Senior Fitness Where and How to Start

The stereotypical image of a senior has changed dramatically in the last fifty years. The concepts and restraints of aging have changed. Many individuals retire much later and stay active and vibrant. Sitting on the porch with a blanket on your lap has eclipsed the same senior playing a high-level game of tennis. Being a senior does not make you old and frail; sitting on your butt
and eating in an unhealthy manner makes you old and decrepit. If you are sitting on a chair watching TV, shut the damn TV off, get up, get out, and go for a walk. Start with a fifteen-minute walk four times a week at a rate that only slightly raises your pulse. Note a landmark, a store, or an intersection. This place is your point of delineation. Continue that distance and pace for two weeks. After two weeks, increase your reach by ten percent, and set a new delineation point. You are now four weeks in; you are getting this done. Let us improve the pace we are walking to where you are breathing heavier but can still maintain a conversation with some effort. Continue at this new level of intensity for two more weeks. You are now eight weeks in; you may start noticing that you are waking up with a renewed sense of purpose: You may also see that your pants seem a little bigger than they used to be fifty-six days ago. Let us expand the distance by ten percent more, maintaining the same intensity. Your intensity is related to your rate of respiration and your pulse. Continue for fourteen more days. Wow, we are now ten weeks in. Friends are starting to notice the metamorphosis of your body. Going up the flight of stairs to the bedroom in your home is now something that requires no extra effort. You have made considerable gains without enormous time or physical effort. Can you imagine how you would feel, look, and function if you continued this pace for one year? When something is out of our routine, it takes more mental and physical effort. When something is part of our schema, it is just what we do. While it takes more effort to start the ball rolling, inertia is an object's propensity to stay at rest or remain in motion until acted upon by an external force-Newton's First Law of Motion. Get your butt out of your chair and get the ball rolling. Before starting any exercise regimen, please consult with your doctor.

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