By Jason Greenspan
All it takes is a visit to your local gym, and you will see people engaged in many different types of training programs. Most of the programs and exercises that are done in your typical gym really don’t make much sense. The most efficient fitness programs are specific to your goal, fitness level and health history. And although you shouldn’t choose exercises or fitness programs based solely upon your age, there are some aspects of health and fitness that you should focus on a bit more once you pass the age of fifty.
- Foam Rolling before and after a workout: Foam rolling involves using the foam-like cylinder that has become very popular for the last ten years. Foam rolling helps to relieve knots and tender spots throughout the body, and also helps improve circulation. Foam rolling will help the muscles and connective tissues stretch out more efficiently and will help you move better and avoid injury.
- Stretching: Many people ask, should you stretch before or AFTER a workout? The answer is probably both. If you have muscular imbalances (weakness & tightness in certain areas) then you should stretch the tight parts of your body in the beginning after you foam roll. If you have been blessed and don’t have any muscle imbalances, then the best time to stretch would be after your workout.
- Spend some time on improving balance: As we get older we tend to lose our ability to balance like we did when we were younger. This happens for many reasons, one being not participating in a regular exercise program. To help improve balance, the exercise program should focus on increasing strength around the foot and ankle, hips and abdominals, and low back. It should also include balance exercises, mobility drills, attention to proper posture and gait and improving reaction time.
- Do Pre-hab training so you don’t end up in Re-hab: Preventative training or “PRE-HAB” is a way of working certain areas of the body that are most important for stabilizing the rest of the body. For example, performing some bridges to wake up the buttock. The buttock is one of the most important muscles to strengthen, as it is a stabilizer to the hips, knees and low back. Also, spend a bit of time on working on the hips, rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder and deep abdominals that are responsible for protecting your spine.
- Perform the big six exercises: The big six exercises are the squat, lunge, step-up, pull, push and ability to rotate. All of these exercises are functional to real life and require the use of a lot of muscles working at once.
- Focus on Power training: Real life requires us to be able to move fast. Power is just your ability to do something quickly. This could be as simple as walking a bit faster than you normally do or getting up out of a chair quickly. As we get older power fades faster than strength. If we don’t periodically practice performing exercises fast and don’t have a base level of strength, we will move slowly, which can make us age more quickly.
- Try to perform exercises on one leg: After you have build a solid foundation training with both feet on the ground, try performing exercises on one leg. In life we are always on one leg. Activities like walking, running and climbing stairs all require us to stand one leg, so try one leg squats or step-ups or even doing a row on one leg and you will see not only your balance will get better, but you’ll strengthen so many more muscles than training with both feet on the ground.
- Throw medicine balls: Throwing medicine balls will help with reaction time, hand-eye coordination and alertness, which will sharpen your brain.
- Move in every direction: We tend to always move forwards when exercising. Try to move backwards, sideways and diagonally. In life we move in all different directions, not just forwards.
- Sleep: Get an average on seven to eight hours of sleep. Studies show that good sleeping habits will help to increase muscle tissue and help lose fat. Also you will be more alert and be able to make smarter decisions.
- Proper Nutrition: Good nutrition is really the key to it all. You can’t perform your best if you eat the wrong foods. Skip foods that have a lot of sugar and saturated fat. Choose lean cuts of protein such as turkey and grilled chicken. Fish like tuna, salmon, mackerel are also great sources of protein. Eat a lot of fruits and veggies. And skip the white stuff like mashed potatoes, white rice and white bread.
Silver Stars Fitness is dedicated to helping men and women over the age of 50 stay fit. We offer small group classes such as Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi and Total Strength body condition/balance class and a tennis class. Personal training, private Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Massage therapy and stretching are also offered. An in-home service is available for those who can’t come to the studio or just like the convenience of exercising at home. To setup a free comprehensive consultation, contact us now!
Silver Stars Fitness
Phone: 646-573-9724
info@silverstarsfit.com
www.silverstarsfit.com
Our studio is at 850 7th Avenue (west 54/55th), Suite 305
