Exercise helps keeps you young, even if you're old. A regular program of aerobic and strengthening exercises for men ages 50 and older not only keeps your body healthy, it's been shown to sharpen your mind and ease the symptoms of depression. Knowing which exercises to take on and how long to engage in them will help you design a program that you're comfortable doing regularly so you can keep your heart, your mind and yourself happy and healthy.
Physical Benefits
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Department on Aging, exercising regularly brings about a host of physical benefits that make it easier to enjoy your age gracefully and comfortably. Strengthening exercises improve your flexibility and your balance so you're more likely to avoid injuries from a fall. Aerobic exercise helps combat heart disease, can cut your chances of becoming overweight, lowers your blood pressure, reduces the chances of developing diabetes and contributes to preventing strokes.
Mental Benefits
A study at Duke University Medical Center revealed that for people ages 50 to 77, regular exercise helped treat their major depression at least as effectively as anti-depressant medications. "The implications are that exercise might be able to offset some of the mental declines that we often associate with the aging process," says James Blumenthal, the principal investigator of the study. Study subjects who exercised regularly also improved their memory and concentration, Blumenthal says.
Aerobic Exercises
Jogging, swimming and biking are aerobic exercises. So are dancing, mowing the lawn, and walking the dog, if they increase your heart rate and your breathing. To reap the most benefits from aerobic exercise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends you do moderate exercises, such as walking briskly, for at least 2-1/2 hours each week. If you jog, run bike or swim, which is more intensive exercise, then you should do so at least one hour and 15 minutes a week, according to the CDC. It's fine for you to break the exercise sessions up into at least 10 minute bites to stay healthy or get healthier.
Strength Exercises
Exercises such as weightlifting, calisthenics, gardening and yoga count as strengthening exercises. According to the CDC, engage in strength-building exercises at least two days a week. The CDC also recommends the sessions work all your muscle groups. Hit your back, stomach, chest, arms, shoulders and legs, if you want a healthful workout.
References
- Administration on Aging; Get Moving! Exercise can Enhance and Extend Your Life; August 2011
- Science Daily; Aerobic Exercise Improves Cognitive Functioning Of Older Men And Women; Duke University Medical Center; January 2001
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; How Much Physical Activity Do Older Adults Need?; March 2011
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