smaller in people who exercise regularly. Intense exercise will almost eliminate any decline at all. Biomarker 6: GLUCOSE TOLERANCE. Glucose tolerance is the body's ability to control blood sugar. This ability tends to decline with age -- often with no visible symptoms -- causing the body's insulin production to rise (in which the overworked pancreas often shuts down and stops producing insulin). By age 70, about 20% of men and 30% of women have an abnormal glucose tolerance, leaving them vulnerable to diabetes, and also contrubuting to high cholesterol, hypertension and heart disease. However, scientists now believe decreased glucose tolerance is caused not by age, but by increased body fat, physical inactivity and a diet rich in saturated fat. Switching to a high-fiber diet, combined with strength training (which increases muscles' sensitivity to insulin), can improve glucose tolerance in a few weeks. Biomarker 7: TOTAL CHOLESTEROL/HDL RATIO. Total cholesterol levels in the US have been dropping steadily since the early 1970's -- but a low total cholesterol level is no guarantee of protection against heart disease. To be safe, you must raise your HDL cholesterol, which works to cleanse your arteries...while lowering LDL cholesterol, which causes waxy buildup in your arteries. Biomarker 8: BLOOD PRESSURE. People in the US tend to have higher
Regular exercise can help you keep blood pressure at safe levels as you get older. Biomarker 9: BONE DENSITY. There is an unavoidable age-related decline in the mineral content of the bones, leaving an older person with a weaker, more brittle skeleton than a younger person. In its extreme form, this is known as osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercise -- such as lifting weights, walking, cycling or running -- can reduce the rate of bone loss, even among post-menopausal women, the group most at risk for osteoporosis. Reason: Exercise fosters the body's absorption of dietary calcium,
which is stored in the bones. A brisk daily walk helps maintain strong
bones. Daily calcium supplements of 1,200 mg also helps. Just remember,
calcium alone will do you Exercise creates this demand. So, when you exercise then supplement with extra calcium you are much more likely to increase your bone density. Without this demand your body is likely to use little if any any extra calcium you ingest. Biomarker 10: TEMPERATURE REGULATION. Our ability to control
our This means cold and hot weather pose a danger to elderly people. To some extent, this can't be avoided. Regular aerobic exercise and interval weight training causes you to sweat more readily whenever you exert yourself, not just during exercise. It also increases your total blood volume -- which will make you less likely to overheat or dehydrate in hot weather. Important: Force yourself to drink during exercise, even if you're not thirsty. BOTTOM LINE: Regular exercise and a proper diet will do wonders for not only your outer physical appearance, but also the quality and length of your life here on earth. Do yourself a favor and make it a goal for yourself to finally start (and stick with for good) an exercise program combined with a good diet. wishing you the best in health and fitness, Harry "Hank" Johnson Jr,
President
Harry is the creator of the "Amazing Fat-Loss/Ultimate Results Program" - the most effective method ever developed for losing fat - It will help you lose fat quicker than anything else available today. If you follow Harry's instructions you will have a lean, muscular or sexy body (it's your choice) in 12 - 15 weeks or less -- guaranteed! ''If you want to look great on the outside AND make sure your
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