Fitness For Seniors

How many steps are required for good health? For many years, 10,000 daily steps has been the recommended threshold that one should try to achieve to stay healthy.  There is much discussion in the news and social media as to whether 10,000 steps is really necessary. Some have derided this number, quoting research that suggests that 4,000 - 8,000 steps are sufficient and that the need for 10,00 steps is a myth . Others have pointed out that the need for 10,000 steps was based on the  Japanese character for 10,000 and was used in marketing the first pedometer.  More recently recently studies have shown that 15,000 steps  provides significantly better weight management benefits as compared to 10,000 steps. Exercise targets The key to keeping fit is to have exercise targets. Exercise targets should be SMART (Specific, Manageable, Attainable and Time-bound) and must also be able to be in line with your fitness objectives. These targets should be "stretch targets", which ...

Recently, 74 year old man employed as "logistics" worker fell off a truck loading platform. Sadly, the worker died as a result of the fall.  Such accidents are not rare but the risks can and should be minimized through application of the Hierarchy of Risk Controls . Should seniors work in physically demanding jobs?  The immediate reaction from the public was that seniors should not undertake such work. Some suggested that seniors should not undertake any strenuous work. Others believe that seniors should not have to work at all.  I have a different opinion. I agree that many seniors should not undertake work which requires lifting uncomfortable loads, particularly where work at height is involved. (In this case, the platform was 1 m off the ground).  Chronological age is not the same as biological age However, we must be careful not to view all seniors of equivalent chronological age as being of the same biological age.  A person who has take  steps to fig...

Exercise intensity Exercise intensity is a measure of how hard you are working during a workout. There are different ways of measuring exercise intensity including the "talk test" for aerobic activities, using a "rate of perceived exertion" (RPE scales) and heart rate. With the integration of heart rate monitors into even the cheapest fitness tracker, heart rate monitoring is the most convenient measure of exercise intensity.  Exercise with an elevated heart rate of at least 30 minutes per day in the MVPA zone (>64% of your maximum heart rate) is recommended as being good for your cardiorespiratory fitness.  A minimum of 30 minutes per day in the MVPA zone may also help you stay young! Autophagy means self-eating.  The body eats itself. Sounds frightening? In fact autophagy is an essential cellular activity.  A decline in our ability to maintain autophagy is a sign of aging.   There are different types of autophagy. (I will only mention macroautophagy, m...

 Weatherman said it would be a cloudy rainy day...  Overhead presses Bicep curls Angled front presses 

Picking relatively objects (in my case 20 kg) off the floor will keep your lower and upper body toned as you progress into your senior years.  This exercise will work your pecs, arms, grip, legs and back and assist in maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness and balance.  Consult your medical professional before embarking on a rigorous exercise program https://youtu.be/m83kkLbYMes

The August edition of Nature Aging has a very interesting review article on frailty. Frailty is a state weakness, most often associated with old age. Indicators of frailty are weakness fatigue weight loss low physical activity poor balance low gait speed visual impairment and  cognitive impairment Frailty as a root cause of other age-associated diseases The development of frailty is associated with not just an increased risk of an disability or death from falls but also increased risk of developing physiological diseases including Alzheimer's disease Cardiovascular disease Hypertension and stroke Rheumatoid arthritis and Diabetes Frailty is also linked to an increased susceptibility to infection, including COVID-19. Our skeletal muscles provide an important metabolic stimulus and regulatory function for the rest of our body. The loss of this stimulus and regulation leads is largely responsible for the susceptibility to disease.  Adding on to this is a loss of independence wh...

Back injuries due to unsafe lifting practices are common in workplaces where persons have to move objects between different elevations (up and down). Learning how to lift with your legs and your glutes, with support from your upper back, shoulders and arms will help reduce the risk of an injury. Squats and deadlifting with weights have been suggested as exercises that one can do to strengthen the your posterior chain muscles, while teaching good lifting technique. Kettlebell lifts In these videos, I am demonstrating 3 deadlifting workouts using a kettlebell. To raise the kettlebell further, I use my legs, hips and upper body to gently jerk the kettlebell to the height of the platform. Note how the kettlebell stays in line with my centre of gravity.  I am pushing through with my heels and then push hips forward by extending my glutes. My back remains straight and abs tight.  When returning the weight to the ground, I push my hips back to keep by back straight. The kettlebell st...

Start with 60 challenge   ActiveSg is having a " Start with 60 " challenge. In this challenge, you attempt a " 1 minute workout ". The objective of ActiveSg's Challenge is to get people active through participating and then sharing their one minute exercise. Those who are active, can try strenuous workout and those are encouraged to push themselves a little bit more than they normal. The 1 minute workout The concept of a 1 minute workout is that 1 minute of intense exercise 3 times a week is able to stimulate physiological adaptions linked to improved health in obese and overweight adults. These include improved Oxygen utilization efficiency (VO2max) Glycemic control  Resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure  More details on the health benefits of short intense workouts are summarized in a paper by Professors Martin Gibala and Jonathan Little from McMaster University .  The 1 minute workout study The original study on the 1 minute workout , undertaken at Mc...

A sense of well-being Well-being is your state of happiness, comfort and health. Maintaining a sense of well-being helps us live a happy life and enables us to overcome difficulties. A sense of joy can be fleeting Coursera offers a very interesting course called the " Science of Well-being ".  One of the key points from this course, is that the joy that acquiring "things" and "experiences" bring, can be temporary. For example, while a new phone, a good grade, a new house, a holiday or a tasty meal may give you a sense of happiness, this joy is fleeting. Soon you will seek to procure new things or look for new experiences to keep you happy. Purchasing the same item, going on a trip to the same place or eating the same meal will not give you the same feeling wellbeing. It is better to give than receive   In general, the happiness that acquiring new "things" give you are often more temporary than "experiences". The joy from some pleasant e...

This workout involves sets of endless rope pulls and kettlebell swings, interspersed with pull ups.  The workout will work your body from top to bottom and   will provide you with an intense cardio workout.  Endless rope machines Endless rope machines require you to pull a thick rope  repeatedly. Depending on you pull the rope, you can use the machine can work your chest, biceps, back,  rear and front deltoid and core. The workout 5 x pullups 20 x endless rope pulls 20 x 24 kg double handed kettlebell swings Repeat as required - in my case, 35 minutes. The workout was so intense, that I lost track of the number of repetitions.  Warmup and cool down with stretching before and after the workout.  This is a very intense workout and you should monitor your heart rate. I ensure that my heart rate falls to below 85% of your maximum heart rate between sets.  As always, if necessary, consult your medical professional before embarking on a...

The inverted row The inverted row is a good exercise for your your upper body and your core. When performed properly, you will strengthen your upper back muscles (trapezius, latissimus dorsi and rear deltoid muscles), your grip, as well as your core muscles as you attempt to maintain a plank with your back. You can also work your biceps (and triceps), depending on how you perform the exercise. These muscles are important for seniors. A strong back and strong core will allow you to walk with good posture and carry heavy objects. A strong grip is essential for enabling seniors to perform many simple activities of daily living, such as holding a cup, opening a door and carrying shopping bags.  Inverted rows with a neutral grip I prefer to use a neutral grip when I perform an inverted row. A neutral grip is much gentler on your shoulder joints and also forces you  remove the biceps from much of the movement. Removing your biceps from the movement, allows you to perform more repeti...

"If your goal is to improve your health and lose weight, running can be an extremely effective way to burn calories. But it is certainly not the only way to exercise.  For many people, running can be uncomfortable at best, cause an injury at worse, and may not the best form of exercise for their needs. No matter which type of exercise or activity you pursue, remember that, when it comes to exercise, a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing. " https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/5127/do-you-really-need-to-run/

Workouts do not need to be complicated. If you watch YouTube, you will find YouTubers performing 8, 10 or even more different exercises in follow-along videos. Some will indicate "not repeats". They are doing this to keep you entertained. Nobody wants to watch someone doing a 25 minute video in which sets of only 1 or 2 moves are repeated over and over again.   Here is a workout that I did today with only 2 exercises - kettlebell swings and snatches: 20 x double handed swings (24 kg) 15 x right side snatches (16 kg) 15 x left side snatches (16 kg) Repeat as per your fitness goals. I completed 10 rounds(500 repetitions) in 60 minutes. These two exercises help build cardiorespiratory fitness, endurance, power, balance, joint stability and grip strength over your whole body. The snatch is an advanced kettlebell exercise, so if you are new to kettlebells, seek advice before embarking on this exercise.  Swings are less demanding than snatches and mixing in sets of ...

Exercising in the open air in the evening is good Exercising in the open air in the evening, in the shade of a rainforest covered hill is even better .

Cross-trainers move your whole body - your arms, chest, back, glutes, legs. They are low impact machines, causing less jarring of your knees as compared to jogging (particularly jogging with a heel strike). Cross-trainers provide a efficient workout for seniors, seeking cardiorespiratory fitness while trying to minimize muscle loss. An effective way of using a cross-trainer is to focus on connecting your mind to your muscles. For example, focus on  pulling with the muscles of your upper back - your lats, traps and rhomboids. Leading with your elbows will help you achieve this.  push with your chest, again leading with your elbows pull with your biceps or push with your triceps Push down through you glutes or focus on your quadriceps If you are in a gym, then you can increase the resistance with each workout, focusing on exercising for longer and eventually being able to workout at the maximum resistance.  If you only have is a simple cross-trainer in a fitness corner, you...

  Old age is associated with frailty due to bone and muscle loss. The main causes of bone and muscle loss are caused by inactivity, changes in our metabolic condition and poor adjustment of diet and exercise regime to meet the needs of the aging person. This figure shows how muscle loss is accentuated by a layoff. If you are injured or ill and home bound for weeks or months, then your rate of muscle loss will accelerate. Here are some tips to minimise the rate of muscle loss: Exercise more - 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day and include resistance training at least 3 times a week. It is OK to do both! Challenge yourself with progressive overloading (e.g. Heavier weight, stronger resistance bands, more pushups or other body weight exercises. Modify your diet - my-healthy-plate is a good guide for young and old Exercise outdoors so that you move more, climb hills and are exposed to moderate levels of sunlight. Exercise in fitness corners, where strong elderly pers...

Here is the workout sequence 10 x right side swings 10 x left side swings 10 x TRX inverted rows 10 x right side cleans 10 x left side cleans 5 x right side clean-strict presses 5 x left side clean-strict presses Repeat  as required. Use  a lower or higher weight as per your need, resources or objectives. (I did 8 cycles and ended with a 20 x double handed swings to give a total of 500 repetitions over a 1 hour workout. I used a 20 kg kettlebell). This can be a vigorous workout, so monitor your heart rate. The workout will workout upper body and engage your posterior chain.  If you have any health issues, consult your medical professional before starting any vigorous exercise program.

Try this workout to develop strength and endurance in your upper body Start with 400 m walk @6km per hour and an angle of 6 10 sets of cable crossovers 13kg per arm 10 sets of reverse cable crossovers 6.5kg per arm Repeat, but this time increase the weight on the cable (in my case to 16 kg for the cable crossovers and 8kg for the reverse cable crossovers) Repeat and again increase the weight .  Continue to increase the load until you cannot perform more than 10 repetitions. Then repeat at your maximum load until you have completed your desired exercise workouts. (In my case 60 minutes). This routine will build the endurance and strength of your upper body (shoulders, chest and upper back as well as your hand grip and forearms), provide a cardiorespiratory workout and also assist you in the development of your core muscles and sense of balance. The 400 m walk will provide you with the rest you need to delay fatigue.  You can start at a lower or higher load, depending on your l...

Susceptibility to COVID-19 infections As we have seen around the world, not all persons are equally susceptible to the acute (short term) effects of COVID-19 infections. The chronic (long term) effects are many, and this story is probably still to play out. The acute symptoms of COVID-19 include both respiratory distress, system wide infections (sepsis) and death. In many regions, healthcare resources have or are being overwhelmed by persons seeking treatment for these acute symptoms. What is now clear is that not all persons are equally susceptible to the both the acute . The old are more susceptible as their immune systems are weakened. Persons with chronic non-communicable diseases - including type II diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease are also more susceptible. (Let's call them chronic diseases for short). There are three main risk factors for these chronic non-communicable diseases - your genetics, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. Of these, obesity is t...

I do not run or jog all that much - maybe once every two months, if that. It is simply an exercise that I do not enjoy.  I prefer exercises, where my two feet are securely on the ground and there is less stress on my knees. I do walk a lot, targeting 10,000 steps a day. But there are some times, when I get the running bug, and want to run. Here is my typical running workout on a treadmill. Walk 400 m at 6 km/h Run 300 m at 6.5 km/h and then walk 100 m at 6 km/h Run 300 m at 6.7 km/h and then walk 100 m at 6 km/h Run 300 m at 7.0 km/h and then walk 100 m at 6 km/h Jog 300 m at 7.1 km/h and then walk 100 m at 6 km/h Jog 300 m at 7.2 km/h and then walk 100 m at 6 km/h Repeat, by increasing the running speed until I reach 9 km/h Cool down and stop and stretch. This is an example where a treadmill comes in handy. You have control over your running speed and the distance. If you are more accustomed to running, you could run faster (e.g. start at 8 km/h), walk less (e.g. walk for 50 m) or...

Workout 20 x 24 kg swings 10 x 16 kg goblet squats 20 x 24 kg swings 5 x 20 kg goblet squats Repeat until you hit your target number of swings or target number of minutes (in my case 320 swings). Adjust the weights to your own level of comfort and safety. This exercise can be quite fatiguing, as you will be repeatedly using similar muscle groups So do monitor your heart rate so that you know when to rest so as to stay in a safe heart rate range. Consult your medical professional before starting any vigorous exercise program.

Equipment: 24 kg kettlebell Workout Round 1 30 x double handed swings 10 x sumo deadlifts  10 x right hand suitcase deadlifts 10 x lift hand suitcase deadlifts Round 2 20 x double handed swings 10 x sumo deadlifts 10 x right hand suitcase deadlifts 10 x lift hand suitcase deadlifts Repeat until you have hit your target time, swings or reps. In my workout, I completed 12 rounds or 300 swings, 120 sumo deadlifts and 240 suitcase deadlifts)  This workout will require good form as you will be working your hip hinge. So keep your abs tight during the lifting stages of the swing and sumo deadlifts and maintain a plank when erect.  For the suitcase deadlifts, push through your feet first than extend your hips. I push my abs outwards during the initial stages of the lift as I find this helps to stabilize my spine.  For the sumo deadlift, I adopt a wide stance and push the bell slightly behind the body, so that I can feel that my hamstrings are activated. I will only jus...

13 August 2021 - Workout Here is today's workout using a 16 kg kettlebell. Location: Children's playground Exercise Round 1 100 continuous 16kg kettlebell swings (Alternate between 10 x double handed swings and 10 x switching hand swings) 5 x inverted rows 5 x clean/strict presses (Right hand) 5 x clean strict presses (Left hand) 5 x inverted rows Round 2 100 continuous 16kg kettlebell swings (Alternate between 10 x double handed swings and 10 x switching hand swings) 5 x inverted rows 5 x clean/strict presses (Right hand) 5 x clean strict presses (Left hand) 5 x inverted rows Round 3 50 continuous 16kg kettlebell swings (Alternate between 10 x double handed swings and 10 x switching hand swings) 30 continuous 16kg kettlebell swings (Alternate between 10 x double handed swings and 10 x switching hand swings) 20 continuous 16kg kettlebell swings (Alternate between 10 x double handed swings and 10 x switching hand swings) 5 x inverted rows 5 x clean/strict presses (Right hand) 5 ...

About this blog... I thought that I would start writing about my continued fitness journey. I am now in my 60s and staying fit AND strong are important elements of my continued health. I include in blog, descriptions of my workouts and discussions on the scientific basis of exercise and fitness. I do have a Youtube channel showing some of my work outs (which to be honest, take a long time to prepare). However, Youtube videos take a long time to prepare and my videos are somewhat amatuerish. A bit about me I am a lecturer at an educational institute. I have a diverse educational and work background with qualifications in Biotechnology, Environmental Engineering, Management and Workplace Safety and Health.  I have a background in both engineering and science, and I teach everything from bioprocessing, to microbiology, to chemical safety and risk management and chemical engineering.  I am also past my retirement age but have been re-employed continue to teach. My health and fitne...