Fit Living

Exercising, even moderately, can significantly reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, a condition that increases heart disease and diabetes risk, among older adults, according to a study.

The six-month study involved over 100 people between the ages of 55 and 75. Half were "prescribed" exercises ranging from weightlifting to walking, which were performed for one hour, three times a week. The other participants were given a booklet that encouraged increased activity to promote good health.

Some 43 percent of participants had metabolic syndrome when the study began. At the end of six months, the following results were observed among the exercise group:

* No new cases of metabolic syndrome developed
* Metabolic syndrome resolved in nine people for a total reduction of 41 percent

In the control group:

* Eight people had their metabolic syndrome resolve
* Four new cases of metabolic syndrome developed, resulting in a total reduction of 18 percent

Metabolic syndrome, to which older people are prone, involves a number of factors including:

* Excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen
* High levels of unhealthy cholesterol in the blood
* Raised blood pressure
* An inability to use sugar in the blood properly

Each factor increases the risk of disease, but when all the factors are combined they represent a significant risk for developing heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

Researchers said the reduction in cases of metabolic syndrome was linked strongly to reductions in total and abdominal body fat and increases in muscle leanness, rather than to improved fitness.

They concluded that older people can reduce their risk of metabolic syndrome by adding exercise into their lives, and added that exercise can even be as effective as drugs in improving the condition.

Discussing the topic of exercise, especially around those in the Baby Boomer generation, can be dicey. Most seniors understand how valuable exercise can be in improving the quality of their lives as well as lengthening them. Unfortunately, reality paints a very different and harsher picture of Baby Boomer health during their golden years.

Take, for example, retirees who worked tirelessly for decades just to have the opportunity to hit a golf ball - barring wind, rain and snow - every day. A 2006 survey of amateur golfers found some two-thirds of the mostly male respondents were overweight, but only 54 percent of them admitted it. What's more, almost a third of the golfers polled couldn't finish 18 holes due to an existing ailment.

Golf, like tennis, softball or bowling, need not be a grueling endurance test for Baby Boomers. (More about improving your golf game later.) But, you'd better start fast! Evidence is mounting, healthy habits of fifty-somethings -- or lack thereof -- reliably predict how they will feel heading toward age 80.

The good news: the fate of your health and golf game is literally in your hands, if you're willing to make the necessary lifestyle changes. So, how do you stay away from becoming a member of the 50 percent club who starts an exercise program only to give it up in a year?

The key to succeeding is all in the preparation. What follows are some simple, common sense tips that will make this transition to a healthier you a much smoother one.

1. Quit making excuses about being too busy, bored, hurt or inexperienced to make time for exercise.

2. Schedule an appointment with your doctor to get moving in the right direction. Although still rare, the number of physicians prescribing exercise to extend life and fight disease in America is growing. And it's effective, according to a recent study of some 4,300 sedentary patients in Spain. Among the 2,200 Spanish patients who received prescriptions for exercise, more of them reported increased physical activity than those who didn't receive one. One caveat: experts believe a customized, personalized exercise regimen prescribed by a doctor does far more good than general advice alone.

3. You get a better outcome if you pay attention to how this lifestyle change makes you feel, than if you concentrate solely on your appearance. This was shown in a study of group fitness by the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at East Carolina University.

4. Don't try to make up for years of inactivity in one session. Listen to your body and don't overdo it on the first day.

5. Don't short-change this important investment by going cheap. Invest in the proper equipment, starting with good shoes; take lessons or get a trainer.

6. Walking is an effective and inexpensive way to start an exercise program.

7. Better eating habits are just as vital to improving your overall health as getting the right amount of exercise. Depending on diet alone over exercise may cause your body to lose valuable muscle mass as well as fat. Portion control is key.

8. Getting the right amount of sleep is also critical. There are risks associated with getting too much or too little, according to a number of studies released at this year's meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. Collectively, the studies support existing evidence that those who regularly get fewer than five hours of sleep, or more than nine, may be putting themselves at risk for a host of ills including diabetes, obesity, and premature death.

9. Consider joining your fellow Baby Boomers at the gym. Since 1990, health club memberships among the 55-and-over set have multiplied by a factor of five, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association.

10. Make fun an important part of any exercise plan you prepare, whether it means working out with a friend, listening to your favorite music or that next book with a MP3 player or mixing up your routine by indulging in a sport you used to play, like golf.

More baby boomers over 40 years of age are exercising regularly

More and more people, who are over fifty or those born in 1946 to 1964 (the baby boomers), are realizing the benefits of taking up some form of sports or exercising regularly in a gym. They are much more aware that regular exercise and gym workouts not only slow down the aging process but will also give them more years of active lifestyle and a better quality of life.

This is well and good as exercising regularly severely cut down the risks of getting age and obesity related diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, some forms of cancers which can be potentially fatal. Nobody likes to die young if they can help it and over fifties baby boomers know it.

It is heartening to know that more over fifties babyboomer are taking charge of their health by exercising and working out regularly so as to improve their lives and are becoming fitter, healthier and stronger. Many are so successful with exercising that they do not look or feel their age. However, with more middle aged people exercising and playing some form of sports, instances of injuries sustained from these exercise related activities have risen substantially. Partly due to ignorance and partly to nonchalant attitudes.

In the United States, these gym or sports injuries have become the number 2 reason for people visiting the doctor’s office, with the common cough and cold at the number 1 position, as reported by the National Ambulatory Medical Care in 2003.

A Consumer Product Safety Commission research in 1998 found that sports related injuries to over 50s baby boomers had risen by 33 percent since 1991 and contributed to US$18.7 billion in medical costs.

That is a lot of money and the money can be saved if the baby boomers make simple efforts to avoid workout injuries.

Outdoor sports such as tennis, jogging and golf are very popular with people over forties. Not to be outdone, the more body conscious baby boomers are joining gym memberships and working out with weights in droves for the sake of looking younger and more beautiful. Of course the health benefits come as a bonus.

Gyms in all developed countries are exuberantly reporting skyrocketing sales in new gym memberships year after year with a large pool of their members being the over forties baby boomers brigade. Males and females alike, the baby boomers are trying hard to slow down the aging process because they now have more disposable income, free time and better health education than their predecessors did.

As over fifties baby boomers get older, their susceptibility to sports injuries rise proportionately. As people age, their body degenerate along with their age, although exercising regularly is supposed to slow down this very degeneration process.

This is particularly so for the risky weekend warriors who take to the running tracks or lifting weights to build their body with gusto only during weekends, putting their aging bodies and joints to sudden busts of unaccustomed stressful activities, ignorantly causing severe stress and damages to their own bodies.

What are the common over 50s baby boomer’s sports injuries?

* Shoulder injuries – Common for those playing squash, tennis, badminton and lifting weights in the gym using wrong form and techniques. Our shoulders are the most unstable joints in our body and that is why extra care must be taken when exercising the shoulders.

* Elbow injuries – People who play racket games and bodybuilders especially those whose are focusing on building big arms.

* Back injuries – A very common occurrence in the gym amongst baby boomer bodybuilder wannabes. Also a common injury for golfers who often have to swing their spine to hit the golf balls.

* Knee injuries – For over 40s baby boomers who participate in sports with sudden movements and changes of directions such as squash, rugby and soccer.

* Ankle injuries - Usually afflicting the middle aged runners, joggers and robust sport participants.

How to avoid the risks of sports injuries for the over forties baby boomers?

Common sense though the answers are, it is uncommon to see the over forties baby boomers doing them.

* Thorough warm of the muscles and joints which will be involved in the exercise or sport about to be undertaken.

* Stretching adequately and correctly. Most people stretch in the wrong manner which then may cause even more injuries.

* Take the exercises or sports intensity one step at a time, then as your stamina and strength improve over time, you can then increase the intensity of the sport or the exercise. Rest in between days to let your body recuperate, recharge and heal after all the rigorous bashing.

* By exercing regularly, not just at weekends. Do not be a weekend warrior. Your body may not be able to cope with the sudden outburst and battering that you inflict on it each weekend.

* Engage a professional sports fitness personal trainer who can tailor an exercise program suitable to your health condition and guide you safely through the exercises. Remember that you are not that young anymore.

So baby boomers, don't become a victim of your exercises. You want to be fit and healthy, not suffering from pain and despondency from what could have been an enjoyable game or healthy sporting activity. Yes. For those of us who are over 50s, sport and workout injuries can be avoided and we can enjoy our exercises, freedom from pain and immobility.

As I’ve said before, the Adrenal Glands release Cortisol during stress. High Cortisol levels cause decreased cognitive function, meaning you can’t concentrate. You have brain “fog”, and you are unable to stay on task.

It is important for busy, stressed people to realize that if your stress continues and your adrenal glands continue to produce Cortisol every day, your memory will start to fail and deteriorate. Your ability to perform intellectually and stay on task will also decline.

A report by Newcomer et al (Archive of General Psychiatry, 56, 527-533) shows that high levels of Cortisol , the stress hormone, interfere with verbal declarative memory. The subjects were asked to listen and recall parts of a prose paragraph. The study involved three groups:

1. High-steroid group – Subjects were given 160 mg of Cortisol/day for 4 days. These levels are similar to a person experiencing a major stress, such as abdominal surgery

2. Low-steroid group – Subjects were given 40 mg/day for 4 days. This is the level seen in people experiencing minor physical stress such as the removal of stitches.

3. Placebo group – sugar tablets each day for 4 days.

The subjects were asked to recall a paragraph read to them. The high Cortisol group was the only group unable to recite any parts of the paragraph, nor could they summarize it. They had progressive disruption and decline in memory. These effects were not permanent, and their performance returned to normal after they stopped taking the hormone.

So yes, in fact, stress will make you stupid!

All of us have set goals at one time or another that we just couldn’t reach. Whether it be personal or professional, often it just seems that something within us gets in the way of success, and we settle for less than what we really deserve.

I heard a wonderful speaker recently who gave some great tips on “stopping self-sabotage.” Pat Pearson has just written a book called Stop Self-Sabotage: Get Out of Your Own Way to Earn More Money, Improve Your Relationships, and Find the Success You Deserve, and I was fortunate to hear her talk about the subject. Here are some of her valuable tips for success.

Pat says we need to create a higher “Deserve Level,” casting away our self-defeating thoughts that get in our way. There are four components to your Deserve Level:

1. Belief system– the “chatter” in your head, the good vs the bad. When you spend your time focusing on the bad (what you can’t do) then you don’t have the energy for the good things. Energy follows thought, and what you think about expands in your life. So expand the good, shrink the bad.
2. Your level of self-esteem–Self esteem is the unconditional acknowledgment of who you are. Think of it as being loved by others, and loving yourself, for who you are, just because you are you. When a parent told you when you were young that you could do anything just because of who you were, that was a self-esteem builder. SelfEsteemforWomen.com says “There are many reasons why women suffer from low self-esteem. Perceived lack of self-worth, uncontrollable jealousy, relationship break-ups, high levels of anxiety or stress, inability to think positively, mild depression, and MANY other issues affect the self-esteem of millions of women every day.”
3. Self-confidence–this is not the same as self esteem. It is conditional, based on what you’ve done and how successful you have been. The more success you have, the more self-confidence you have.
4. Permission from your past–We have been programmed from the time we were very young to believe there were things we could and couldn’t do, that we were like certain people, or that we couldn’t do certain things because we “were girls.” So you must get out of your own way, get past the things that were drilled in to your mind that are inhibiting you, and give yourself permission to succeed.

Pat says there are five sabotages that we fall prey to.

1. Throwing it away–because you don’t believe you deserve it, you never try to achieve it
2. Resignation–you give up before you even start because you perceive that the obstacle are too great
3. Denial–you don’t even recognize the opportunity as a possibility
4. Settling–you settle for less because you think you don’t deserve the best
5. Fatal flaw–perfectionism, procrastination, addictions and narcissism get in the way of success

To turn yourself around, you must take charge of your “self talk.” Self sabotage is rooted in fear of failure, so give yourself affirmations and believe what you say! When you notice yourself going negative, say to yourself “STOP” And if you can’t give yourself encouragement, just hang out with a few girlfriends who will feed your soul.

I say: Believe that you are worthy of excellence, just because you are you. Flourish in your life after 50, cast away your self-defeating thoughts and get ready to soar to new heights!