EXERCISING WISELY AND SAFELY

EXERCISE MATTERS: THE SAFE, WISE WAY TO BEGIN EXERCISING, WHATEVER YOUR BUDGET

Updated: October 2022

Middle-aged and want to live longer?  The key is exercise, according to Swedish researchers.  They studied more than 200 men over the age of 50 and found it was never too late to start exercising.

According to the BBC  last week, the researchers found those who increased activity from 50-60 ended up living as long as those who were already exercising regularly by middle age.   Moreover, starting to exercise in middle age can prolong life as much as giving up smoking.

                                   *****

ORIGINAL POST

If there is one thing to which I can attribute good health and youthful appearance and energy, it is regular exercise. Our bodies were meant to move. 

My gym has a motto that is prominently displayed: EFFORT IS A CHOICE. 

And it's true, you have to make a choice to take regular exercise.  But more and more research indicates that regular physical activity improves and maintains good health.  Regular exercise: 

• strengthens the body
• calms the mind
• improves moods
• reduces appetite, thereby helping in weight loss
• reduces insomnia 
• maintains mental well-being

Regular exercise doesn't have to be painful physically, financially or emotionally.  There are plenty of ways of getting exercise that don't cost money and which can be incorporated into your day. If you prefer classes, gyms often offer discounts depending on your age, the time of day you're likely to attend and even whether you're an ex-service person.
  

HOW TO EXERCISE

There are two factors to consider (after obtaining your doctor's consent):  the amount of time you exercise and the intensity of the exercise.

The recommended RATE OF EXERCISE is 20-25 minutes a day, 5-6 days a week. This can be taken daily or in one or two spurts a week. 

INTENSITY of exercise is also important.  START FROM WHERE YOU ARE. Be gentle and work up to good pace which continuously improves. After a few months of daily walks, you will be surprised how much further you can walk in 20 minutes.  If using gym machines, start at, say, intensity 2, then increase every month or so until you find the right level (usually around 8-10).  Or, in a 25-minute session, start at 2 and go up by 1 every 5 minutes.    

DISCIPLINE is key.  Develop good habits so that you don't ask yourself whether or not you want to exercise.  Even if it's a struggle, pretend you want and need to exercise,  If you're a morning person, lay out your exercise clothes and shoes the night before and as soon as your alarm rings, put them on, do your ablutions and get on your way. You may not wake up properly until you have done 5 minutes of your routine but at least you're part of the way to the finish line.  If you're an evening person, as soon as you have finished your work or chores, get into your gear and out the door. Don't think about it; just do it. 

LEARN TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.  Sometimes when feeling off-colour, exercise helps if it's done in a lower gear (say, using the rowing machine instead of the cross-trainer). Other times, as with flu, ceasing exercise completely while the body fights off a virus is the best option.  Usually, after 3 or 4 days, the health improves and the body starts clamouring for activity.  To re-start a routine after illness, exercise slower and easier then proceed as normal.  One of the best things you can do for your health is to learn to read your body.  Learn to differentiate between not wanting to exercise and knowing it's a good idea not to exercise!

One thing you need to be aware of -- about three to four months after the start of a regular exercise routine, you may develop a bad cold or  'flu. This is a good sign.  Don't be discouraged.  It's your body saying 'thank you for helping get rid of the toxins you're lugging around'.  Once the bad patch is over, recovery from future colds and 'flu will likely be much faster.    

OPTIMUM EXERCISE TIME.  Are you a morning person?  Do you prefer to get exercise out of the way before starting the working day?.  Would you rather work off the day's stresses before starting for home?  Or do you prefer a lunchtime break to refresh you for the afternoon?  Choose according to your nature.  

EXERCISE GEAR can be expensive but for walking, you only need a decent pair of shoes and a couple of cheap cotton polo necks or cotton shirts to save on dry cleaning bills.  For the gym, a t-shirt and leggings are fine but sturdy shoes are required. 67 hesitates to recommend discount high street sports shops; some of them are badly run.  Testing supermarket gear is difficult as they disappear quickly but maybe that is a recommendation in itself.  Decent branded running shoes can often be found in local markets in cheaper areas at excellent prices.  The shoes are previous years' designs and require careful testing before buying.  Summer and winter department store sales offer good discounts on sports gear.



CHEAP EXERCISE

WALKING is one of the best and simplest ways to exercise and fits easily into anyone's schedule.  Strolling is fine to begin with but work up to a good pace, and swing your arms.  If you want to raise the bar, swing your arms while carrying a small water bottle in each hand and/or strap on some (reasonably priced) starter leg weights.  Try:

• A 20 minute walk through a park, in a safe area at a safe time of the day. (If safety is a big factor, walk just outside the park where there are trees and plenty of traffic and passersby.)  Adding a toddler in a walker or pram works off more calories and will likely help your kids sleep.  
• Try to stop taking local buses; walk at least part of the journey.  
• After work, walk home.  Start by getting off one stop early and gradually increase until you are walking all the way.  Advantage: sloughs off the dramas of the day.  
• Walk to work if you have showers at the office.  Advantage: you get your exercise out of the way and the air is cleaner.
• Form a club of other walkers to or from work for mutual support; walking one way can save money on transport

Clearly, walking in England requires a foldable brolly, a good backpack and possibly plastic overshoes.  

JOGGING
There is nothing like being 'in the zone' and feeling like a gazelle, whether jogging in the fresh air or on a treadmill!.  There are plenty of free or low-cost running tracks in London.    

OUTDOOR GYMS
Most councils, especially in low-income areas, have installed outdoor gyms near council housing.  They are free and probably more suitable for people in the early stages of getting fit than those who are already fit.  Get organised: find other people who want to use the machinery and ask your council (probably more than once) to send someone to demonstrate the equipment.  

INDOOR GYMS
I love my gym - it has great personnel, lots of machinery and good showers.  And I get a substantial 'golden oldie' discount allowing me entry from 06.30 to 15.30.  Most gyms offer excellent off-peak prices but some don't allow entry until 0930.  Some gyms run special exercise programmes for older people or for those recovering from illness.  All gyms include some form of instruction in the use of exercises machines as part of their fees.

AT HOME
There are plenty of exercise dvds available, often from local libraries, and there's YouTube.  But you really need a separate room or garden if you're planning to exercise regularly at home.  If that's not possible, throw open the windows, burn at least one candle during the session and be prepared to invest in room freshener.  Water bottles make great weights.  Something as cheap as a hula hoop brings great results if used for 20 minutes a day!   

AND...don't be a couch potato!  Get up and move every twenty minutes. If you're watching telly, do something during commercial breaks.  Make a cup of tea.  Wash up.  Do head rolls or shoulder rolls.  Work your biceps with small bottles of water.  


Good luck!  Exercise should be like brushing your teeth -- you won't feel right unless it's a part of your routine.  


Remember: You can start at any stage of life to improve your health but take into account your own habits and body. 

CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE EMBARKING ON ANY EXERCISE. 

This week's recipes are great in this cold weather:  

• Who Needs Tins Hearty Tomato Soup (a DDD - double duty dish for both meat eaters and vegetarians)
• Skinny cheese on toast
• Pear, ginger and blueberry with skinny crumble topping

B Lee/Bright Sun Enterprises accept no liability for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.