Team Dance: Do You Dance?

Team Fitness Gurus No. 26: The Connection to the Brain

There is a connection between cognitive health and physical fitness. According to researchers the act of introducing change into your life through different exercise movements and patterns can increase your mental attention and allow your brain to make new associations and increase neurotrophins, which signal brain cells to grow, differentiate, and survive. In addition, exercise indirectly impacts brain health because it improves well-being, self-image, your quality of sleep, and tends to reduce the symptoms and progress of many diseases.

Team Fitness Gurus No. 22: New Equipment and Memberships

Did you receive new exercise equipment or a wellness center membership this Christmas? Here are a few tips that will help you launch your new exercise lifestyle safely. Ask you doctor, physical therapist, or personal trainer for guidance concerning how often to exercise and to what intensity. Make sure that you are wearing the right clothing and footwear, and that your workout environment is ventilated and free of obstacles. Don’t forget to read the equipment manual and watching or reading product reviews and videos online can also be helpful. Remember to keep your fitness goals in mind, pay attention to what you are doing when your exercise, and be aware of all of the safety features of your new fitness equipment. Wondering about commitment and motivation? Exercise with a buddy or group and you will find that this provides a great source of fun and built-in motivation!

Fitness Gurus No. 21: Athletic Foot Gear

The shoes that you wear for your fitness programming will depend on the class design and structure. Street shoes are often not appropriate for fitness classes or working around fitness equipment. It is important that the shoes that you are wearing for the sport or exercise that you are participating are safe, fit well, and remain comfortable throughout the workout. Wearing the proper foot gear for an exercise or sport can help protect you from, ankle, knee, and hip joint injury. Take an inventory of the movements required for your sport or exercise and talk to a trainer or research your shoe design needs with other experts. A shoe used for aerobic dance that requires pivoting and low impact movement will be different from athletic gear that may be needed for cross training, hiking, walking, jogging, or tennis. In general, the sports-minded athlete will find that to train long-term without injury requires the proper technique with the proper athletic foot gear.

Fit-for-Driving No 8: Fitness and Driving

It takes a certain level of fitness to drive a car safely, and taking an inventory of your abilities is a good idea. In order to be proactive and stay is good shape for driving you may want to enroll in classes to keep you Fit-for-Driving. Getting in and out of the car and turning to see to the side and behind you as you maneuver as needed requires muscle tone, strength, and flexibility. In addition, quick reflexes are important for sudden response to other drivers on the road and unexpected events. When you are researching which classes to enroll in to improve your fitness for driving be sure to include stretching, strengthening, and classes that require coordination and quick reflexes so that you truly remain Fit-for-Driving.

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.