Contents
How fit am I?
squats test
stepping test
How to get / keep fit
Walking
High Intensity Interval Training
Exercise bike
DIY home based equivalent
Preserving muscle mass
Motivation
Mental Health and Exercise
Runners high
Dance
What next?
How Fit Am I?
This is easy to test at home:
how fit am I test type 1
Sit on a kitchen chair, and rise to standing, back to sitting position 10 times, as quickly as possible.
As a rule of thumb.
Under 35 years of age.
Men 10 seconds. Women 12 seconds
Under 55 years
Men 13 second . women 15 second.
Over 55 years
Men 18 second. Women 19 second.
how fit am I test type 2.
Stepping onto bottom step of the stairs, or similar height.
Step pattern is
Up left, up right, down left, down right,
Repeat for 3 minutes.
Take pulse after the exercise.
Under 35 years
Men 105. Women 110
Under 55 yearsMen 110 . Women 115
Over 55 years
Men 115 women 120
,........
Part 2 How to get / keep fit.
1. Walking
10,000 steps a day is a recognised route to fitness. Everything counts, even the naughty visit to the safe wherein the chocolate hides!
However, recent studies highlight the benefits of intensity. 3 times 10 minutes a day, 5 days a week is plenty. Fast enough to make singing very difficult.
2. HIIT High Intensity Interval Training
a. Exercise Bike
The most surprising example of this uses an exercise Bike
3 times 40 SECONDS a week. That's 40 seconds Monday, Wednesday and Friday, for example. This has to be as strenuous as we can manage, and it depletes the glycogen from our LARGEST muscles, thighs and buttock, which respond by taking sugars from our blood, where it can contribute to obesity, diabetes, heart and circulatory illness.
The benefits are similar to spending 45 minutes running.
The same results can be achieved without an exercise bike, indeed with no equipment at all.
b. DIY FIT exercise at home
2 minutes gentle warm up,
1 minute star jumps,
1 minute squats,
1 minute running on the spot
1 minute squats,
1 minute star jumps.
Brief rests are okay between each stage.
3. Muscle mass
As we get older, muscle mass decreases, which can led to all sorts of problems, some obvious, some not.
The remedy is simple. Weight training:
3 sets of each exercise, twice as week.
Even when we are resting, muscles take sugars from our blood with the health benefits mentioned earlier.
An earlier documentary from BBC showed the energy used in each member of a family over 2 hours. The woman doing housework used more then the young adult who spent 20 minutes on a bike.
The 14 stone, muscular man who lay on the couch used most.
This I not an advertisement for the couch.
4. Motivation.
The experiments showed that willpower is fragile for most people.
The gym is soon skipped if the chocolate biscuits are waiting at home... So sleep them in the locker at the gym.
Exercise will be regular if its at a pleasant, convenient, companionable venue. The venue, which can be home, could contain rewards.
Running, and energetic walking, puts some stress on the knee and hips joints, but this can stimulate blood flow into the cartilage, which speeds up repair. Runners are less likely to get arthritis as they age.
Overall, the most rewarding and enjoyable aspect of exercise is the variety.
5. Mental health and exercise.
Lengthy bouts of aerobic exercise produce a euphoric state known as Runners High.
Both endorphins and endocannabinoids are synthesised in the brain.
Dance is very good exercise, especially for the brain
a. Short term memory
b. Balance.
Both of these faculties need preserving as we age, particularly as longevity becomes more common.
Spatial awareness, rhythm and music are all providing a pleasant workout for our brain when we dance.
End of documentary.
6. What Next could we try?
The activities commonly described as anti aging do not seem to mention balance and reflexes.
Roller skating, mild gymnastics, and a reflex workout like an arcade or racing game. Not advised for addictive personalities!
tags: exercise, wellbeing, hearthealth, weighttraining, FIIT, fitness, motivation, popular science
#exercise for #longevity - using #weights to maintain / rebuild #muscle mass.
ReplyDeleteEspecially important in an #aging population, with MANY #health benefits
It's very hard to stick with an exercise program. I've attempted many..many...many...many of them. I've settled with gardening being my exercise. Something i enjoy.
ReplyDeletevariety helps us to #exercise regularly. #gardening is good, but also #walking - less restricted by bad weather!
ReplyDeleteexercise for Sunday afternoon - lying on the front room carpet or rug!
ReplyDeleteyoga, pilates, singing (really).
"No gain without pain" is macho codswallop, though the gentler trout-tickling sounds more suitable for a sunny Sunday.
yoga aids and sustains flexibility and relaxation.
pilates is very good for building and maintaining core strength - ideal for those of us with several decades worth of injuries (!),
singing is excellent for mood, breathing, stamina ...
exercise motivation
pilates on the mat sounds like a good idea for Monday morning too :)
ReplyDeleteThe 'Squats test' can be an alternative form of F.I.I.T (Full Intensity Interval Training) provided we work up to being fairly comfortable with 40 seconds non-stop squats.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your favourite F.I.I.T alternative?
Exercise for healthy longevity
pilates in the morning, yoga in the evening,
ReplyDeletejust keep moving :)