Exercise for the over-50 crowd is decidedly healthy. As people age, several changes occur that exercise can help slow or reverse. Metabolism slows, leading to increased fat accumulation. Artery passageways often narrow, leading to higher blood pressure and lowered flow. Bones become thinner and more porous, a condition known as osteoporosis. Muscles and skin lose tone.

Those effects can be retarded or even turned back to a degree with regular, age-appropriate exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests 15-60 minutes of aerobic (oxygen-enhancing) exercise a few days per week.

One goal among others is to raise the heart rate to 60-90% of the safe maximum (220 beats per minute, minus your present age). A good cardiovascular workout – a 30-minute brisk walk or three 10-minute walks per day, mild jumping jacks, gentle jogging in place, swimming, a dance routine or any other method – helps keep the heart and blood vessels healthy.

Strength-building exercises help keep the muscles toned and keep weight and blood sugar levels at appropriate levels. Balance exercises can help build good leg muscles, leading to better support for joints and less likelihood of a fall. (The National Institutes of Health report 300,000 hospital admissions per year for broken hips, many of them from seniors falling.)

Gentle static and dynamic stretching exercises help keep muscles flexible and joints lubricated. That helps out with balance, but it also maximizes range of movement. That means better coordination and less pain during both exercise and everyday activities.

Endurance exercises help keep the heart and lungs healthy as well as keeping muscles toned, joints moving freely and other body systems functioning well. A slightly higher metabolic rate stimulates a variety of organs to produce needed biochemicals. The human body functions better, longer when it is subject to mild activity than when sedentary for long periods.

All these activities help raise the onset age of osteoporosis and to minimize its effects after it begins. Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus is less likely for the physically active. Certain forms of heart disease are less likely for those who exercise moderately later in life.

There is ample evidence that moderate, regular exercise helps the psychology as well. It can decrease the severity of depression and heighten mood. The social aspects can help with the isolation that older people sometimes feel, especially as friends and loved ones are no longer part of their lives.

Older people should consult a physician or trainer (preferably both) before starting any new exercise program. Begin slowly, especially if exercise has not been part of your lifestyle. Build up flexibility, strength and endurance gradually.

If you have a medical condition, be sure to discuss your plans with a physician and sports expert to develop an exercise routine appropriate to you.

When and how you can begin exercise routines after major surgery will vary with the type of treatment you had. Most physicians will recommend at least a week, sometimes 6-12 weeks, of recuperation before even attempting regular routines. Consult your physician.

Most people will want to perform some kind of toning exercises and probably induce some weight loss. Most surgery reduces the metabolic and activity level – leading to weight gain and flabbiness.

Be sure to keep well hydrated, no matter what form of exercise you perform. This is helpful in order to keep the endocrine system functioning properly and aids the process that keeps joints lubricated.

Take it slow and return to your pre-operative level gradually. Here are some specific exercises for two different types of surgery. Again, consult your physician first.

Breast Surgery

About a week after surgery, you’ll still be experiencing discomfort. But recovery will be aided by some simple arm exercises. Perform steady breathing during the following:

Lift the arm on the operative side and simulate hair brushing and eating. Do a few reps at most the first few times. Raise that same arm above the heart for an hour, two to three times per day in order to reduce swelling. With the arm raised, gradually open and close the hand, building up to clenching a tennis ball as the discomfort decreases. Alternately bend and straighten the elbow.

After a couple of weeks you may feel fit enough to perform the following exercise.

Hold a broom handle (with the broom cut off), in both hands with your palms up, arms outstretched. Lift above the head and hold for a few seconds, then lower the broom handle to the pelvis. Repeat several times.

Hysterectomy

In these exercises, you’ll work the abs, pelvic, and back muscles. As with any routine, be sure to get the advice of your doctor before beginning.

Lie on the floor, knees bent, hands behind your head. Press the small of the back gently into the floor, then more firmly. Don’t try to work ‘through the pain’.

Raise your head and shoulders slightly off the floor, paying attention to the contraction of the abs. Take care not to move the chin toward the chest. Then slowly lower the head and shoulders back to the floor. Repeat several times.

Lift the hips, hold for a few seconds, then lower them. Do 10 reps. Then, alternate with the abdominal exercises. Roll over onto the knees, making sure you have some knee pads or carpeting to soften the point of contact.

Slowly raise one arm and the alternate leg. Alternate. Right arm out, left leg out, then, left arm out, right leg out. Hold each for a second or two, switch and repeat 10 times.

Again, don’t try to exercise if you feel intense pain as distinguished from mild discomfort. Take it slow, building up strength over time.

Mild exercise, of types appropriate to the various stages, will help keep the circulatory system healthy, increase pelvic muscle tone and strength, and help to smooth out mood swings. Done right, you can lessen the severity of backaches, keep joints flexible and firm, and improve sleep.

Mild exercise helps release endorphins, which can help elevate mood. Proper strengthening and toning of the back, buttocks, and thighs helps improve posture and relieve backaches. Daily stretching keeps joints well-lubricated with synovial fluid. Moderate working out burns up some of that anxious energy, leading to more restful sleep.

Three exercises in particular are appropriate for most soon-to-be mothers: swimming, spinning and pelvic strengtheners.

Swimming is a great cardiovascular exercise and has the added benefit of easing the back and leg burden during later stages. Most women enjoy the (all too temporary) relief during those final months. Keeping the cardiovascular system active helps regulate the endocrine system and keeps muscle tissues full and joints flexible.

Swimming has the added benefit of working nearly all the muscles and joints in a low-impact way. Knees get a break from the higher stress of carrying additional weight and breathing exercises can be done while wading, in between laps.

Spinning, provided it isn’t done too strenuously, can be a terrific exercise up until the last two months or so. The cardiovascular benefits are similar to swimming and the legs as well as stomach and pelvic muscles can get a really good workout. That benefits fitness overall, while helping to keep legs in shape to prevent falls. It also helps two particular muscle groups that will be needed during delivery.

A 10-minute routine on a stationary bike is plenty, keeping in mind that you should stop at the first sign of bleeding, fluid loss, dizziness or intense pain.

‘Kegels’ are a commonly recommended exercise – and for good reason. They help develop those very specific muscles that aid in giving birth.

To find the right muscles to focus on, pretend you’re trying to halt urination in the middle of elimination. Squeeze those specific muscles for a few seconds, then relax. During the exercise, avoid tightening the legs or stomach. That will help isolate the right muscles you need to zero in on. Remember to continue to breathe normally, in and out slowly and regularly.

Before beginning or continuing any exercise routine once you know you are pregnant, be sure to have a long talk with your physician. Many of them are rushed, but be firm and get the answers you need in order to stay fit in a safe way.

Stop immediately any activity that produces heart palpitations, back pain or light-headedness. Don’t concern yourself with weight loss during pregnancy, just keep fit in order to maximize your overall health and mental well-being.

Before starting any routine, be sure to spend at least 10 minutes warming up, including good stretching exercises. Warm, loose muscles are much less likely to tear themselves or attached tendons. Also, you’ll want to get the circulatory system activated and muscle temperature increased for good blood flow.

How much weight to use, how many reps to perform and other variables are determined by your overall goals. Do you want to build muscle mass or just tone? For more mass, use more weight. For better tone, use less weight and do more reps. Do you want to increase flexibility and overall fitness or prepare for specific events?

In any case, these traditional exercises will help you get started down that road. Some can be performed without equipment, others require only a very simple set of free weights or resistance equipment. Resistance equipment includes rubber straps with handles, springs and others that work primarily by offering resistance to tension. Weights work primarily by providing compression and/or tension due to gravity.

Warning: Never exercise ‘through the pain’. Mild discomfort – especially after a prolonged period of inactivity – is normal. But intense pain is a sign of trouble. Consult your physician.

Push-Ups

Even with all the contemporary sports science around, traditional push-ups remain an excellent upper body exercise. Start on your stomach, back straight, feet together, hands under the shoulders. Press against the floor, keeping your back and legs straight, then lower yourself back to the floor. For a little extra effort push-up, slow the action down and both raise and lower more slowly.

Try to do 20, then build up to 40, then to 80 push-ups.

More Chest Work

Start with 10 lb (4.5 kg) hand-held dumbbells. Flat on your back on a comfortable surface, such as a carpet or mat, hold the weights in each hand, palms up, arms extended perpendicular from the body. Lift slowly and bring the hands together.

To vary the action, and get the biceps a good workout, too, try bending at the elbow when the arms are raised about 20 degrees, then straighten and continue.

Lats

Stand up straight, arms at your side, grasping the dumbbells. Maintain good balance and breathe normally. At the maximum point of inhalation, thrust the arms away from the body, palms inward. Exhale as you raise your arms to shoulder height, then lower your hands slowly back to the starting position.

To vary the exercise, and get the biceps and triceps involved, rotate the weights and curl your arms up at the top of the swing. Straighten the arm, then lower as described above.

Do 10 reps.

(Note: The ‘lats’ or latissiumus dorsi’ are the large, side muscles that make men triangle-shaped.)

Biceps and Triceps

Move the weights in front of the body, with your arms hanging above the front of your thighs. Without swinging or pushing off the thighs, lift the weights toward your chest. Alternate using one arm, then the other.

Do 10 reps for each arm. If you experience lower back pain during the exercise, stop immediately. Put off the exercise until another day, or see your physician.

Exercises for the lats or biceps can be done with free weights or using a long, elastic resistance strap. Hook one end with the foot and grab the other with your hand. Proceed as described above.

Pull-ups/Chin-ups

If you have access to a sturdy bar, either in the gym or at a playground, or at home in a doorway, you can perform chin-ups and pull-ups. Chins ups are done with the fingers toward you, pull-ups with the fingers facing away, while your hands grasp the bar above your head.

This low-tech exercise remains one of the best ways to build biceps, triceps, lats and pectorals all at once.

No matter what routine you choose, don’t overdo it. Build up your strength gradually. One of the most common reasons people don’t continue workouts is pain produced from incorrect technique or excessive effort exerted too early in the process.

The lats are the large ’side’ muscles that make a man triangle-shaped. To demonstrate how they are used during squeezing a tennis ball, try it! You’ll quickly feel a tensing of the muscles on the side of the arm you use. It’s especially noticeable if you have back pain.

Any sport will require strong back muscles, for speed and coordination, for balance and movement and for providing a strong ‘pillar’ for all the limbs to move off of.

Here are some simple exercises to help stretch and strengthen those all-important back muscles. Most of them are better performed on a firm, but not hard surface. While you work the muscles, you don’t want to cause undue, painful pressure on bony parts of the body.

Knee to Chest

Lie on your back and clasp your hands behind one thigh. Pull slowly toward the chest, keeping the other leg flat on the ground. Vary the action by flexing the ankle – first pointing the toe, then pulling it back toward the knee – at the same time as you stretch the leg.

Hold each position for 5 seconds, then switch legs and repeat. Do 10 reps.

Rotations

Lie back, knees raised and together, feet flat on the floor. With your arms extended and near the body, and your palms flat on the floor, lift the feet off the ground slightly and rotate your trunk by moving the knee. Move the knees slightly left, then right.

Over time, as you become more flexible and build strength, you can increase the range of motion. Ultimately, you should be able to touch your knee to the floor.

Alternate the action by crossing your arms over your chest, then repeat.

Pelvic Press

Lie down on your back, knees raised and feet flat on the floor. Push the small of the back into the floor, feel the tension in the lower abdominals. Vary the action by moving your feet together and performing the exercise, then slightly apart and repeat.

As you press into the ground, hold for 5 seconds, but continue to breath slowly and normally.

Pelvic Lift

Lie on your back, knees raised and feet flat on the ground, arms crossed over your chest. Keeping the legs and knees together, raise the buttocks up slightly and hold for 5 seconds. Lower slowly, count to two, then repeat.

Remember to breathe normally through the exercise, in and out slowly.

Dog Stretches

On all fours, raise your head, eyes forward. Lower your arms and arch your back, hold 2 seconds, then resume the starting position. Slowly extend one leg, as near parallel to the floor as you can. Hold 3 seconds, then put the leg back into starting position.  (If this produces back, hip, or leg pain stop immediately.)

Switch legs and repeat. Vary the exercise by extending the leg with toe pointed, then flex the ankle perpendicular to the leg. Hold for 2 seconds and repeat. Do 10 reps for each leg.

Never perform these exercises if they produce back pain. Mild discomfort from inactivity is natural. Pain is a signal that something is wrong. Consult your physician.

There are three basic types of stretching exercises that help accomplish these goals: static, dynamic and Isometric/PNF.

Static stretches are the most traditional type, encompassing the more or less standard ‘pull to maximum end point, hold for five or ten seconds, then release’ group of exercises.

Static stretches should form part of every 10 minute warm-up routine. Every major muscle group should be given a gentle pull, hold and relax. This helps improve the circulation and readies the muscles for more vigorous activity, while decreasing the risk of tears or tendon stretching.

Dynamic or ballistic stretches are more controversial, since they involve stretch with added momentum or even using weights. They are potentially harmful and that risk-factor is one of the major elements behind the controversy. At minimum, you should seek out a knowledgeable trainer before engaging in this form of flexibility training.

As one example, rest one knee on a ball and slowly rotate the ball away from the body, giving a very moderate bounce at the maximum point. Lunges, performed by moving one foot ahead, kneeling slightly with the back straight and bouncing gently, would be another.

PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) involves a combination of passive and isometric exercise. Apart from having a fancy technical name and associated acronym, PNF actually has several useful features that should motivate individuals to investigate its value.

Performed properly, under the guidance of an experienced fitness professional or devoted amateur, PNF can maximize range of movement and best prepare the body for more strenuous exercise.

Several exercises involve using a partner. The muscle group you want to work is stretched under tension, then contracted for several seconds, and your partner applies resistance to inhibit movement.

For example, stretch your arms out and slowly move them behind you, then contract the biceps, triceps and shoulders. Have the partner gently pull your hands together a little past the 180 degree mark as you attempt to pull your arms back to 180 degrees.

As another example, lie on your back on a comfortable surface. Raise one leg vertically and have your partner grab your foot. Your partner then presses the foot gently backward until you feel tension on the hamstring (the muscle on the rear of your thigh). You then contract the muscles as you attempt to move your leg back down, with your partner resisting the movement.

These examples are to serve only to give a general idea of the exercises. PNF exercises should only be attempted after you have received proper, hands-on training. Done incorrectly they can lead to muscle sprain or joint damage.

Whatever your workout routine, be sure to precede it by good flexibility exercises. That will maximize your performance during the more strenuous part of the total workout.

Your overall goal is to attain good range of motion, while gradually extending that range to a degree appropriate to your fitness level and body type. There are several different ways to accomplish that goal, and you should use at least a few of them before every workout.

Warm-ups are fundamental. Cold muscles are much more likely to tear and lead to stretched or torn cartilage and other harmful results. Warm-ups and stretches help produce the fluid that lubricates the joints, and it helps the muscles become more elastic. Those both lead to safer, higher performance workouts.

Ten to fifteen minutes is the minimum for most people. This can be done by low-impact jogging in place, simple stretches and other techniques.

Static stretching, for example, is the old-fashioned stretch and hold for 30 seconds. This should be done with the arms, trunk, legs and neck. Dynamic stretching and ballistic stretching involve more active, bouncing-style or weight-assisted stretching, sometimes with extra force applied. Both types are helpful.

Some dynamic stretches involve holding the arms out to the side, then swinging them back and forth across front of the body, repeating for 30 seconds. Another technique involves using a short bar across the neck, lying on the shoulders. Place your hands on the bar, then bend slowly left, then right, moving the head toward the outer edge of the foot.

Abdominal muscles can be prepared by lying backwards on a large rubber ball. Push back slowly and raise the arms above your head. Repeat 10 times. Loosen your hamstrings by lying on your back, and raising one outstretched leg using a large towel wrapped around the foot. Grab the ends and pull up slowly. Switch legs, then repeat for 10 reps.

A full back stretch is accomplished by lying on your back and bringing both knees to the chest, hands clasped behind the knees. Roll forward until your feet hit the floor, then roll back until the head touches. Do 10 rolls.

Groin stretches can be done safely by using a large rubber ball. Place one knee on the ball and slowly rotate the ball a few inches away from your body. Move the ball back toward your body, then switch legs. Do 10 movements.

Both the legs and back muscles can get a good warm-up stretch by doing toe taps. Stand up straight, feet apart about shoulder width. Lean forward, touching the big toe on one foot with the opposite hand – left hand to right foot, and vice-versa. Those with lower back problems should consult a trainer or physician before attempting these.

For maximum flexibility, stretching routines should be carried out at least a few times per week. This will help maximize the range of motion and decrease the potential for injury.

By performing warm-up routines, you actually do literally just that – warm up the body. Internal body temperature can’t raise by a large amount, or you would have all the symptoms of a fever. Nevertheless, the temperature in the muscles can, and should, be raised slightly in order to dilate blood vessels and loosen muscles.

That dilation leads to greater blood flow, which helps oxygenate muscles and remove the waste products of cellular activity. Warm muscles are looser, more supple and flexible. That reduces stiffness and lowers resistance to larger movements. That helps reduce the risk of injury and prepares the body for high-performance activity.

A good warm-up also raises the heart rate, respiratory capacity and the overall metabolic level. Among other benefits, this helps deliver nutrients to muscles that will be useful for the workout to come. Warm-ups help lubricate joints, too, as well as lowering the risk to stretched tendons and tears.

No matter what kind of sport or workout you favor, having a well-functioning cardiovascular system and supple joints and muscles are essential for peak performance and low risk of injury.

A 10-15 minute warm-up period, including static and dynamic stretching activities, should be a low-intensity version of the routines that will be undertaken when the warm-up is complete.

Focus the non-stretching aspect of your warm-up more on the specific types of movement called for by the sport or activity you plan to engage in. If you plan to jog five miles, take a brisk walk, followed by a few gentle laps of a hundred yards or less. If you plan to play tennis or golf, spend a few minutes on low-speed, low-impact swings.

As you progress through the warm-up, gradually increase the speed and range of movement. This helps prepare the body and mind both.

Making the increase gradual helps increase the cardio and lung systems, and slowly cranks up needed body chemicals systems without depleting them. It helps gear up the mind for a high performance routine or sports event, in a way that static or even dynamic stretches won’t.

Like any physical activity, don’t overdo it. Don’t warm-up too much or too fast. The idea is to prepare the body for a workout, not perform one.

At the end, you’ll be ready to perform the sport or workout of your choice at peak level with minimal risk of injury.

Why?

Humans take in and use water for a number of important physiological functions. It provides a medium for cells and tissues. It makes possible the transport throughout the body of important elements or compounds like sodium and sugar not to mention forming part of the blood that moves them. It provides structural cohesion and lubrication between all parts. But there’s one more highly important function it helps perform: temperature control.

Homeostasis is the body’s ability to keep certain processes and factors in equilibrium, this is not too far from a central point. Body temperature is one key item among those. When body temperature gets too high, we experience fever and ultimately heat stroke. If it’s too low, we get chills. Both are signs that the body is in a less than ideal state.

One major reason is that all chemical reactions within the body have to take place within a very narrow range in terms of rate. Compounds have to be used and produced at just the right quantities within a certain time in order to proceed properly, or at all. Temperature, for very basic physical chemistry reasons, is a key factor in controlling that rate.

So how does sweat play a role in that?

Perspiring does not occur primarily in order to keep the amount of fluid in homeostasis – urination does that, along with breathing (though sweating plays a small part). But it has a huge effect on body temperature. As we exercise, chemical reactions speed up and mechanical motion is taking place. Both those produce more heat energy, which raises the internal temperature.

But the body is constantly seeking homeostasis – an equilibrium within a narrow range around a central point. For humans, that’s 98.6F/37C on average – a small deviation is within normal range. As we sweat, the excess heat energy is moved from inside the body to the outside, along the surface of the skin, carried along with the perspiration.

Outside the body a physical principle is at work – Newton’s Law of Cooling. Inside too, but never mind for now. Ignoring advanced mathematics, it says essentially that warmer bodies lose heat to cooler ones. We get cooler, the air gets a little warmer. Air molecules collide with the sweat molecules and pick up some of the heat energy they contain. That lowers the temperature of the sweat, lowering our temperature in the process (on the outside).

The net effect is to take excess heat on the inside and move it to the outside, somewhat like a home air conditioner or a car radiator. That helps keep the internal temperature at a constant 98.6F/37C.

That process takes place with breathing and just simple exposure. But sweating makes the process much more efficient, since water can carry a lot more heat than air does alone.

So, though it may have its unpleasant aspects, be thankful you perspire. After all, if you lacked sweat glands like your dog does, you’d look very silly panting.

No reputable researcher will claim that exercise will repair a weakened or diseased immune system. Nonetheless, a broad spectrum of studies confirm that moderate exercise can help sustain and strengthen it, even when the effects are indirect.

The role of exercise in helping to lower stress – and the subsequent beneficial effects on health – has been widely studied. Here the studies are less clear, contradicting one another in some details. But overall the conclusion is the same: moderate, regular exercise helps the immune system by moderating the effects of stress.

Most studies carried out over the last 30 years agree: a continual high level of stress has a number harmful effects on overall health. People who experience high stress get more colds, suffer more digestive tract problems and have more frequent bouts of fatigue. Part of the latter is indirect, since it tends to lead to lowered amounts of restful sleep.

Regular exercise helps relieve stress. It does so directly, by providing an outlet for, and consuming much of, the nervous energy produced by stress. It also helps indirectly by shifting one’s focus away from the external factors producing the stress.

Exercise can help the cardiovascular system, which in turn improves blood flow, carries away toxins from muscles and organs, and helps keep the kidneys and endocrine system working well. It helps remove germs and circulate antibodies.

All those promote a healthy immune system by lessening the body’s susceptibility to disease, while increasing the robustness of the immune system itself.

Exercising increases the body temperature slightly. This, as anyone who has suffered from a cold knows, is the body’s natural response to colds, flu and other diseases. The increased temperature helps kill the infecting organisms.

A study at the University of Colorado, Boulder suggests that moderate exercise helps prevent colds as well. It showed that individuals are less likely to get sick after stressful situations when they had engaged in a regular program of moderate exercise. Those that began exercise only on the same day as the stressor didn’t enjoy those benefits.

The study was carried out on rats, but one of the reasons those mammals are used is the similarity in some systems, and their responses, to humans.

Exercise programs, undertaken consistently and correctly, help improve body image – that’s one of most individuals primary goals in making the effort, after all. That improved body image often leads to higher levels of confidence and relaxation in social situations. That in turn helps reduce stress and enhance the immune system.

Whether the effects are direct or indirect, exercising can help you support and enhance your immune system. That leads directly to better overall health.