Team Fitness Gurus No. 23: Dizziness!

Dizziness is a common complaint of all age groups and while it is often associated with co-morbidity, light-exercise has been reported to improve symptoms and reported outcomes. Recent research reported in the clinical section of Gerontology found that even light exercise can reduce dizziness in older adults. In fact, short walks were considered beneficial in reducing dizziness and improving quality of life. This might be something to consider, and to discuss with your physician before you decide to engage in light exercise. If your doctor believes that you are healthy enough for light exercise, consider walking for short distances with a friend or social walking group to reduce risks concerning the uncertainty of reoccurring dizziness. Remember to avoid taking unnecessary risks and train safely.

Team Fitness Gurus: Creating Your Fitness Plan No. 11

Just 10 Minutes

The Surgeon General has recommended that older adults exercise at least 2 hours and 30 minutes a week. This includes favorite exercises as well as muscle-strengthening activities. This may sound like a lot of time, but it is just 150 minutes that become an investment each week that can dramatically improve your well-being. According to the Surgeon General, you can develop an exercise strategy that spreads this amount of time into smaller chunks of time such as ten minute workout sessions. Recent CDC facts inform us that, by age 75, about one in three men and one in two women engage in no physical activity. Do not allow yourself to be included in this statistic, invest the time to stay as fit as possible, after all its only 150 minutes a week or 15 ten minute sessions.

Team Fitness Gurus: Creating Your Fitness Plan No 9

Stay Strong

Maintaining muscle mass and strength are the goals that we strive to maintain throughout our life. Due to family demands, sedentary bouts of lifestyle or perhaps illness, our muscle mass and strength can diminish slightly or by large amounts, depending on the situation. However, we can see marked improvement in a relatively short time with the right training. A fitness training regime for adults over 50 should include training for balance, quickness, coordination, reaction time, functional fitness, and muscle strength. Variety and a multiphasic training approach will produce fast results and help to keep you motivated to stay strong throughout your life course.