Progressive Resistance Strength Training Helps Older People In Daily Life

ScienceDaily (July 26, 2009) — Progressive resistance strength training not only helps older adults become stronger but also makes their everyday life easier, a Cochrane Review suggests.

"Older adults seem to benefit from this type of exercise even at the age of 80, and even with some type of health condition. The data support the idea that muscle strength is largely improved after the training, and the impact on older adults' daily activities can be significant. Simply having enough strength to do things such as carrying groceries would make a difference for seniors" says lead researcher Chiung-ju Liu of the Department of Occupational Therapy at the Indiana University at Indianapolis in the US.

The 121 trials reviewed in the study involved 6,700 people over the age of 60, who trained two to three times a week. Training produced a large improvement in muscle strength, a moderate to large improvement in doing simple activities such as getting up from a chair or climbing stairs and a small but statistically significant improvement in doing complex daily activities, such as bathing or preparing a meal.

Severe adverse events were rare and most reported events were muscle soreness and pain.

"We recommend older adults work with a health professional or an exercise professional to do progressive resistance strength training" says Liu. Because the long-term effect was not assessed in most trials, the Cochrane Researchers did not know how long the effects could last.

Cardio Exercise Approach in a Safe Manner

                                                                  By WL Reidhead

Studies have proven that cardio health along with the exercises required to maintain good health is essential to leading a healthy productive live.  I’m going to give a brief introduction on how to do cardio exercises in a safe manner.

Exercise is extremely important for good health; however, it is important to approach your exercise program using the tools that are available to insure that you get the benefits of exercise without doing damage to yourself.

You must exercise within safe parameters and know the boundaries of safe exercise.  To get the best results you need to exercise the heart below its maximum heart rate.

To establish your maximum heart rate:

Men need to subtract your age from 220

220 –your age = maximum heart rate for men

Women need to subtract your age from 226

226-your age = maximum heart rate for women

Depending upon your exercise program you probably will be exercising at 70% to 90% of your maximum heart rate.

To insure that you do not exceed your maximum heart rate I recommend getting a heart monitor.  They are a cheap investment to help you stay within a safe exercising range.  When you are performing your different exercise routines make a habit of periodically checking the monitor to insure you are within the safe range.  Most monitors have an alarm system that you can set to your designated range but I prefer to visually check my monitor periodically in case I missed hearing a warning sign.

Exceeding your maximum heart range can do damage to your heart so take care and stay within the safe range.  It is advisable to check with your physician to find out what your safe range is.

I recommend investing in a good exercise program and push yourself to become the best you can be but exercise in a sensible manner, learn how to monitor your heart rate and work out safely.
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Benefits of Cardio Exercise

                                                           By WL Reidhead

A lot of people get turned off when they hear cardio exercise.  They get visions of sweating, a lot of huffing and puffing and downright hard work.  If you get these types of visions I don’t blame you for being turned off, however, you need to weigh the benefits before you completely turn your back on cardio exercise.  There are a lot of benefits that come from including cardio exercises into your quest for health.

Yeah; you will probably get into some sweating and maybe huffing and puffing but it can be fun.  Cardio exercises can include walking, swimming or biking.  Almost any activity that will get you moving and breathing harder can be a good cardio exercise.

Cardio exercises build your endurance, strengthen your heart and increases your lung capacity.  If you push yourself a bit there are natural drugs that are released into your system that will give you mood elevating endorphins and make you feel that all is well.  These are a natural drug that is released from your brain and body and they can give you a natural high that your body is meant to enjoy.

Walking can be incorporated into your everyday life.  Get you a walking buddy or better yet, take your significant other head out and explore the area.  Meet new people or just get to know the neighborhood.  Your simple goal is to get your heart rate elevated for at least 20 minutes.  30 minutes of exercise is even better but just get your body moving.

You will find just after a short time that you will begin to look forward to your cardio exercise and even if you don’t notice it you are getting a lot of benefits from your cardio exercise.
    
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Creatine In Addition To Exercise Enhances Strength In Older Adults

ScienceDaily (Oct. 4, 2007) — Lower muscle mass and an increase in body fat are common consequences of growing older.

While exercise is a proven way to prevent the loss of muscle mass, a new study led by McMaster researcher Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky shows that taking a combination of creatine monohydrate (CrM) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in addition to resistance exercise training provides even greater benefits.

The study to be published on Oct. 3 in PLoS One, involved 19 men and 20 women who were 65 years or older and took part in a six-month program of regular resistance exercise training.

In the randomized double blind trial, some of the participants were given a daily supplement of creatine (a naturally produced compound that supplies energy to muscles) and linoleic acid (a naturally occurring fatty acid), while others were given a placebo. All participants took part in the same exercise program.

The exercise training resulted in improvements of functional ability and strength in all participants, but those taking the CrM and CLA showed even greater gains in muscle endurance, an increase in fat-free mass and a decrease in the percentage of body fat.

"This data confirms that supervised resistance exercise training is safe and effective for increasing strength and function in older adults and that a combination of CrM and CLA can enhance some of the beneficial effects of training over a six month period," said Tarnopolsky, a professor of pediatrics and medicine.

This study provides functional outcomes that build on an earlier mechanistic study co-led by Tarnopolsky and Dr. S. Melov at the Buck Institute of Age Research, published in PLoS One this year, which provided evidence that six months of resistance exercise reversed some of the muscle gene expression abnormalities associated with the aging process.

Adapted from materials provided by McMaster University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.