Exercise to Stay Vibrant

You can only enjoy your retirement as long as your body holds out. We all know how critically important it is to maintain & constantly improve the state of our health. And we know how important flexibility is to our future years. Some days it’s just hard to get out of the Lazy Boy and get active, but we know that the investment of a little time and effort into our bodies will pay great dividends in the future.

Studies at well respected institutions have shown that maintaining a good level of activity is the very best health insurance that a retiree can get!

The secret to being able to do this is to find some activity that we really enjoy doing and then doing it regularly. That way, exercise won’t become a chore and we will even look forward to our daily activities. Among these activities are:

Taking a Walk

Riding a Bike

Playing a round of Golf or a set of Tennis

Working out at a gym

Swimming

Participating in a sport

Dancing

Yoga

etc, etc, etc...

In most cases, these things don’t cost much. In fact they cost considerably less than dealing with the rigors of the aging process. It matters less what activity you find interesting and fun and more than that YOU DO SOMETHING TO STAY ACTIVE!

To get the most out of your personal program, it must consist of:

1. Stretching motions to flex your joints. Increasing the level of skeletal movement will reduce the development of arthritis and keep you more mobile for years to come. Your bones and joints have served you well until now; why not give them benefit of some stretching to keep yourself limber?

2. Cardiovascular activities to get your heart rate up. Besides their obvious weight control and strength benefits, activities which elevate your heart rate and hold it at an increased level for a period of time will improve blood circulation, help control blood pressure, and minimize the buildup of placque in your blood vessels.

Studies have shown that moderate cardiovascular activity for 20 minutes just 3 times per week will greatly benefit the vast majority of seniors. (Of course, what is 'moderate' for you depends on your personal condition, so be sure to ask your doctor what's best for you.)

The trick to successful and continuous cardio benefits is to find several activities that you really enjoy doing and to vary them to prevent monotony. From walking to running to treadmill to sports, there are lots of ways to give your body a good workout!

3. Muscle exercise (lifting, squating, etc) to tone your whole body. From simple situps and pushups to a whole variety of weight lifting and isometric machines, there are many activities available to us all to keep our muscles strong and flexible.