The old adage "use it or lose it" appears to ring true in almost all areas of your general health and fitness. You just can't store the benefits associated with a healthy lifestyle. Here are some areas that may be affected by your neglect.
Cardio-respiratory Fitness
Generally, after only one or two weeks of complete inactivity, significant reductions in cardiovascular fitness can be measured. It seems to be the fitness component that is affected first by a lapse in training. But the good news is that you can reduce your frequency and duration of exercise by up to 2/3's and as long as you maintain the same exercise intensity, you won't notice any reductions in your fitness level for up to 10-15 weeks.
Muscular Strength
You'll also notice significant reductions in this area if you opt for complete , long-term rest and relaxation. It does appear, however, that it's easier to maintain strength when compared to aerobic conditioning. One high intensity strength training workout every 10 days will help maintain your strength until you can resume your regular exercise schedule.
Flexibility
As we get older, cross linkages in connective tissue develop causing more rigidity and inflexibility and the tissue becomes less elastic. As a result, older individuals will start to develop the typical "old person's posture" all slumped, tight, rigid and immobile. And so as we get older, if we expect to enjoy a higher quality of life, maintaining flexibility is very important. Many scientists believe that cardiovascular fitness is the most important fitness component to focus on as we get older. But we believe that flexibility is right up there because if we are tight, injured and in so much pain because of our lack of flexibility, we aren't going to be able to move at all and thus, our cardiovascular fitness will suffer.
Balance
For older adults, a loss in balance and the ensuing falls are a widespread problem with serious physical consequences. Falls are the leading cause of injury in this population and can result in fractures, dislocations, sprains and deep, slow-to-heal bruises. Twenty-five percent of hip fracture patients never regain their previous level of independence; 10 percent die of fracture complications. Every year 30-50 percent of people over 65 years old sustain a fall; half of those who fall do so repeatedly. But, the good news is that balance is similar to your musculo-skeletal and cardiovascular systems. If you train it, you won't lose it. It can be as easy as standing on one leg while brushing your teeth or making dinner.
Mind-Body Coordination
There are certain sports that require a lower level of coordination; running, cycling, swimming, hiking. And, although, they are all great at developing your cardiovascular fitness they won't provide you with a high level of coordination. If you want to stimulate your coordination, complement these activities with those that require you to think a little more. Sports like tennis, beach volleyball, basketball, soccer, ultimate frisbee, or field hockey will do the trick. Sign up for an advanced dance class or choreographed fitness class. Although you may feel awkward at first, within a few sessions you'll notice that you're keeping up. That's a good sign that your mind-body coordination is improving.
As you can see, maintaining your health is not as hard as you might have thought. You just have to make it a priority and realize that you deserve to enjoy a high quality of life as you get older. |
