Aging is not age alone. It’s also a person’s lifestyle, and that is true for the mind as well as the body.
Studies show that exercise maintains your thinking agility and cuts your risk of osteoporosis, heart disease and diabetes.
The American College of Sports Medicine urges older people to do strength training. Walking is simply not enough.
Soloflex has, for years, urged customers and future customers to “use if or lose it”. If you sit around and do nothing , you will become weak, no matter what your age.
Strength training is good medicine for depression and improving your life. Yes, exercise can help you feel and look better, no matter what your age.
What are you waiting for?
For more great information on this please read Colin Hoobler’s article from The Oregonian here.
This article was written by Lenny Bernstein with the Washington Post-Bloomberg. He has written about the urgency for older folk to exercise. He has hit the nail on the head. It is so important for everyone to exercise especially when we get up in years as our lives naturally become more sedentary. I feel this is a very important article. Please read the article in full here
Division of Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.
BACKGROUND: whole body vibration (WBV) training appears to be an efficient alternative for conventional resistance training in older individuals. So far, no data exist about the vibratory effect on cardiorespiratory fitness. OBJECTIVES: this randomised controlled trial assessed the effects of 1-year WBV training on cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength in community-dwelling adults over the age of 60. METHODS: a total of 220 adults (mean age 67.1 years) were randomly assigned to a WBV group, fitness group or control group. The WBV group exercised on a vibration platform, and the fitness group performed cardiovascular, resistance, balance and stretching exercises. The control group did not participate in any training. Heart rate was measured during a single WBV session. Peak oxygen uptake (VO(2peak)) and time-to-peak exercise (TPE) were measured during progressive bicycle ergometry. Muscle strength was assessed by a dynamometer. RESULTS: heart rate increased significantly during WBV training. After 1 year, VO(2peak), TPE and muscle strength increased significantly in the WBV and fitness groups. Both training groups improved similarly in VO(2peak) and muscle strength. The fitness group improved significantly more in TPE than the WBV group. CONCLUSION: WBV training in community-dwelling elderly appears to be efficient to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength.
Department of Health and Exercise Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, 73019, United States.
Age-related changes in body composition are well-documented with a decrease in lean body mass and a redistribution of body fat generally observed. Resistance training alone has been shown to have positive effects on body composition, however, these benefits may be enhanced by the addition of a vibration stimulus. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 8 months of resistance training with and without whole-body vibration (WBV) on body composition in sedentary postmenopausal women. METHODS: Fifty-five women were assigned to resistance only (RG, n=22), vibration plus resistance (VR, n=21) or non-exercising control (CG, n=12) groups. Resistance training (3 sets 10 repetitions 80% strength) was performed using isotonic weight training equipment and whole-body vibration was done with the use of the power plate (Northbrooke, IL) vibration platform for three times per week for 8 months. Total and regional body composition was assessed from the total body DXA scans at baseline (pre) and after 8 months (post) of training. RESULTS: In the VR group, total % body fat decreased from pre- to post-time points (p<0.05), whereas, the CG group had a significant increase in total % body fat (p<0.05). Both training groups exhibited significant increases in bone free lean tissue mass for the total body, arm and trunk regions from pre to post (p<0.05). CG did not show any changes in lean tissue. CONCLUSION: In older women, resistance training alone and with whole-body vibration resulted in positive body composition changes by increasing lean tissue. However, only the combination of resistance training and whole-body vibration was effective for decreasing percent body fat.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Standing on a vibrating platform may sound like an odd way to pass the time, but a new research review suggests it may do the muscles and bones some good — particularly in older or sedentary adults.
Writing in the journal Current Sports Medicine Reports, researchers detail the evidence for and against so-called whole body vibration training. WBV involves standing on a platform that sends mild vibratory impulses through the feet and into the rest of the body.
These vibrations activate muscle fibers more efficiently, it is claimed, than conscious contraction of muscles during regular exercise. WBV is often touted as a way to improve muscle power, jump higher or sprint faster.
The tactic is also being studied for its therapeutic potential, such as increasing older women’s bone mass.
And there is some evidence to back it up, according to Dr. Dennis G.
Dolny and G. Francis Cisco Reyes of the University of Idaho in Moscow, who conducted the review.
In 1 study of 28 postmenopausal women, for example, researchers found that WBV appeared to increase bone density in the hip. The 8-month training regimen required the women to stand on a WBV platform, in a squat position, for six 1-minute cycles, 3 times per week.]
Another small study of postmenopausal women found that over one year, WBV training seemed to inhibit bone loss in the spine and hip area.
As for the usefulness of WBV in enhancing athletic prowess, studies have mixed results, according to Dolny and Reyes.
A few small studies, for example, have found that performing squats on a WBV platform is slightly more effective than standard squats in boosting muscle power and jump height.
However, other research questions the added benefits of WBV in young, fit people, according to Dolny and Reyes. And it’s unlikely, they note, that WBV alone, with no “external load” to exert the muscles, would do much good.
On the other hand, WBV might hold promise as an exercise therapy for older adults, the researchers say.
“In sedentary and elderly subjects, there is greater likelihood for WBV to improve muscle performance to at least the same if not greater extent (as) traditional training methods,” Dolny and Reyes write.
However, they add, more research is needed. People with conditions such as heart disease or high blood pressure should avoid WBV until safety concerns are better addressed.
SOURCE: Current Sports Medicine Reports, May/June 2008.
As you age, it becomes harder to keep your muscles healthy. They get smaller, which decreases strength and increases the likelihood of falls and fractures. New research is showing how this happens, and what to do about it.
Researchers have already shown that when older people eat, they cannot make muscle as fast as the young. Now they’ve found that the suppression of muscle breakdown is blunted with age. This may explain the ongoing loss of muscle in older people — when they eat they don’t build enough muscle, and in addition, their insulin fails to shut down the muscle breakdown that rises between meals and overnight.
However, weight training may “rejuvenate” muscle blood flow and help retain muscle for older people.
These findings fall into the category of common sense, along the lines of “use it or lose it.” As you age, physical exercise becomes an ever more important aspect of optimal health and longevity.
How to Prevent and Reverse Muscle Wasting
This study explains the biological processes that cause muscle wasting as you move into your senior years.
As you likely know, protein is essential for proper muscle growth and maintenance, but this study found that as you age, your body becomes increasingly less able to use the protein in your food for building muscle.
In addition, they found that, in seniors, insulin no longer prevented the muscle breakdown between meals and overnight as it normally does in younger subjects.
This double-whammy adds up to significant muscle wasting in sedentary seniors. And poor blood supply, which prevents proper delivery of nutrients and hormones to your muscles, may be an important factor.
Exercise is the natural remedy for poor blood circulation, and the team confirmed that three weight training sessions per week over 20 weeks rejuvenated blood flow in the extremities to the point that they were identical to those in the younger group!
How’s that for results!!
Beware of Drugs That Can Cause Irreversible Damage to Your Muscles
Before going any further, I also want to remind you of one very common cause of excessive muscle wasting, aside from a sedentary lifestyle, namely: statin drugs.
Statins are a class of drugs used to lower your cholesterol, and are among the most commonly prescribed medications in the world.
They have many dangerous side effects, one of which is a serious degenerative muscle tissue condition called rhabdomyolysis, which can be fatal (as your heart is a muscle, and can be affected by these drugs).
Statins such as Lipitor, Zocor, Pavacol and Mevacor lower your cholesterol by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase, a key enzyme in cholesterol synthesis. But they can also activate the atrogin-1 gene, which plays a key role in muscle atrophy.
One recent study showed that even low concentrations of these drugs led to atrogin-1 induced muscle damage. And the higher the dosage, the greater the damage.
The Importance of Weight Training for Optimal Health
Unfortunately, many ignore weight training when devising their exercise plan, thinking they don’t want to “bulk up.”
But gaining more muscle through resistance exercises is an integral part of any well rounded fitness program, especially if you want to lose weight.
However, weight training is not about vanity.
The intensity of your resistance training can achieve a number of beneficial changes on the molecular, enzymatic, hormonal, and chemical level in your body, which will help slow down (and many cases stop) many of the diseases caused by a sedentary lifestyle.
Therefore it’s also an essential element if you want to prevent common diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, or weakening of your bones (osteoporosis), limited range of motion, aches and pains, and yes, prevent excessive muscle wasting as you age.
I recently published an article on exercise for weight loss, so let’s take a look at some of the other benefits of exercise as it relates to maintaining optimal health well into your senior years.
How Weight Lifting Can Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes and Heart Disease
Your body has two types of fat: visceral and subcutaneous.
Subcutaneous fat is the fat located just below your skin, and is the type that causes dimpling and cellulite.
Visceral fat, on the other hand, shows up in your abdomen and surrounds your vital organs including your liver, heart and muscles. It is this visceral fat that has been linked to serious health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke, among many other chronic diseases.
A key strategy to reduce your risk of heart disease (and a host of other chronic diseases), is to keep your inflammation levels low, and avoiding gaining visceral fat is part of this equation.
Exercise is a critical component for reducing heart disease risk because it both lowers inflammation in your body, and is one of the best weapons against visceral fat. For example, in one study volunteers who did not exercise had an 8.6 percent increase in visceral fat after eight months, while those who exercised the most LOST over 8 percent of their visceral fat during the same amount of time.
This occurs because muscle burns more calories, and it consumes calories around the clock, even when you’re resting and sleeping. So, as you gain more muscle, your body naturally increases the amount of calories burned each day, which reduces fat stores.
As for lowering inflammation, physical exercise accomplishes this naturally by lowering levels of a C-reactive protein (CRP) that is linked to inflammation.
High levels of CRP in your body is associated with a higher than average risk of cardiovascular disease, and has even been suggested as a better indicator of possible heart attack than high cholesterol.
How Strength Training Reduces Osteoporosis
Weight-bearing exercise is one of the most effective remedies against osteoporosis.
The last thing you want to consider is to take a drug to improve your bone density, as without question, that is more likely to cause long-term harm than benefit.
Your bones are actually very porous and soft, and as you get older, your bones can easily become less dense and hence, more brittle. Especially if you are inactive.
Resistance training can combat this effect because as you put more tension on your muscles it puts more pressure on your bones, which then respond by continuously creating fresh, new bone.
In addition, as you build more muscle, and make the muscle that you already have stronger, you also put more constant pressure on your bones.
A good weight bearing exercise to incorporate into your routine (depending on your current level of fitness, of course) is a walking lunge, as it helps build bone density in your hips, even without any additional weights. You can see the video at the top of the page on how to do that.
The video is from our new exercise site which we hope to launch later this year.
Keep Yourself in Motion!
Optimal health is dependent on an active lifestyle; eating fresh, whole foods, avoiding as many processed foods as possible, and addressing the stress in your life.
Ignoring any of these basic tenets of health will eventually lead to a decline in health and any number of diseases. So start moving, and don’t stop no matter what your age.
And do include strength training into your fitness routine. It is the number one way for you to remain strong, young, and independent well into old age.
Originaly posted at the World News, Financial News, Breaking US & International News.
NEW YORK (Goozad Health) – Vibrating exercise platforms, which are increasingly found in commercial gyms in Europe and elsewhere, may help people lose the particularly harmful deep “hidden” fat that surrounds the abdonminal organs and is linked to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
“We conclude, that it would be good to combine aerobic exercise with whole body vibration in a weight loss program,” study chief Dirk Vissers, a physiotherapist at the Artesis University College and the University of Antwerp in Belgium told Reuters Health.
With whole body vibration training, people do squats, lunges, calf raises, push-ups and sit-ups on a platform that sends mild vibratory impulses through the feet and into the rest of the body. These vibrations make muscles rapidly contract, which builds lean muscle mass. Whole body vibration training is touted as a more effective method of resistance training. Its true value, however, has been unclear.
To investigate, Vissers and his colleagues divided 79 overweight or obese adults into four groups. One group dieted but did not exercise; another group dieted and did “conventional” aerobic and general strength training exercises; a third group dieted and engaged in threee sessions per week of supervised whole body vibration training but no aerobic exercise; and the fourth group — the control group — did not diet or exercise.
Sixty-one of the participants completed the study, which consisted of a six-month “intervention” period, followed by a six-month period in which they were encouraged to do their best to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen on their own.
“Over the year, only the conventional fitness and vibration groups manged to maintain a 5 percent weight loss, which is what is considered enough to improve health, “Vissers said in perpared statement from the European Congress on Obesity in Amsterdam, where he presented the study findings Friday.
During the first six months, the diet-only group lost about 6 percent of their initial body weight, but could not maintain a 5 percent weight loss in the next six months. The group that dieted and engaged in conventional exercise lost about 7 percent of their initial body weight in the first six months and manged to keep most of it off by the end of the study.
The whole body vibration group, on the other hand, lost 11 percent of their body weight during the intervention phase and by the end of the follow-up period they had maintained a 10.5 percent weight loss.
The control group gained weight.
“But the biggest surprise,” Vissers told Reuters Health, “was that we saw an effect of vibration exercise training on the visceral adipose tissue, which is the intra-abdoninal fat that is the most important because it really plays a central role in metabolic syndrome.”
The vibration group lost significantly more of this particularly harmful hidden fat during the intervention period than the other groups and was more likely to keep it off during the next six month period.
“In my opinion, vibration exercise is a useful contribution to exercise, a healthy lifestyle and calorie restriction,” Vissers said.
In the training sessions conducted by Vissers and colleagues, the speed and intensity of the machine was gradually increased each week as well as the variety and duration fo exercises from 30 seconds for each of 10 exercises to 60 seconds for each of 22 exercises. The average time spent on the machine was 11.9 minutes per session in the first three months and 14.2 minutes in the second three months.
With vibration plate exercise training, “supervision in the begining is imperative and the longer the better,” Vissers advised.
By Megan Rausher for World News, Financial News, and Breaking US & International News.
A three year study of 500 Whole Body Vibration users showed an average strength gain of 123%. Considering the users were doing sessions as short as five minutes three times a week, that’s impressive. Average age of participants was 52.
We recommend at least ten minutes a day but hey, do what you can handle. Seems we all have our tolerance limit for exercising. Anything you do will help.
Cover this guy’s head with your thumb and tell me how old you think he looks? It’s a great trick.
Aging is not age alone. It’s also a person’s lifestyle, and that is true for the mind as well as the body.
2009 Jul;38(4):448-54. Epub 2009 May 13.
A three year study of 500 Whole Body Vibration users