Reasons To Workout Even When You’re Older
Too often people nearing or past retirement give up on staying fit, or never bothered to attempt it in the first place. They don’t realize that you need to workout even when you’re older or that it’s never too late to begin. The body is a beautiful machine that, unlike other types of machines, heals itself. It does need help however, and that help comes from eating healthy and staying active.
Never give up.
Sometimes, no matter how healthy you try to be, things happen. It may be genetic or even a freak accident that causes an injury or illness. That’s when your pure determination can help. People who have lived a healthy lifestyle even find good health temporary, but they also have avoided some of the risks. It’s never too late to start, even if you’ve had a serious condition. You can help the body to heal and reduce the risk of complications by adopting a can-do attitude.
Exercise is just one of the keys to living healthier and longer.
Exercise boosts your natural antioxidants and improves overall circulation. The quicker you start any type of exercise, the faster you’ll improve. One physician said that if the benefits of exerciser were in a pill, it would be more popular than any now available. It helps improve the muscles, ligaments, blood, tendons and bones. It increases the production of collagen to heal wounded tissue. One study at Ohio State University in Columbus showed that people over 55 healed faster when following a program of exercise. The key is to get moving, any way you can.
Eat healthier.
The older you get, the more important healthier eating becomes. The body doesn’t seem to process foods as well and even if your diet is the same as it was in your 20s, you may not be absorbing as many nutrients. Adding herbs and spices to foods not only enhances the flavor, but can also improve the nutrition. Turmeric, for example, is a known anti-inflammatory that can help arthritis and even Alzheimer’s. Rosemary helps the heart and garlic seems to help everything…plus keeps vampires at bay.
– Osteoporosis can be delayed and may be reversed by strength building and weight bearing exercise. These also reverse the effects of muscle tissue loss.
– Exercise helps you look younger. It stimulates the production of collagen to prevent an aging look. For a more youthful appearance, run to the store, but not to pick up the latest collagen face cream, but to get in the exercise your body deserves.
– Exercise helps reduce the risk of serious diseases, such as diabetes, osteoporsis and heart disease. It burns off the hormones created by stress.
– A program of regular exercise will keep you looking and feeling younger. It adds bounce to your step and boosts your energy level.
Is There Such A Thing As Healthy Slimming Fat?
You’ll often read about a single discovery that suddenly makes everyone switch to the next super food or condemn a specific food. Fat is one of that received the most condemnation. Everyone suddenly got on the “eliminate fat train” and forgot that healthy slimming fat is part of the group. In order to understand the condemnation of fat and why some is good, you have to know there are all types of fat.
Saturated fat versus unsaturated fat in the war for good health.
The two main categories of fat include saturated and unsaturated. Within those groups, there are even further divisions. Unsaturated fat tends to be the heroes of good health with the saturated fats playing the foes. Unsaturated fat includes Omega3 fatty acids, which are the true heroes of healthy eating. It’s a poly unsaturated fat. The best way to get this is eating fatty fish, such as salmon, but you can also get it from flaxseed and walnuts. Monounsaturated fight right along with the polyunsaturated fats to help you keep healthier and are in foods like olive oil, cashew, avocados and pumpkin seeds. Bad fats, such as transfat and some saturated fats definitely aren’t your friend. The worst of the worst is artificial trans fats that were popular because human engineering gave them a longer shelf life.
When you eat healthy fat, it actually helps you lose weight in a number of ways.
While a diet solely of healthy fats, such as cashews and avocados, would be disastrous and leave you malnourished, mixing in healthy fat with your diet can help you shed those extra pounds. Healthy fat leaves you feeling full, but doesn’t add all the calories that it would take for carbohydrates to leave you feeling satiated. It also doesn’t raise the insulin levels.
Your body can burn fat more efficiently when you have healthy fat available.
A diet lower in fat reduces the production of the hormones adipokines. One of those, adiponectin, helps your body metabolize fat and increases the rate that it breaks down fat. Since the goal is to burn fat, you want to maintain higher levels. A low or no fat diet lowers the level, making it harder to shed those extra pounds. In fact, one study shows that a low or no fat diet actually made people fatter.
– A diet that has adequate monounsaturated fat can actually lower the potential for fat building in the abdominal area and help eliminate belly fat.
– Healthy fat is not only good for weight loss, it’s brain healthy too. Many sources of healthy fat also are nutrient rich, making it a healthy option for all parts of the body.
– You’ll get a boost of energy without all the extra calories from healthy foods that are sources of good fat.
– A study from the British Journal of Nutrition published in 2009 found that people who had the highest consumption of unsaturated fatty acid also had lower BMIs. They had limited belly fat too.
Boost Your Brain While You’re Building Your Body
If you want to boost your brain power, taking classes and keeping mentally active is a start. Studies show that people with a good social life and those who are mentally active have a lower chance of dementia and Alzheimer’s. But the brain is more than just a storage area for facts, it’s a living organ and like all other organs in the body, needs adequate nutrition. What you eat and regular exercise play a huge role in getting and delivering those nutrients to the brain for better brain health.
You’ll think clearer if you spend active time.
You’ll not only feel better if you’re active each day, you’ll think better too. Exercise stimulates the blood flow to the brain. It helps prevent the build up of plaque in that slows or blocks the nutrients from reaching it and can cause the brain cells to slowly die. Getting some exercise every day, whether it’s a workout in the gym or a walk through the park, can help keep the blood flowing and prevent the buildup of plague in the arteries.
Fight off mental decline.
While participating in mental activities, no matter what age in life it was done, made a 14 percent difference in the amount of mental decline faced by seniors, physical activity played a bigger role. Physical activity slowed brain changing diseases such as stroke, dementia and Alzheimer’s. People who were more active in their senior years showed a slower rate of decline compared to the average by 32%. Those who were most sedentary increased their decline from dementia by 48%.
Feeding your brain keeps it functioning at its best.
Just like diet affects the body, it affects the mind. When you eat for your brain, you need to include a certain amount of fat. Most people actually fear eating fat, but healthy fat is important. Sorry, you won’t find that kind of healthy fat in a bag of fries. It comes from a good balance of Omega3 and Omega6 fatty acids, mono and poly unsaturated fat found in oily fish like salmon, avocados, nuts, whole eggs, olive oil and coconut oil. You need to include nutrients such as B vitamins, vitamin D, vitamin K and vitamin C, as well as calcium, magnesium and zinc can help brain power. Don’t expect to just take a pill. The body needs phyto nutrients that are only found in whole foods. Spices, such as turmeric, have been found to be anti-inflammatory and can prevent or slow the development of Alzheimer’s.
– Exercise burns off the hormones create by stress that can leave you depressed and make you sick. These hormones also slow the functioning of the brain. It replaces them with ones that make you feel good again.
– While staying active is important, so is sleep. A good night’s sleep clears away the cobwebs and lets you process the memories of the day.
– For a healthy brain, make sure you drink an adequate amount of water daily. Dehydration can lead to symptoms of dementia that are reversed with increased fluids. The brain is about 73% water.
– High blood sugar levels lead to damage in the area of the brain that performs memory functions, the hippocampus. Keeping blood sugar levels in check is done with exercise and diet.