We live in a wonderful world of technology today, where living to one hundred is not going to make the Guinness Book of Records anymore. The key word is living. Not long ago I had a person come to me quite upset, as she was diagnosed with Sarcopenia. This is a word that finds its way into many articles on Senior Health. Sarcopenia is loss of muscle and a decrease in strength. While losing muscle and strength is a normal part of aging, there is a way to counteract the loss. Exercise. Thats it, plain and simple, just exercise. Inactivity adds to the loss of muscle tissue and strength. When strength is lost, balance will become unsteady and the possibility of falling becomes greater. All this can be reversed with simple resistance exercise, such as lifting weights. These weights do not have to be heavy. The easiest and effective exercise is to stand up from a chair, sit down and stand up for a minimum of ten times. (A squat) You can hold soup cans in your hands and do a bicep curl.
- Squats Sitting Down and Standing Up. These can be done during commercials watching TV
- Take a plate and put a 2 lb bag (unopened) of rice or flour on it. Extend your arms in front of you, and then bring the plate back towards your stomach, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Place a half gallon of milk or juice on the table. Pick it up and put it back ten times with each hand.
- Hold on to the kitchen counter or a solid object and march in place, bringing knees waist high.
- Take a three pound can of coffee and put in on a shelf ten times.
Take charge of your life, no matter what age you are. Good health and fitness is not a destination, but a journey to be continued the rest of your life. Make fitness fun and live life to the fullest, you deserve it. The Golden Years should truly be Golden.
