Address your workouts with an informed approach throughout your 50s and 60s. Men should focus on several categories when deciding which common exercises to do: cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, balance, postural stability and reaction time. Several common exercises will get the job done.
Walking
Walking is easy, cardiovascular and reduces belly fat. Every time you take a step, your abdominal muscles are contracting to lift your leg forward. In opposition, your back muscles are engaging as your foot contacts the ground and pulls your body forward. Walk briskly 30 minutes a day. Plan three days a week minimum for weight maintenance and cardiovascular health. Plan four to six days a week for weight reduction. For better results, add intensity intervals. Walk 10 minutes, then add two minutes of high marching. Walk another 10 minutes, then travel sideways with 15 slow side squats on each leg. Change your terrain. Use a treadmill the same way. Pause it and step off for the marches and side squats. Change to a rowing machine for a time. It is low impact and works a multitude of muscles.
Muscle Strength and Endurance
You can stave off age-related loss of muscular strength and endurance. Use progressive resistance training. That means to use weights or weight machines and increase weight amount in gradual increments. Use a weight machine circuit. Start with a weight amount you can lift at least 10 times. Perform three sets of 10 at each machine. Increase repetitions as you get stronger, then increase to the next weight increment. Dumbbells are another common form of strengthening exercises. Dumbbell exercises for your legs are squats, lunges and heel raises while holding dumbbells to your side. Dumbbell exercises for your arms are overhead press, bicep curls, tricep extensions, bent over rows, chest press and open chest fly.
Postural Stability
Slouching is a problem for your health, straining your entire spine and neck. It allows your belly to bulge forward which distends your intestine. While you are sitting, standing or walking, retract your shoulder blades back and down, inhale and expand your rib cage out like an accordion. Exhale and compress your entire tummy into your spine while you stretch the top of your head up to the ceiling.
Flexibility, Balance and Response Time
Flexibility, balance and response time are key to your long-term health. Walking improves your balance and your response time. Response time is the time it takes your muscle neurons to sense change in motion, send a signal to your brain, then back down to your muscle to instantaneously react without injury. Walk up and down curbs, step over things or walk on grass. Even better, hike a mountain trail which continually challenges your balance and response time. Incorporate flexibility into your walking. Side squats and forward lunges stretch your legs. Put your toe on top of a curb and drop your heel down for a calf stretch. Place your heel on top of the curb, straighten your leg and lean over from the hip. Rotate your shoulders back and around. Reach up to the sky and out to the sides in the letter "T."
References
- "Senior Fitness"; Aerobics and Fitness Association of America; 2008
- "Walking: the Easiest Exercise"; Martina Navratilova, AARP; September 2010
- "YMCA Personal Training Manual"; YMCA of the USA; 2006
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