You At Your Best

8 | YOU AT YOUR BEST | nwAdg.cOm/YOUATYOURBEST dEcEmBER - SEniOR cElEBRATiOnS | SATURdAY, nOvEmBER 24, 2018 by KareN rice NWa Democrat-Gazette Sometimes slowing down can be a good thing. With age, we find more reasons to "stop and smell the roses." But before you start spending all your time sitting in the garden, consider this: a recent Swedish study found that physical activity is the number one factor in longevity. Exercise adds years to your life, (and life to your years), even if you don't start exercising until your senior years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that regular physical activity is one of the most important things older adults can do to improve their health. In short, the older we get, the more important it is to stay active. Physical activity can boost your mood, improve your memory, increase your energy, help you maintain your independence and even help manage pain. Not to mention helping you lose weight and look great. The first step is to talk to your doctor about a safe exercise routine, taking into account your preexisting medical conditions and medications. Then, just "jump in," says Casi Shanks, Fitness Coordinator for The Jones Center in Springdale. She encourages people to discover things they enjoy, so activity is fun and not a chore. Dancing? Playing with the dog? Gardening? These are all ways to start getting moderate to vigorous exercise as recommended by the CDC. Even chair-bound people can lift light weights, stretch and do chair aerobics, yoga and Tai Chi to increase range of motion, improve muscle tone and flexibility and increase heart health. Here are some other tips for staying healthy through exercise: Buddy up Exercising with a partner can help give you more motivation. It's also a built-in safety net if you need assistance or suffer an injury while exercising. Personal trainers can serve as your partner, and many gyms offer discounts to seniors on personal training services. Casi points out that at The Jones Center "Our personal training sessions start at just $10 each, making it affordable to get individual help getting started from a certified professional." Start slowly Begin with gentle movement, especially if you have not been physically active for some time. Start by walking every day rather than heading right for the treadmill or elliptical machine. Use a step-counting app on your smartphone to determine how many steps you take in a day and then gradually work toward 10,000 to 15,000 steps per day. Apply the same slow approach to strength training, lifting only very light weights at first before gradually increasing weight. Stretch The less flexible you are, the greater your risk of injury. Warm up before stretching with five to 10 minutes of low-intensity activity such as walking. Then stretch gently, remembering to relax and breathe during each stretch. Switch things up When strength training, don't work the same muscle group two days in a row. If you work multiple muscle groups in one day, leave at least one day in between sessions so muscles have ample time to recover. To find a senior exercise program, check with your local fitness, community or senior center, or search "Senior exercise classes near me" online. Seniors and exercise: it's never too late to start exercise adds years to your life, (and life to your years), even if you don't start exercising until later in life.

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