“Working Out When You’re Over 50!”

You Need Exercise Now More Than Ever: Let's face it: A 50- or 60-year-old body isn't the same as a 20-year-old one. You won't be able to do the same things -- nor should you. But exercise is key to your independence and a good quality of life as you age. So what do you need to think about to be healthy without hurting yourself?

 

What Exercise Does: You lose muscle mass as you get older, and exercise can help you rebuild it. Muscles also burn more calories than fat, even at rest, which will offset your slowing metabolism. Exercise helps stop, delay, and sometimes improve serious illnesses like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, and osteoporosis. It can help your brain stay sharp and keep you from falling into a funk.

 

Types of Exercise: Young or old, everyone needs different kinds. Cardio or aerobic exercise gets your heart rate up and makes you breathe harder, which builds your endurance and burns calories. Strength or weight training keeps your muscles ready for action. Flexibility exercises help you stay limber so you can have a full range of movement and avoid injury. Balance training becomes important after age 50, so you can prevent falls and stay active.

 

Choose the Right Activities: Lower-impact exercise, with less jumping and pounding, is kinder to your joints. Some activities provide more than one type of exercise, so you'll get more bang from your workout buck. Definitely pick things that you enjoy doing! Your doctor or physical therapist can suggest ways to adapt sports and exercises, or better alternatives, based on the limitations of any medical conditions you have.

 

Walking: Simple and effective! It builds your stamina, strengthens lower body muscles, and helps fight against bone diseases like osteoporosis. It's easy to work into your day. You can go solo or make it social. At a moderate pace, you'll get exercise and still be able to chat with a friend or group.  

 

Jogging: If you like to sweat a bit more when you exercise, try jogging to get your heart rate up. As long as you take it slow and steady, wear the right shoes, and take walking breaks, your joints should be fine. Soft surfaces, like a track or grass, may also help. Pay attention to your calves and hips, with extra stretching and strengthening to lessen your chance of injuries.

 

Dancing: It doesn't really matter what kind: ballroom, line, square, even dance-based aerobics classes like Zumba and Jazzercise. Dancing helps your endurance, strengthens your muscles, and improves your balance. It burns a lot of calories because it gets you moving in all directions. Research shows learning new moves is really good for your brain, too. Plus, you could be having so much fun, you might not notice you're doing exercise. 

 

Golfing: Much of the benefit of this sport comes from the walking: an average round is more than 10,000 steps, or about 5 miles! In addition, your swing uses your whole body, and it requires good balance -- and calm focus. If you carry or pull your clubs, that's even more of a workout. But even using a cart is worth it. You're still working your muscles and getting in steps along with fresh air and stress relief.

 

Cycling: It's especially good when you have stiff or sore joints, because your legs don't have to support your weight. The action gets your blood moving and builds muscles on both the front and back of your legs and hips. You use your abs for balance and your arms and shoulders to steer. Because there's resistance, you're strengthening your bones, too. Specially designed bike frames and saddles can make riding safer and easier for various health issues.

 

Tennis: Racquet sports, including tennis, squash, and badminton, may be particularly good at keeping you alive longer and for lowering your chance of dying from heart disease. Playing tennis 2 or 3 times a week is linked to better stamina and reaction times, lower body fat, and higher "good" HDL cholesterol. And it builds bones, especially in your arm, low back, and neck. Play doubles for a less intense, more social workout.

 

Strength Training: Muscle loss is one of the main reasons people feel less energetic as they get older. When you lift weights, work out on machines, use resistance bands, or do exercises with your own body weight (like push-ups and sit-ups), you build strength, muscle mass, and flexibility. It'll make things like carrying groceries and climbing stairs easier. You can join a gym, but you don't have to. Digging and shoveling in the garden counts, too!

 

Swimming: You can exercise for longer in the water than on land. There's no weight putting stress on your joints (and making them hurt), and the water offers resistance to build muscles and bones. Swimming laps burns calories and works your heart like jogging and cycling, yet you're not likely to overheat. The moisture helps people with asthma breathe. Water-based exercise improves the mind-set of people with fibromyalgia.

 

Yoga: Actively holding a series of poses will stretch and strengthen your muscles, as well as the tendons and ligaments that hold your bones together. Mindful breathing makes it a kind of meditation, too. Yoga can help lower your heart rate and blood pressure and relieve anxiety and depression. Check out different styles and classes to match your level of fitness and what appeals to you.

 

Tai Chi: This quiet exercise is sometimes called "moving meditation." You move your body slowly and gently, flowing from one position to the next, while you breathe deeply. Not only is it good for balance, it can also improve bone and heart health. It may help ease pain and stiffness from arthritis. It might even help you sleep better.

 

How Much? If you're in good health, you should get at least 150 minutes of moderate cardio activity a week. It's better when you spread it out over 3 days or more, for a minimum of 10 minutes at a time. Also spend time at least twice a week specifically working the muscles in your legs, hips, back, abs, chest, shoulders, and arms. Generally speaking, the more you exercise, the more benefit you get. And anything is better than nothing.

 

Start Slow: This is especially important if you haven't been exercising for a while or when you're starting some new activity that your body isn't used to. Begin with 10 minutes and gradually ramp up how long, how often, or how intensely you exercise. Need motivation? Track your progress, either on your own or with an app or online tool like the National Institutes of Health's My Go4Life.

 

When to Call Your Doctor: Chest pain, breathing problems, dizziness, balance problems, and nausea when you exercise could be warning signs. Let your doctor know sooner, rather than later. Your body isn't going to recover as fast as it used to. If your muscles or joints hurt the next day, you may have overdone it. Dial it back and see what happens. Check with your doctor if the pain continues.

Reviewed by Neha Pathak, MD on July 26, 2017

National Institute on Aging: "Exercise and Physical Activity."
Family Doctor.org: "Exercise and Seniors."
American Family Physician: "Physical Activity Guidelines for Older Adults."
World Health Organization: "Physical Activity and Older Adults."
NHS Choices: "Physical activity guidelines for older adults," "'Want to live longer? Try racquet sports', recommends study."
MedlinePlus: "Exercise for Seniors."
CDC: "Five Minutes or Less for Health Weekly Tip: Be Active," "Health Benefits of Water-based Exercise."
AARP: "Running After 50: You CAN Do It!"
Runner's World: "Mastering Running as You Age."
Journal of Aging Research: "Use of Physical and Intellectual Activities and Socialization in the Management of Cognitive Decline of Aging and in Dementia: A Review."
Age and Ageing: "Dance-based aerobic exercise may improve indices of falling risk in older women."
Time: "Why Dancing Is the Best Thing You Can Do For Your Body."
Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurobiology, On the Brain: "Dancing and the Brain."
Harvard Health Publications: "Golfing can be good for you if done correctly," "The top 5 benefits of cycling."
We Are Golf: "Fitness Benefits."
NPR: Shots: "Take A Swing At This: Golf Is Exercise, Cart Or No Cart."
British Journal of Sports Medicine: "Associations of specific types of sports and exercise with all-cause and cardiovascular-disease mortality: a cohort study of 80306 British adults," "Health benefits of tennis."
Victoria State Government, BetterHealth Channel: "Tennis – health benefits."
Growing Stronger: Strength Training for Older Adults, CDC, 2002.
University of Texas at Austin, College of Education, .edu: "Making Waves: The benefits of swimming on aging populations."
Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness: "The effect of a water exercise program on bone density of postmenopausal women."
Swimming World: "10 Hidden Benefits of Swimming."
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: "Yoga: In Depth."
Go4Life: "Tai Chi," "Improve Your Endurance."
Quality of Life Research: "The water exercise improves health-related quality of life of frail elderly people at day service facility."

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2Live

"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

The contents of the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by WebMD, WebMD employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of WebMD, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk. 

“How to Break the Phone Habit?”

Do You Need to Cut Back? A number of apps can tell you how much time you spend on your phone and how long you’re in each app. Even if you don’t think you’re on your phone too much, seeing the cold, hard numbers may inspire you to put it down.

 

Turn Off Alerts: It’s easier to ignore your phone if it doesn’t buzz every few seconds with a text, email, or social media update. They’ll all be there, no matter how long you wait to you check your phone, and you might feel better and more productive if you let them linger a bit. If you can’t afford to miss some things -- say a message from your spouse or kid -- you can set your phone so only certain texts get through.

 

Put a Rubber Band on Your Phone: It’s a little reminder to turn off the part of your brain that does things without thinking. If a rubber band is too annoying, try a screensaver that asks “Do you really need to get into your phone?” It might save you that 45 minutes of mindless scrolling through pictures of farmhouses before you remember that you don’t really like farmhouses. 

 

Get an Alarm Clock: When you use your phone’s alarm to wake up in the morning, you’re more likely to get sucked into checking your email, texts, and social media. An alarm clock keeps the phone out of your hands at least a few more minutes. Other ideas include charging it overnight in another room and setting a specific time to look at it in the morning. 

 

Go Cold Turkey: Some experts suggest going without your phone for 3 days. That can help you kick bad phone habits and find new, healthier things to do instead. You can ease your way back into using it -- say, just calls and texts at certain times -- then gradually start to do other things if you decide you want to again.

 

Tech-Free Time: If you can’t imagine life without your phone for 3 days, set aside certain times that are phone-free in your household. (You may want to include other digital devices, too.) That might be an hour or so each evening before dinner or every Sunday afternoon. Go for a walk, or play cards or a board game -- anything that gives you a chance to talk and engage with one another.  

 

Plan Some Offline Fun: Try something simple like reading a book or going to the park with your dog. No need to post pictures about any of that on social media. Instead, invite some friends to meet you for coffee or a jog and see them in person. Tell them you’re turning your phone off, and they may decide to do the same.

 

Create Phone-Free Zones: It’s not a great idea to take your phone out in the bathroom. Mainly, for reasons of basic hygiene, but also because it can be good to keep your phone out of certain parts of your life. Those also might include meetings, playtime with your kids, and driving. It’s a healthy way to get used to short amounts of time without it.

 

‘Do Not Disturb’: Some smartphones have a setting that lets you limit certain parts of your phone during a set time every day. For example, you could stop all calls and aler­­ts between 5 and 9 p.m. and after midnight. 

 

Get Rid of Apps: Those games are designed to keep you coming back for more, but they can’t if they’re not there. You just might be able to get by with phone, text, and email on your phone -- you can check social media when you’re on your computer.

 

Helpful Tools: Some apps can help limit the time you spend on your phone by locking you out of certain things during set times of day or after you’ve spent a specific amount of time on them. Others offer encouragement or reward you with time after you’ve done things like take 5,000 steps in a day.

 

Talk the (Right) Talk: You’re more likely to leave your phone in your pocket if you say “I don’t check my phone at dinner” than if you say “I can’t check my phone at dinner.” It might be because “can’t” suggests you’ve been denied something, but scientists don’t know exactly why that one word can make a difference.  

 

Manage Expectations: If you want to spend less time on your phone but are concerned that people will think you’re rude or get upset if you don’t respond quickly, just tell them. Say you’re trying to break the phone habit and it might be a while before you get back to them.

 

Trade Your Smartphone for a ‘Dumbphone’: If the temptation of a pocket-sized computer is just too much, a cellphone that can only call and text might be a solution. It can’t download apps or access the Internet, but it's much less expensive and might be just the thing that sets you free. 

Reviewed by Melinda Ratini, DO, MS on March 22, 2018

Carnegie Mellon University Human-Computer Interaction Institute and Telefonica Research: “Productive, Anxious, Lonely - 24 Hours Without Push Notifications.”
Gallup: “Most U.S. Smartphone Owners Check Phone at Least Hourly.”
Journal of Consumer Research: “ 'I Don’t' versus 'I Can’t': When Empowered Refusal Motivates Goal-Directed Behavior.”
National Unplugging Day: “Dr Richard Graham Shares his Insight and Tips on Technology Addiction.”
The University of Chicago Press: “Can 1 simple strategy help consumers say 'no' to temptation?”
USC News: “Long-term behavior change is key to creating healthy habits, research shows.”

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2Live

"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

The contents of the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by WebMD, WebMD employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of WebMD, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk. 

"We charge our cell phones daily, sometimes multiple times in a day, but let our marriages die. If your smart phone receives more daily charging than your spouse, then you're spending way too much time talking to the wrong people."

"We live in a world where losing your cell phone is more traumatic than losing your virginity."

"The cell phone has become the adult's transitional object, replacing the toddler's teddy bear for comfort and a sense of belonging." (Margaret 

Heffernan)

"Would I buy a cell phone for my 12-year old? No. I should have closer control over my child than that. He really shouldn't be in places where he needs to contact me by cell." (Stephen Baker)

"It seems more money and energy is spent protecting the phone than the child using it. Broken phones can be made new. Broken kids can't!" (Shelly Tiffin)

"Your cell phone has already replaced your camera, your calendar, and your alarm clock. Don't let it replace your friends and family."

"When we are spending time together, put your phone away. I shouldn't have to compete for your attention with everyone who isn't there."

"A relationship with no trust is like having a cell phone with no service, all you can do is just play games."

"Communicate in the true sense with loved ones. Drop your high tech devices and engage in real talk. See the difference it makes."

"Cell phones bring you closer to people far from you. But if you're not careful, it can also take you away from the ones sitting right next to you."

"The mobile phone is the most popular device on the planet (1.7 billion users) about one quarter of the world's population...and counting."

"Sometimes I just want to shut off my cell phone, sell my car, move to a cabin in the woods, and live off the land."

"Do more things that make you forget to check your phone."

"I wonder how many couples would still be together if they traded cell phones for the weekend."

"Life is NOT confined to a four-inch screen." (Jose A. Teixeira)

"To be honest, I think cell phones were invented by the devil." (Joe Hill)

"It took me 5 minutes to write that text, and all you text back is 'K'?!"

"I can't imagine what people did at red lights before cell phones."

"You'd be surprised how difficult it is to relinquish a cell phone." (Adrien Brody)

"Want to enhance your family life and relationships? PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE! You will be surprised how enriching it can be." (Dr. Steve Maraboli)

"Cell phones these days keep getting Thinner and Smarter, unfortunately, People are the Opposite."

"My phone battery can last longer than most relationships these days."

"My mind is constantly going. For me to completely relax, I gotta get rid of my cell phone." (Kenny Chesney)

"Reminder: The Blurred Image Around Your Cell Phone is Called LIFE."

"I finally realized it. People are Prisoners of their Phones, that's why they are called Cell Phones."

"There's an App for putting your phone away and paying attention to those 

talking to you, it's called RESPECT."

"Home is where the heart is, but today, the Phone is where the heart is." (Rachitha Cabral)

"Your cell phone is a prison cell. The world outside is freedom. Set your bars down." (The Antic)

"Today's Relationships: You can touch each other, but not each other's phones."

"Women are like cell phones, they like to be held and talked to, but push the wrong button and you'll be disconnected."

"Some of you, if you give up your cell phone, you will be successful." (Eric Thomas)

"These days, children can text on their cell phone all night long, and no one else is seeing that phone. You don't know who is calling that child." (Kamala Harris)

"What if we began to treat our Bibles the way we treat our cell phones? What if we carried it with us everywhere; turned back to get it if we forgot it; checked it for messages throughout the day; used it in case of an emergency; or spent an hour or more using it every day?"

"When someone touches my phone, I automatically turn into a ninja."

"An awesome relationship is when you don't have the fear of your partner checking your cell phone."

"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots." (Albert Einstein)

"Cell phones are not a sign of power, they're a sign of subservience." (Doug Pappas)

"Give the people in your life the gift of your presence by putting down your mobile device." (Kate Northrup)

"My cell phone is acting up. I keep pressing the HOME button, but when I look around, I'm Still At WORK!"

"I've never owned a cell phone and don't plan on ever having one. If anyone needs to talk to me, they know where I live." (Phil Robertson)

"Technology can be our best friend, and technology can also be the biggest party pooper of our lives. It interrupts our own story, interrupts our ability to have a thought or a daydream, to imagine something wonderful, because we're too busy bridging the walk from the cafeteria back to the office on the cell phone." (Steven Spielberg)

"Put down your cell phones, put everything away, and feel your blood pulsing in you, feel you creative impulse, feel your own spirit, your heart, your mind. Feel the joy of being alive and free." (Patti Smith)

"People have no memory of phone numbers now because of the cell phone - their address book is in a cell phone." (Gordon Bell)

"I hate television. I hate the internet. I hate cell phones. I hate cameras. I hate everything that destroys creativity." (Billie Joe Armstrong)

"I'll call it a 'smart' phone the day I yell, 'where's my phone!?' and it answers, 'I'm here! Under your jacket!"

 
"I miss the days when you could just push someone in the swimming pool without worrying about their cell phone."