NEWSWORTHY
Read more about the featured articles, and see below for other health-related articles.
Two Good Reasons
To Add Strength Training
To Your Exercise Regimen
I. BUILD MUSCLE MASS
Around age 30, everyone starts to lose muscle mass. At age 65, muscle mass declines at an even faster rate.
The good news is that even if you have been sedentary for a while, you can increase your muscle mass at any age. Even small changes in muscle strength can make it easier to rise from a chair, carry groceries, climb stairs and play with your grandchildren.
An active 70 year old can be biologically younger than an unfit, sedentary 50 year old.
Muscles love a good challenge. They build by straining against a resistance such as hand weights or a flex band.
Engaging in strength training 3x week can lead to stronger muscle mass, decrease metabolic risk and revitalize your body, mind, and spirit.
Excerpted from UCLA Healthy News February 2016 Vol 13 No. 2
II AVOID RECURRING BACK PAIN
“To Avoid Back Pain” in Phys Ed by Gretchen Reynolds
NY TIMES, 2/2/2016
In this article, Gretchen Reynolds reports on a review of recent research on the prevention of recurring back pain. “A successful prevention program was defined as one that had kept someone from reporting another bout of back pain within a year or longer……”
In these studies typical remedies such as education alone, back belts andorthotics were found to be almost “completely ineffective”…..BUT “Exercise combined with education reduced the risk of an episode of low back pain in the next year by 45%. In other words, it almost halved the risk.” Exercises emphasizing core strengthening, as well as exercises “combining aerobic conditioning with strength and balance training” were equally effective when done in two or three supervised sessions every week for two months or longer.
*CAUTION: Before starting any new exercise program be sure to get your doctor’s approval.
More Newsworthy articles:
Psychology Today, Jan 30, 2016
By Christophen Bergland
Positive self-perceptions about getting older may slow down the aging process. Studies found older adults with negative attitudes towards aging had slower walking speed and worse cognitive abilities two years later, compared to older adults with more positive attitudes towards aging.
