Fitness For Older People - Because Fitness Transcends Beyond Age

Age does not matter in fitness. Fitness is actually a matter of concern that people should pay attention to, even after reaching their mature age. These days, we can hear from the news or read from online articles that there are indeed old people whose ages are 70 and beyond, yet are still able to do well in their fitness-related activities. This simply shows us that fitness for old people may be pursued successfully and safely.

The usual concerns for old people are health problems associate with their ripe age. Their bodies are also not that robust as they used to be while they were still younger. However, just as a younger person needs to take caution in pursuing his/her fitness goals, aged people only need to be well-informed about how they can safely workout in order to remain fit.

Consultation With The Doctor First

Before performing any exercise, it will be best to consult first with the doctor if an elderly person can safely do it or not. Through a consultation with a health care provider, one may also know what physical activities are okay to be performed and how intense these activities can be.

Ideal Activities For Elders

Muscle-strengthening and aerobic exercises are the two ideal activities that people aged 65 and above must perform on a weekly basis in order to improve health or stay healthy.

Moderately Intense Exercises

If a person has no condition that limits his/her mobility, daily performance of moderately intense aerobic activities may be done like fast walking or cycling for two and a half hours weekly. Water aerobics, dancing (line and ballroom), pushing the lawn mower, volleyball and canoeing are also other activities of reasonable intensity.

These activities let you work hard enough so the heart rate may increase so you can produce sweat. One way to know if an activity is moderate is if you can still talk while performing it, yet, you cannot actually sing the exact lyrics of a song.

Vigorously Intense Exercises

Running or playing single tennis can be considered vigorously intense activities and should be performed for 75 minutes each week. Fast swimming, biking fast or on an elevated ground, football, uphill hiking, dancing and martial arts are also considered vigorous activities. They let you breathe fast and hard, making your heart rate considerably faster. While doing vigorous activities, you need first to pause and breathe before you can sing lyrics of a song.

Muscle-Strengthening Activities

These are exercises that must be performed with counting in repetitions and in sets. Repetition refers to a full movement of any activity like sit ups or weight lifting. Set is one group of many repetitions. An elderly individual needs 8-12 repetitions in a set of each activity. Up to three sets can be beneficial.

Other Beneficial Activities

Elders have high risks of falling due to weakened legs, medical conditions and poor balance. To compensate for these, exercises or activities that can help improve coordination and balance should be performed; such as tai chi, dancing and yoga.

Fit Over 40 offers true stories of people who successfully maintained their fitness and vitality, despite their old age. Turbulence Training is a related training system using the latest discoveries in science.

Is My Doctor Filing for Divorce Because He/She Is Cheating on Me?

After 35 + years, my doctor is divorcing me! The mistress seems to be... concierge medicine. Yes, the "honeymoon period" has worn off, and we, as consumers have been expecting our doctors to accept our insurance till "death do us part." Well, malpractice insurance has gone through the roof, the paperwork has become overwhelming, and reimbursement rates have diminished to practically nothing in some cases, causing a few stresses in this marriage. In fact, it has been reported that 1-in-10 doctors who own private practices, will start direct pay or concierge medicine in the next one to three years.

Even though Congress effectively avoided the 27 percent slash in Medicare payments during the fiscal-cliff negotiations, the damage was already done. Doctors know this is not a "permanent fix," and that is cause for the "wondering medical eye." For example, under ObamaCare, doctor payments from the Medicare health insurance program are dropping at an alarming rate in order to help fund the Affordable Care Act over the next ten years. Doctors need to know there is more stability in a "good thing."

So are doctors giving up on their long time patients all together? An AMA survey revealed that one in five physicians plan on restricting the number of Medicare patients in their practice, but will you or your loved one be one of the lucky ones? How will you keep your doctor from straying to that "medical relationship-wrecker," Concierge?

Spice up your doctor/patient relationship! No, no, get your head out of the gutter; sending in strippers and showing your "physical assets" is NOT what I am talking about (plus that novelty will wear off, and these distractions can lead to bad patient care), but keep it genuine and simple, like my grandmother did!

Remember that you know your doctor best (you have been their patient for years), so work with that base! Here are some successful tips from my grandmother who will be celebrating her golden anniversary with her doctor:

1. Say "thank you" to your doctor - you might be surprised by how many patients DON'T utter a word of appreciation.

2. Have a heart-to-heart with your doctor - let your doctor know you want to keep them through reimbursement cuts, etc, and Obamacare or not, you will be loyal... no cheating on them with another specialist without them knowing, or slipping some herbal remedies without consulting with them, etc.

3. Negotiate an affordable rate - if your doctor is dropping your insurance, ask them what a reasonable cash rate would be and work out a payment plan.

4. Show an interest in your doctor - knowing your doctor's anniversary, asking them about their kids or favorite sports team, etc. My grandmother knit a blanket in her doctor's favorite sport's team colors for the holidays one year and he LOVED it.

5. Bake an apple strudel. OK, my grandmother bakes the best apple strudel and her doctor looks forward to that freshly backed strudel whenever she comes into his office.

By following these simple tips, Grandma has been able to keep her relationship with her doctor not only alive, but fun. So keep your doctor from straying, engage him/her by following grandma's lead, and you might be happier with the outcome.