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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, БЕРЕЗЕНЬ 2010 21 PHY SICAL ACTIVITY FOR HEALTHY AGING Iho r Magun, MD, FACP Mos t of us recognize the importance of sta ying active to stay physically fit. We t alk about it and have the right intentions; some of us e ven go so far as to make it the number one New Year's res olution ever y year. But brin ging this intention or res olution to l ife is another story. The re’s always some reason or excuse to p ostpone i t , and so we never rea lly get t o it. Jus t as with any activity or project we att empt to conquer, it is imperative to create a plan tha t will suit our needs and abilities. The first place to sta rt is recognizing that there is strong evidence of the hea lth benef its of physical activity, evidence that has been proven and substantiated. In addition to the obvi ous benefit of weight management, exer cis e has been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease, dia betes, hypertension, and premature death. It can red uce de pression and can also improve cognitive func tion in older adults. A major study published in the New England Journal of Medicine , a l eading med ical publication, showed an increase in life expec tancy even in individuals who did not be gin exer cising r egul arly until seventy - five years of age. One r eason people don’t exercise (or start an e xercise program and then abandon it) is conf usion about what to do, how much to do, and how of ten to do it. Often, the initial approach is too much , too fast. This ap proa ch has is almost certain to f ail, partly because it is unfocused, partly because it m ay be too strenuous, and partly because it can make people feel worse instead of better and doesn’t prod uce the desired results. Thus, the best gui delines for exercise rec ommend a gradual and progressive incr ease in activity over time focusing on individual needs and goals . Res earchers at t he Ce nters for Disease Con trol and Prevention conduc ted stu dies and came up wi th the following spe cific rec ommendations for th e mi n ima l activity for achieving health benefits : Two hours and thirty minutes of moderate - int ense aerobic activity (walking) a week, plus musc le - str engthening activities at least two days a we ek OR One ho ur and fifteen minutes of vigorous - int ensity aerobic ac tiv ity (jogging, running) a wee k, plus muscle - str engthening activities at lea st two days a week OR A com bination of moderate - and vi gorous - int ensity aerobic activity equivalent to the recom - mend ations above, plus muscle - str engthening act ivities at least two day s of the week Exam ples of aerobic activities include tak ing structured aer obic classes, bicycle riding, danc ing, golf, swimming, tennis, vacuuming, walk - ing , or j ogging. Exam ples of muscle - str engthening act ivities include c ali st h enic s (a type of exerci se t hat uses the weight of y our ow n body for resistance in conce rt with stretches), carrying groceries, wor king out on wei ght machines or hand held weights, yar d wor k, some yoga and tai chi exercises . At t his point, yo u pro bably are thinking, “H ow a m I go ing t o incorporate all these activities int o my life ? ” The a nswer to that question may surp rise you. A mere t hir ty minutes, five times a wee k provides great health benefits and can be built int o ever yone’s dai ly schedule. This amount provi des substantial b enef its. An even bigger bonus here is the reminder about gradual and progressive incr ease in activity over time . St art slow , pac e yours elf, and choose those exercises that are appr opriate to you (i.e., if you haven’t exercise in year s, don’t expect to jog 6 mi les the first day of your pr ogram; if you are in pretty good shape but are 75 years old and have never tried playing tennis, don’t expect to play like an ace. Choo se activities tha t you can live with and make them a part of your dai ly routine. At a min imu m, start with a sus tained ten minutes of yo ur chosen exercise. Take a break and resume for another ten minutes. Take another brea k, and resume for another ten minutes to comp lete thirty minutes in total . St arting this way make s it easier to stick with t he prog ram, and you wil l find that your breaks become shorter and less nece ssary as time goes on. Use these suggestions to invigorate your life, str engthen your muscles, and increase your energy leve l. Maybe this is the year you can finally be the one t o say , “I did kee p my New Year's re sol ution!”
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