I want to exercise BUT I feel like I’m too old
Reverse Age with Exercise- the How, What and Why!
When I was born, coke was a soft drink, and weed was something you removed from your flower beds.
I was born before color television, automatic dishwashers – and lucky for me –the birth control pill. My, how time flies! Yes I’ve dedicated my life to fitness, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel like Frankenstein’s bride when I get up in the morning.
We all have an angel on one side saying, “get up, get going, do the right thing." On the other side is that little voice that says, “skip your workout, eat the donut, you can start your diet tomorrow.” How do I know? My two sides argue every day. I just have to make sure the angel wins most of the time.
We Baby Boomers don’t want to get old, but we do want to grow old by staying healthy and remaining functional. And we should; the first of the baby boomers are now turning 65 and today's 50 year old will live on average to be 81. So every day the 5,000 women and 5,000 men who turn 50 are beginning to realize what George Burns stated so eloquently, “If I’d known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.”
Many exercisers feel that the key to an effective workout is to try to move the body as quickly as possible. The thinking is that more movement leads to more energy consumption, which leads to fat loss and strength gaining. However, when it comes to looking and more importantly feeling younger, slower is often better.
The reason why slow weight lifting is much more effective than fast weight training is that the muscles are put in a state of contraction for longer. The muscles have to continually exert force in order to keep the weights in position. The more that muscles are placed in a position where they must bear weight, the more that the muscles are forced to adapt to this situation, causing your muscles and body to tone up much more quickly.
The muscles must be placed under enough strain so that they become fatigued. When this happens, they send signals to the rest of your body to strengthen the supporting muscles so they can avoid fatigue in the future. Lifting weights slower might seem easier, but it is actually more challenging and will tire most people out more quickly.
Those who develop more of their skeletal muscles will have the strength needed to get through the day and perform activities with greater ease. They will also have an improved lung capacity, a better heart rate, improved oxygen saturation and lower cholesterol. All of these factors, combined with the overall improvement in body tone, will make you feel younger!
