It is quickly becoming more important to aging adults to perform every day tasks easily and with little effort. However, without proper exercise this is not easy. People are finding it difficult and even impossible to stoop, bend or kneel. The prevention of this is exactly why I do what I do! I train the older adult population to become more effective at these seemingly simple tasks.
Hormones play a vital role in aging. Specifically these 4:
1. Cortisol - which has a party with fat cells in the abdominal region if you are not careful as you age. Cortisol is released during fight or flight response i.e. too much stress.
2. Growth Hormone - this hormone keeps the body lean and a mean fighting machine. As we age this hormone minimizes and causes things like aging skin, muscle tissue, and just making one look and feel old or young.
3. Estrogen - as women age this hormone diminishes and brings on menopause (mood swings, hot flashes, loss of sex drive, etc). This is what makes the older woman moody and gives menopause a bad name.
4. Testosterone - as men age this hormone diminishes and brings on minimizing muscle mass, increase in body fat, mood swings, and loss of sex drive, etc. This is the same thing for a man and similar to women's menopause. Some call it man-opause.
How can we prevent these hormonal imbalances? There is one simple answer, really two.
1. High Intensity Exercise and High Intensity Strength Training.
2. Quality sleep.
Exercise must be:
*Moderate- to high-intense
*Provide overload stimulus for all muscle groups.
*Walking is most "functional" Recommended to walk 4–7 times per week (3.3–4.2 METs, 3–4 miles per hour)
*Recommend a weekly exercise volume goal of 150–180 minutes, with each session being longer than 10 minutes.
* Your program should last at least 12 weeks. Longer programs are even more successful.
--For example, 16 weeks of resistance training will increase exercise-induced growth hormone response, and programs lasting more than 24 weeks will significantly increase muscular performance (Godfrey & Blazevich 2004).
I wrote this blog post from my recent continuing education program. I wrote it in laymen's terms. :)
If you'd like me to design a program for you I can. Feel free to contact me at kathiesfitblog@gmail.com. Or check out my senior fitness programs in my online store.
For more information you can read this detailed article here.
As always, In health and until next time! Kathie
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