| 1. Getting What You Want | | | | and fitness. |
| Most of us are eager for a long life. Some of us | | | | 5. More Great News |
| are even desperate to regain your youth. That's | | | | But, in essence, this means that workouts for |
| why so many of us decide to get fit and join a | | | | older individuals need not differ markedly from |
| fitness club. Great idea! But not so good if you | | | | those of younger people. Naturally, you need to |
| heave weights or jog yourself all the way to the | | | | be careful to avoid injury and probably take |
| hernia or knee surgeon. | | | | longer rests to recover. But in all essentials, in the |
| But in reality, you don't need to damage yourself | | | | words of another well-known phrase, use it or |
| to be fit. At the same time, you don't need to | | | | lose it. |
| treat yourself with kid gloves either. What we | | | | Looking on the bright side, making the choice to |
| really need at our age is a route to superb fitness | | | | keep active is easier than ever because there are |
| without hurting ourselves ... | | | | probably greater opportunities and facilities |
| 2. The Bad News First | | | | available than for previous generations. Golf and |
| Now, I hope your heart can take this because | | | | tennis are still enormously popular as well as |
| there's bad news from the start before we get | | | | swimming and dancing. Fitness clubs and |
| to the good news. | | | | associations have appeared all over the place. |
| Do you remember the saying, Life Begins At 40? | | | | 6. Jogging To The Surgery |
| It's supposed to be a cheering thought. But the | | | | But consider this. We are not alone. Lots of |
| harsh truth is that for many people life does begin | | | | deteriorating middle-aged citizen desperadoes |
| at 40: it begins to deteriorate. Now, if you weren't | | | | have already decided to join a gym, try out all |
| so tough, this could almost put you off asking the | | | | the fitness equipment, start heaving weights or a |
| same question about life after 50, or 60 or 70, | | | | jogging program to preserve their youth after 25 |
| couldn't it? | | | | or 30 years or more of inactivity. |
| Luckily, you're tough. And you've accumulated the | | | | Pill and potion pushers are happy with this. So are |
| wisdom of a prophet too because you can see | | | | chiropractors. So are joint and hernia surgeons. |
| into the future. You know in your bones that | | | | Business is brisk. |
| inactivity will make those bones progressively | | | | That's why it's best to take it easy at first. If |
| weaker. And you know it's the same with your | | | | you've been inactive for a long period of time |
| muscles if you allow it. | | | | there's a really, really good chance that it will take |
| 3. The Second Bad News | | | | more than a few workouts before you become a |
| If you allow this to happen, your metabolism will | | | | world champ. Bet you knew that didn't you? |
| also diminish. A diminished metabolism reduces the | | | | So, don't be too impressed by all the gadgetry in |
| ability of the body to burn fat. Reduced fat | | | | gyms these days. Most of it you can forget. My |
| burning leads to fat storage. Storing fat leads to | | | | general advice would be to opt for non-weights |
| greater weight. Greater weight leads to greater | | | | based fitness program of a bodyweight exercises. |
| inactivity, and ... well, you get the picture. | | | | It's safer and gets you fitter than practically |
| But because it's you, you're not going to allow this | | | | everyone thinks possible. |
| to happen. Instead, you're thinking about going | | | | 7. Fitness Side Effects |
| jogging or joining a gym or perhaps taking part in | | | | We do much more than we generally think when |
| fitness classes. If so, that's great. Well, maybe it's | | | | working out. |
| great. | | | | This is because it's easy to think only of the |
| 4. The First Great News | | | | benefits to the body. For example, we improve |
| It's great because the really good news is that | | | | the capacity of our heart to pump greater |
| inactivity, muscle loss, decreased metabolism, | | | | amounts of blood. We also expand the ability of |
| poor eating and the accumulation of fat are not | | | | the lungs to supply oxygen to our blood and |
| inevitable bi-products of aging at all. To a large | | | | improve the ability of our muscles to utilise |
| extent, they are due to individual decisions. To put | | | | oxygen supplied by the blood. The better we do |
| it another way, | | | | this the fitter we become. |
| · it's not your metabolism that slows you | | | | But there's more - as well as becoming physically |
| down | | | | better in the usual sense of physical fitness, |
| · it's you that slows down your | | | | exercise also improves the circulation of blood to |
| metabolism. | | | | the brain. |
| Everyone's muscular-skeletal system is constantly | | | | 8. Boost Your Brain Power |
| regenerating and a muscle is a muscle no matter | | | | This brings at least two valuable benefits. The |
| how old it is. Therefore, it responds to exercise at | | | | first is that it reduces the risk of strokes. The |
| any age. The point is that loss of muscle and | | | | second is that it promotes the delivery of oxygen |
| muscle fitness along with increases in weight are | | | | to the brain and improves its capacity to receive |
| not essentially connected to age at all. What they | | | | it. |
| are connected to is a type of lifestyle. But in this | | | | In other words, exercise improves the brain |
| everyone has a choice. | | | | chemistry quite naturally without drugs. This |
| Naturally, due allowance should be made for | | | | seems to have a calming effect and makes us |
| previous inactivity and current health before | | | | feel less stressed. In turn, this reduces the |
| embarking on an exercise program. In fact, it | | | | likelihood of depression. To put it another way, |
| would be sensible to seek medical advice before | | | | exercise is the drug. |
| beginning any new physical activity, preferably | | | | Get your BUZZ now. |
| from a medical practitioner familiar both with you | | | | |