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Regaining Your Fitness
By Wayne L. Westcott |
In 1995, the American College of Sports Medicine released
their recommendations for reaching higher levels of physical
fitness in a realistic manner. Their guidelines for
attaining cardiovascular endurance called for 20 to 60
minutes of aerobic activity (walking, jogging, cycling,
swimming etc.), at a moderate effort level (60 to 90 percent
of maximum heart rate), a minimum of three days per week.
Their suggested program for improving muscular strength
called for one set of 8 to 10 exercises that addressed all
of the major muscle groups a minimum of two days per week.
They recommended a moderate exercise resistance that could
be lifted for 8 to 12 repetitions with correct technique.
These exercise guidelines were almost completely consistent
with the training protocols we followed in our fitness
research classes. Our carefully instructed and supervised
fitness research classes met for one hour, two or three days
a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Tuesday and
Thursday), in a separate exercise facility. Each class
featured 20 minutes of aerobic activity (treadmill or
cycle), and 20 minutes of strength training (10 Nautilus
machines that addressed all of the major muscle groups). We
also included a few stretching exercises for enhanced joint
flexibility.
Over the past eight years, 1,644 beginning exercisers
between 21 and 80 years of age completed our 10-week fitness
program. That represented a 92 percent completion rate of
everyone who started.
Although three exercise sessions per week proved somewhat
more beneficial than two, all of the participants attained
significant improvements in the important fitness parameters
of body composition and blood pressure.
On average, the exercisers lost four pounds of fat, added
three pounds of muscle, reduced their resting systolic blood
pressure by four points and their resting diastolic blood
pressure by two points.
The three-pound muscle gain is particularly important
because we lose about six pounds of muscle every decade
(unless we do strength exercise).
Also, the three-pound muscle gain is associated with a seven
percent increase in our resting metabolic rate, which
essentially reverses about 14 years of the aging process
with respect to metabolic slowdown.
A very interesting finding of our large-scale study was the
age related effect of this training program. Although it
might be expected that the younger adults would achieve
better results, this was not the case. For example, the 21
to 44 age group added 2.5 pounds of muscle, the 45 to 51 age
group gained 3.1 pounds of muscle, the 55 to 64 age group
added 2.9 pounds of muscle, and the 65 to 80 age group
gained 3.2 pounds of muscle.
You are never too old to start a sensible exercise program,
and you will be younger (at least in physical ability,
personal appearance and attitude) after just a couple of
months of training.
In addition to the fitness benefits, getting in better shape
will also reduce your risks of numerous degenerative
diseases and health problems, including diabetes, stroke,
heart disease, colon cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, low
back pain, obesity and depression.
With so many excellent fitness facilities on the south
shore, make an effort to reverse the aging process in 2006.
A realistic fitness program is certainly one of the best
things you can do for yourself. |
About The Author
Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D., is fitness research
director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, and author of 20
books on strength training.
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