Exercise & Fitness Archive

If exercise were available as a pill, experts say, everyone would be taking it. One reason is that exercise is very good at defusing stress. If you exercise — especially right when the stress response is triggered — you burn off stress hormones just as nature intended, instead of letting them pile up.

What's more, just about any form of motion on a regular basis helps relieve pent-up tension. Rhythmic, repetitive movements, such as walking, running, swimming, bicycling, and rowing — and specific types of exercise such as yoga, tai chi, and qigong — actually elicit the relaxation response, too. Regularly engaging in these kinds of activities can help you ward off everyday stress.

When you hurt, it's hard to persuade yourself to move. However, regular exercise not only helps maintain joint function, but also relieves stiffness and decreases pain and fatigue. What should you do? Whenever possible, meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans by mixing aerobic activities, strength training, stretching, and balance exercises.  If this is too ambitious, at least avoid inactivity. Discuss options with your doctor, particularly if you haven't been exercising. A physiatrist, physical therapist, or personal trainer with experience in working with people who have arthritis can help you choose and adapt activities that will work for you.

You can also find programs specifically designed for people with arthritis. Examples include Fit and Strong!, a program targeted to older adults with osteoarthritis; the Arthritis Foundation's Exercise Program (AFEP); and its Walk with Ease program. There are also water-based therapy programs, such as the Arthritis Foundation's Aquatic Program, that are done in pools heated to nearly 90° F; these feature a variety of exercises, including range-of-motion exercises and aerobics. Another good option is tai chi, a low-impact, slow-motion form of exercise that can increase flexibility and muscle strength in the lower body, as well as aiding gait and balance. Strength training improves muscle strength, physical functioning, and pain.

It's having the strength and motor skills to carry out the activities that get you through each day.

You may think of exercise as something you do to keep your heart and lungs healthy or to maintain your weight, and those are great benefits. But exercise is also important to keep you functioning throughout your day, whether you're carrying a laundry basket or playing with your grandkids. The ability to do such ordinary activities is called "functional" fitness, and programs to help people stay functionally fit are a top trend in the exercise world, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

Yet many older adults aren't aware of this type of exercise program. "It's not on people's radar," says Clare Safran-Norton, clinical supervisor of rehabilitation services at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

News briefs

We know sedentary time is bad for us. Previous research has suggested a link between the total amount of time spent sitting each day and health problems or even early death. Now, an observational study published online Sept. 12, 2017, by Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that it also matters how many minutes at a time you spend sitting in an office chair or lounging on a couch. Researchers looked at the health and activity of about 8,000 men and women (ages 45 or older) who wore activity trackers for a week, and then they followed the participants for four years. Sitting for 30, 60, or 90 minutes at a time was associated with the greatest risk for death if sedentary time was more than 12 or 13 hours per day. Sitting less than 30 minutes at a time was associated with a lower risk of death during the follow-up period, regardless of the total amount of inactivity for the day. But study authors point out that an inactive lifestyle is hazardous no matter how you rack up sedentary time. The takeaway: Study authors say their findings support guidelines that recommend we all get up and move every 30 minutes.

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Knowing your heart rate zone reminds you to maintain a proper level of exercise intensity.

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Are you working hard during exercise — or hardly working?

Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. But "moderate intensity" can vary per person. What is an effort to one person can be easy to another.

Foam rollers are easy-to-use fitness tools that can soothe pain, quicken recovery from exercise, and reduce injury.

As you age, occasional muscle soreness can become part of daily life, but if those aches and pains slow you down, you may find relief from a foam roller — a small, lightweight cylinder of compressed foam.

"A foam rolling routine is a simple way to keep your muscles loose and healthy, so you can stay more mobile and active," says physical therapist Erin Krey, clinical specialist with Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

In the journals

There's good news for seniors who have trouble reaching the recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week: a new study suggests that doing as little as 48 minutes can help some older adults.

The research, published online Aug. 18, 2017, by PLOS ONE, evaluated how different amounts of exercise benefited approximately 1,700 adults ages 70 to 89. Those chosen did less than 20 minutes of physical activity per week and were at a high risk for mobility issues.

Try these strategies to help you fill your social calendar.

 Image: © Mike Watson Images/Thinkstock

In an effort to ward off the loneliness that followed his wife's death, a 94-year-old man in Minnesota decided to install a swimming pool in his back yard for the neighborhood children. His back yard is now a hub of activity in the summer, filled with laughter, splashing children, and their parents and grandparents. And he's no longer alone.

While not everyone would be willing to go to such extreme lengths to make social connections, contact with other people should still be a top priority. Chronic loneliness does more than just make you bored; it can actually harm your health.

Choose your classes and instructors carefully to make sure you get the best experience.

It's no surprise that yoga is becoming increasingly popular. Research has shown not only that it's a good form of exercise, but also that it can reduce body aches and pains, specifically in the neck and lower back. Still, not all yoga classes are created equal. There are different types of yoga and different levels of difficulty, not to mention variations from one instructor or studio to another.

This means that some classes may be better than others for your unique health needs or fitness level. Below is a quick guide to help you find the best fit to make the most of your yoga class.

Time can pass awfully slow when you're hoping to see results after embarking on a new exercise regimen. But if you do gentle core work consistently, you can start to see progress in as little as two to four weeks. Once you do, you might wonder when and how to progress from there or how to just maintain the gains you've made. Either way, our tips below will help.

When to progress

Repeatedly challenging muscles makes them stronger. As you get stronger, exercises in your routine will become easier to do. You're ready to progress if you can manage all four of these tasks throughout each exercise: