Most people tend to focus on one type of exercise or activity and think they’re doing enough. Research has shown that it’s important to get all four types of exercise: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. Each one has different benefits. Doing one kind also can improve your ability to do the others, and variety helps reduce boredom and the risk of injury. No matter your age, you can find activities that meet your fitness level and needs!

Endurance exercises for older adults

Endurance activities, often referred to as aerobics, increase your breathing and heart rates. These activities help keep you healthy, improve your fitness, and help you perform the tasks you need to do every day. Endurance exercises improve the health of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system. They also can delay or prevent many diseases that are common in older adults such as diabetes, colon and breast cancers, heart disease, and others.

Strength exercises for older adults

Your muscular strength can make a big difference. Strong muscles help you stay independent and make everyday activities feel easier, like getting up from a chair, climbing stairs, and carrying groceries. Keeping your muscles strong can help with your balance and prevent falls and fall-related injuries. You are less likely to fall when your leg and hip muscles are strong. Some people call using weight to improve your muscle strength “strength training” or “resistance training.”

Some people choose to use weights to help improve their strength. If you do, start by using light weights at first, then gradually add more. Other people use resistance bands, and stretchy elastic bands that come in varying strengths.

Balance exercises for older adults

Balance exercises help prevent falls, a common problem in older adults that can have serious consequences. Many lower-body strength exercises also will improve your balance.

Flexibility exercises for older adults

Stretching can improve your flexibility. Moving more freely will make it easier for you to reach down to tie your shoes or look over your shoulder when you back your car out of the driveway.

The post Four Types of Exercise Can Improve Your Health and Physical Ability appeared first on C-Medisolutions.

This bone-strengthening class led by American Council on Exercise (ACE)-certified instructor Mitch Menik each Monday will guide you through dynamic standing, stretching and chair exercises, performed with or without weights, designed to mildly stress the body.

Such mild stress can spur an increase in bone density and help strengthen the muscles that support the skeletal structure. These movements also help increase overall flexibility and improve balance to help avoid falls. Gentle motions focused on breath work help oxygenate the blood. Please consult your physician before beginning any new exercise regimen.

How to Join

To attend this class, you must register each month, indicating which sessions you plan to attend. Please note that you must be signed in to your AARP.org account or create an account to register for events. AARP membership is not required. You will be emailed a link to join the class via Zoom prior to the event.

Explore other free online exercise classes. Contact AARP Oregon at oraarp@aarp.org for more information.

To explore local events hosted by AARP in your state, visit AARP Local.

Event Schedule

Monday, Jan 8

6:00 p.m.

Session 1

Monday, Jan 22

6:00 p.m.

Session 2

Monday, Jan 29

6:00 p.m.

Session 3

The post Fitness Class: Strengthen Your Bones appeared first on C-Medisolutions.

This bone-strengthening class led by American Council on Exercise (ACE)-certified instructor Mitch Menik each Monday will guide you through dynamic standing, stretching and chair exercises, performed with or without weights, designed to mildly stress the body.

Such mild stress can spur an increase in bone density and help strengthen the muscles that support the skeletal structure. These movements also help increase overall flexibility and improve balance to help avoid falls. Gentle motions focused on breath work help oxygenate the blood. Please consult your physician before beginning any new exercise regimen.

How to Join

To attend this class, you must register each month, indicating which sessions you plan to attend. Please note that you must be signed in to your AARP.org account or create an account to register for events. AARP membership is not required. You will be emailed a link to join the class via Zoom prior to the event.

Explore other free online exercise classes. Contact AARP Oregon at oraarp@aarp.org for more information.

To explore local events hosted by AARP in your state, visit AARP Local.

Event Schedule

Monday, Jan 8

6:00 p.m.

Session 1

Monday, Jan 22

6:00 p.m.

Session 2

Monday, Jan 29

6:00 p.m.

Session 3

The post Fitness Class: Strengthen Your Bones appeared first on C-Medisolutions.

Join this class by Zoom:

Meeting ID: 841 2285 1320

OR

Call in with a phone:

1-888-788-0099

Meeting ID: 841 2285 1320

The post Strength and Stability appeared first on C-Medisolutions.

Published by: AARP

Researchers agree: Belly fat, specifically something called visceral fat, is harmful to your health. This fat in the belly area can lead to health problems including cardiac disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, dementia, and stroke. What’s more, it’s an indicator of premature death.

Exercise to get rid of belly fat

Experts say the only way to get rid of belly fat is a comprehensive lifestyle approach that incorporates both diet and exercise. “The ideal approach involves addressing your overall lifestyle, including eating a balanced diet of whole, naturally fiber-rich foods, being regularly active, prioritizing sleep, not drinking excessively, and managing stress,” says Cynthia Sass, a private practice dietitian who works with clients long distance and specializes in nutrition for mental and physical performance and longevity.

Regular, consistent cardiovascular, or aerobic, exercise like walking, running and swimming has been shown to help burn calories and some fat. But high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) — also referred to as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) — is a more efficient way of exercising, getting more results in less time.

HIIT is a form of cardiovascular exercise that alternates between short bouts of high-intensity and low-intensity exercise for the duration of the workout, which is usually 30 minutes or less. This type of interval training includes walking or running at a slow pace, then speeding it up, then repeating. It can also include aerobic, boot-camp-style cycling, or any classes that alternate between slower to moderate-intensity and high-intensity movements.

Cut down on sugar

Sugar — particularly hidden sugar in the diet — is one of the leading causes of fat and specifically belly fat, according to Promaulayko. “Excess sugar is a major driver of belly fat and fat in general because we only need very little for energy. The rest is stored as fat. And the fact is, we’re getting way more than we need via added and hidden sugars,” Promaulayko says. “We’re only supposed to be getting 10 percent of our daily calories from sugar, but we’re getting about 40 percent of our daily calories from sugar.”

Eat a plant-based diet

Sass recommends eating a healthy, balanced, plant-based diet. “Plant foods rich in monounsaturated fat — avocado and avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, whole Mediterranean olives and olive tapenade, nuts, and nut butter — as part of a healthy balanced diet may help reduce belly fat,” she says. These healthy fats have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation, two conditions that are also linked to belly fat, she adds.

Limit ultra-processed foods

A recent study by the NYU Global School of Public Health found that consumption of ultra-processed foods has risen in the majority of the population in the last two decades. The researchers said that eating these ultra-processed foods — such as sodas, frozen pizza, fast food, salty snacks, and sugary breakfast cereals — “may be a key driver of the U.S. obesity epidemic.” Other recent studies have linked highly processed foods to higher risks of dementia, cancer, and death from heart disease. Research has found that these foods can increase your risk of gaining belly fat. So, try to cut way down on frozen meals, fast food, chips, and sugary drinks. Note that not all processed foods are necessarily bad for you: Bagged salads, canned beans, and frozen fruits and vegetables, for example, are processed but can also be healthy options. 

Consider intermittent fasting

There are many types — from time-restricted eating (limiting your eating window to a certain amount of time per day) to alternate-day fasting, where you limit calories to 500 or 600 two nonconsecutive days a week, to brief continuous fasts, Sass says. “Intermittent fasting has been shown to help reduce belly fat,” she says. But what you eat when you’re not fasting is key to whether you’ll lose weight.

The post How to Get Rid of Belly Fat After Age 50 appeared first on C-Medisolutions.

Published by: National Institute on Aging

Physical activity is a great way for seniors to gain substantial health benefits and maintain their independence. Try to make exercise a priority. Remember that being active is one of the most important things you can do every day to maintain and improve your health. Try following these tips to help keep you motivated to exercise.

1. Find simple ways to make exercise enjoyable and fun.

Some people like to go to the gym to use a treadmill. Others find that kind of activity boring. The key to continuing to exercise is to make it interesting and enjoyable. Be creative. Do things you enjoy but pick up the pace. Do all four types of exercise: resistance, strengthening, balance, and flexibility. Variety helps keep things interesting! Try some new activities to stay interested.

2. Find ways to fit exercise into your day.

You are more likely to exercise if it is at a convenient time in your day. Try to exercise first thing in the morning. Combine physical activity with a task that is already part of your day, like walking the dog or doing chores. If you don’t have 30 minutes to be active, find three 10-minute periods. As you progress, add more 10-minute sessions until you reach your goal.

3. Make exercise a social activity

Many people agree that an “exercise buddy” keeps them active.

• Go for a walk at lunch with your coworkers.
• Try taking a dance class, be it salsa, tango, bachata, or whatever you like best.
• Use family gatherings as a time for team sports or outdoor activities.

4. Track your progress

The best way to stay motivated to exercise is to measure and celebrate your successes:

• Make an exercise and physical activity plan that works for you and record your daily physical activity.
• Find new ways to increase your physical activity.
• Track your monthly progress to see improvement.
• Update your exercise plan as you progress.

The post How to Stay Motivated to Exercise: Tips for Seniors appeared first on C-Medisolutions.

This class is offered on Monday and Wednesday as part of our Team Senior Planet program.

Click or tap to join this class by Zoom:

Meeting ID: 170 361 931

OR

Call in with a phone:

1-646-558-8656

Meeting ID: 170 361 931

The post Fit Fusion Workout appeared first on C-Medisolutions.

Click or tap to join this class by Zoom:

Meeting ID: 170 361 931

1-646-558-8656

Meeting ID: 170 361 931

The post Easy-to-Follow Tai Chi appeared first on C-Medisolutions.

Published by: www.aarp.org

Whether it’s a tennis swing that causes a sudden tearing sensation in your shoulder or a slip and fall on the ice that leaves you unable to lift your arm, shoulder injuries are a common problem for adults 50 and older, doctors say. That’s largely because of aging-related changes in this body part, sometimes coupled with decades of overuse from work and play.

On the plus side, shoulder specialists say there’s plenty you can do to reduce the risk of injury and maintain function so that you can keep on enjoying your favorite activities and doing everyday tasks.

Why older shoulders are more at risk

The structure most vulnerable to damage in older shoulders is the rotator cuff, a group of muscles and tendons that surround the joint and keep the head of the upper arm in the shoulder socket.

“Mostly, these are a combination of age-related degeneration, overuse, and macro trauma, where someone does something to their shoulder. It’s rare that it’s just an acute injury,” says Gerald R. Williams Jr., M.D., a shoulder specialist at the Philadelphia-based Rothman Orthopaedic Institute.

Fractures of the bones in the shoulder, often caused by falls, are the second-most common type of shoulder injury among 50-plus adults, according to Williams.

While tennis players and other athletes sometimes develop shoulder problems from overuse, a sedentary lifestyle is often the cause, according to Jamil Neme, M.D., an assistant professor at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and a sports medicine expert at SLUCare who specializes in the non-surgical treatment of injuries.

What you can do to keep your shoulders healthy

Although aging makes you more vulnerable to injury, it’s possible to reduce the risk of getting hurt with the right amount and type of exercise, especially if you also change some habits and pay more attention to how you do some activities, experts say. And as Neme explains, working to maintain healthy shoulders has benefits besides just injury prevention. By maintaining a good range of motion, you’ll be able to continue playing tennis or golf, or doing other activities you enjoy, for years to come.

Here are five expert tips for taking care of your shoulders.

1. Build up your shoulders.

Strengthening the muscles around your shoulder will help keep it stable and protect you from injury. But you don’t need elaborate gym equipment to do it. Williams is big on doing exercises with elastic bands, which provide a gradual, steady increase in resistance during a movement. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers this rotator cuff and shoulder conditioning program, which includes 18 exercises that target a range of different muscle groups crucial for shoulder health. The routine can be used either for recovering from an injury or maintaining shoulder health.

2. Work on flexibility.

Daily stretching can help maintain shoulder flexibility and a good range of motion, both of which provide some protection against injury, according to Williams. That’s why he and Neme recommend their patients practice yoga, which also improves strength and balance — both of which help prevent falls that can cause fractures.

3. Always warm up.

If you show up at the tennis court three minutes before you’re scheduled for a match, and just take off your jacket and start playing, you’re practically asking for shoulder trouble. “When you’re going to take part in activities, warm up first,” Williams says. A pre-activity routine might include some cardio work, such as jumping jacks, plus some of the stretching and rotator cuff exercises you do in your fitness workouts.

4. Practice moderation.

While exercise is good for your shoulders, overzealousness — especially coupled with poor technique — can increase your injury risk, Williams notes. For example, putting your shoulder in an extreme position and then loading it with resistance can subject your rotator cuff to a tremendous amount of force — possibly more than it can withstand. “Let’s say you’re doing a push-up,” he says. “It’s probably better not to take your chest all the way down to the floor, because your shoulders are significantly extended, and then you push your entire body weight up. You’d be better off stopping where your elbows are parallel with your body.”

And don’t push yourself to extremes with the weights, no matter what you see fitness buffs doing on YouTube. “To most people, what I would say is, just increase your intensity gradually,” Williams adds. Taking more time off between workouts for rest and building some easy days into your routine is also good for injury prevention.

5. Improve your ergonomics.

If you use a computer, how you sit at your desk can make a big difference. Repetitive activity — even something as seemingly harmless as using a computer mouse — can affect the shoulder. “You’d be better off having your computer table relatively high, so your shoulder is not extended all the time,” Williams says. Sitting up straight is also important since slumping in your chair can result in tight muscles and affect how your shoulders move, Neme says.

The post 5 Ways to Avoid Shoulder Injuries appeared first on C-Medisolutions.