A Fountain of Youth that Slows Aging and Optimizes Health

Running Fitness YogaPoses

Can you restore your strength & build muscles at age 60+?

You Can Build Muscle and Strength at Any Age! You can reverse muscle loss, build lean muscle, and increase strength at any age with strength exercises. Studies show that men and women in their 60s and 70s who began strength training developed muscles that were as large and strong as those of the average 40-year-old. Take your age and subtract 50, then multiply the number you get by 2. The result is the percentage of muscle mass you may have lost since you were 50 years old if you have not consistently been on a strength training program. Moderate intensity Aerobic exercises including, brisk walking, dancing, riding a bike and hiking, especially the Eight Pieces of Brocade (Ba Duan Jin) and YOGA are excellent aerobic exercises. However, in addition to aerobic exercises, muscle strengthening or Strength Training is an important aspect in maintaining a healthy body and preventing injuries. CDC states that stronger muscles help reduce the risk of falling and improve the abilities to perform the daily tasks of life.

Further, studies have shown that exercise has many neurological benefits:
1. It decreases feelings of anxiety;
2. It improves your focus and concentration;
3. It promotes the growth of new brain cells; and
4. It protects your brain from aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

Please read the full article: Brain-changing benefits of Exercise.

EXERCISES

Walking Is Not the Best Form of Exercise
Walking has been touted as the “best exercise” by healthcare and fitness authorities, and that reputation is perpetuated to this day. However, Americans have been given a false sense that a stroll through the neighborhood is all you need to stay healthy. Walking as a form of exercise by itself is not enough to reverse age-related muscle loss. The only way to do this is with strengthening exercises that take your joints through a full range of motion with enough resistance until muscle fatigue sets in. Too much walking can even be harmful by creating unnecessary stress on the body, which leads to wear and tear, injury, and pain. Walking can also be a fall hazard for adults who are very old or weak and no balance.

Recent research suggested that when we do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT,) our heart rate increases, supplying more blood flow to the brain. This leads to neurogenesis, which is the production of neurons in the Hippocampus, the brain area that is important for learning and memory. Regular physical activity lowers the risk of developing cognitive impairments, such as Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. This type of exercise is beneficial to people with normal and impaired cognitive health, especially people with ADHD, Schizophrenia, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and Stroke. Additionally, HIIT exercise also modulates the secretion of major Neurotransmitters, Dopamine and Serotonin, which are linked with treating Depression. Indirectly, exercise improves mood and sleep, and reduces stress and anxiety. Additionally, exercise also modulates the secretion of major Neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin, which are linked with treating Depression. Indirectly, Exercise improves mood and sleep, and reduces stress and anxiety. Further, HIIT can actually slow the aging process in older adults by altering telomere length, an indicator of biological aging. Regular exercise is essential for healthy aging and offers many health benefits, including reduced risk of chronic diseases and cancer. Being fit is good for the mind as well as the body. Exercise also improves our Heart and Brain health.

Six Minutes, Twice Daily; Dramatic Changes in 15 Days
Six minutes does't sound like enough time to make a difference, but over a dozen high-quality studies found that short bouts of higher-intensity exercise are a more potent method of improving fitness among older adults than traditional forms of exercise. Higher-intensity exercise has been shown to be safe for people aged 60 and older who are untrained and sedentary. It's also been proven safe for people with cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, heart failure, obesity, diabetes, stroke, and cancer. This program adapts the research on higher-intensity exercise to be safe and effective for older adults so you can reclaim your body's function and get your life back.

Great Results at Home with Little or No Equipment
You can easily achieve the same or even better results exercising at home with little or no workout equipment using functional training. Multiple studies have shown functional training to produce results that are superior to most other forms of exercise for diverse groups of people, including older adults. The real secret to this program is the integration of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) with functional training adapted for older adults. It will allow you to safely and quickly achieve great results at home with little or no equipment.

What is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT involves short bursts of intense exercise alternated with low intensity recovery periods.Typically, a HIIT workout will be 10-30 minutes in duration. It can produce some unique health benefits similar to twice as much moderate-intensity exercise.

HIIT benefits:
1. HIIT can burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time.
2. HIIT increases metabolic rate for hours after exercise.
3. HIIT can help you lose fat.
4. HIIT might gain muscle mass.
5. HIIT can improve oxygen consumption.
6. HIIT can reduce heart rate and blood pressure.
7. HIIT can reduce blood sugar.
8. HIIT improves aerobic and anaerobic performance.

How to get started with HIIT
1. Choose your activity (running, biking, jumping rope, etc.).
2. Experiment with different durations of intense exercise and recovery.

Examples of HIIT workouts:

Using a stationary bike, pedal as hard and fast as possible for 30 seconds. Then, pedal at a slow & easy pace for 2-4 minutes. Repeat this pattern for 15-30 minutes.
Afterjogging to warm up, sprint as fast as you can for 15 seconds. Then, walk or jog at a slow pace for 1-2 minutes. Repeat this pattern for 10-20 minutes.
Squat jumps as quickly as possible for 30-90 seconds. Then, stand or walk for 30-90 seconds. Repeat this pattern for 10-20 minutes.

Prioritize Your Hips and Legs
By focusing on muscle strength in your lower body, you are much more likely to be self-sufficient, avoid injuries, and live independently. Higher-intensity resistance exercises targeting your lower body increase the production of testosterone and human growth hormones. This builds lean muscle, increases bone density, reduces body fat, boosts energy, and strengthens the immune system. Focusing on the lower body for the first eight weeks will allow you to focus on what is most important, get comfortable with the workout program, and reap a lot of gains. Notice whether you feel resistant to the idea of not exercising your upper body in the beginning. If so, where do you think this resistance comes from?

Take Baby Steps to Make Exercise More Challenging
Once your body adapts and your exercise routine starts to feel easy, you won't experience much more improvement by continuing with the same routine. For your body to continue increasing in strength and endurance, you have to make exercise more challenging. Make your workout routine more challenging by taking baby steps: adding a new exercise, increasing the repetitions of exercise, upping the pace of exercise, or decreasing the rest time during exercise. Spend a day or two, or even a week or more, with the more challenging workout to ensure that your body has fully adapted to it. Think about whether you tend to increase the challenge of exercise too much or not enough. How would you recognize when this is happening? What can you do to find a better balance?

Exercises for Seniors (Please see the illustrations of the 4-Level Exercise)

Big Three Level I
Level I is designed for older adults who cannot stand or who have difficulty standing for at least six minutes with or without support, such as a walker, due to limitations in strength, balance, or energy. Level I exercises are the straight leg raise,single-leg tuck, and hip raise. You are ready for Level II once you can stand for six minutes without too much difficulty. If this is the right level for you, spend some time going through the steps of each exercise until the movement feels natural. Try to cultivate an experimental mindset, and slow things down to learn the movements correctly. It is okay if your performance is less than perfect at first.

Big Three Level II
Level II is designed for older adults who have no difficulty standing but who lack the strength or energy to walk at a vigorous pace for at least six minutes. Level II is also designed for those who have difficulty going up and down a flight of stairs. Level II exercises are the chair squat, heel lift , and high knee marching. You are ready for Level III once you can walk at a vigorous pace for more than six minutes. However, Level III is challenging, and it is best to stick with Level II if you have any back, hip, or knee issues.

Big Three Level III
Level III is designed for older adults who are high functioning. This means they can walk at a vigorous pace for more than six minutes and can go up and down several flights of stairs with no difficulty. Level III exercises are the stationary lunge, single-leg heel lift.This level is challenging; it is best to stick with Level II if you have any back, hip, or knee issues. If this is the right level for you, spend some time going through the steps of each exercise until the movement feels natural. Try to cultivate an experimental mindset, and slow things down to learn the movements correctly.

Big Three Level IV
Level IV consists of upper body exercises designed for older adults after eight weeks of Level II or Level III lower-body training. Level IV exercises are the one-arm bent row, floor press, and shoulder Y-raise. Spend some time going through the steps of each exercise until the movement feels natural.

The BEDS Program for living a Long & Healthy Life:
1. Breathing
2. Exercise
3. Diet
4. Supplements