Weight Training After 50: What You Need to Know

How often to train, what equipment to use – 6 tips to buff up safely

By Linda Melone for Next Avenue

 

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It’s easy enough to go for a walk or bike ride without professional instruction, but figuring out the weight training landscape can be a challenge. How much weight should you lift? How many repetitions and sets are best to help you achieve your goals?

Although it’s tempting to skip it altogether, many documented benefits of weight training after 50 make it a good idea to stick with it. Otherwise you risk losing muscle (called sarcopenia) as you age, for one. This slows your metabolism (muscle burns calories at rest) and increases risk of falls.

Plus, upon turning 50, women in particular have key health concerns, making exercise as important, if not more so, than in previous years, says Michele Olson, Ph.D., professor of exercise science at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala.

“At mid-life, a woman’s risk of heart disease parallels that of men. Also, hormonal changes can rapidly incite the deterioration of bone density, an increase in belly fat, and the loss of calorie-burning muscle tissue,” she says. Weight training helps with strengthening bones, adding muscle and therefore burning fat.

Of course, men also benefit. A study by Harvard School of Public Health showed that healthy men who worked out with weights for 20 minutes daily experienced less of an increase in age-related belly fat compared with men who spent the same amount of time doing aerobic activities.

Here are the most common questions about weight training at mid-life and how to get started. Seek exercise instruction from qualified, credentialed instructors for personal recommendations. (The following advice pertains to healthy adults without any medical conditions. Check with your health care provider before starting any new activity or exercise program.)

1. How much weight should I use?

Determining the amount of weight you should lift depends on the number of repetitions you can do properly, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines. In general, you want to work with a weight you can lift properly for eight to 15 reps, says Irv Rubenstein, Ph.D., exercise physiologist and founder of S.T.E.P.S., a science-based fitness facility in Nashville, Tenn.

“An exception may be rehab exercises (for instance, those "prescribed" by a physical therapist to alleviate a particular problem),” he says. “And many folks over 60 do not like to strain, and that’s OK.” Rubenstein suggests building reps up to 20 or so until you’re comfortable, and then gradually increasing the resistance and again building up the number of reps.

2. How many sets and reps are best?

Traditional weight training for optimal strength goals involves three to five sets of eight to 12 reps, but “that’s a rare goal for boomers,” Rubenstein says. Plus, spine and knee problems can occur when working with heavy resistance. A safer and more practical idea is to do a variety of exercises and multiple sets that engage the same muscles, Rubenstein says.

“For example, instead of three sets of straight biceps curls, do a set or two of pulldowns (which targets back muscles and biceps), then do a set of biceps curls with a squat or lunge,” he says. So a total of three sets of exercises targeting the same basic set of muscles for eight to 15 reps works best for most people.

3. How often should I weight train? Can I work out on back-to-back days?

Beginners benefit from twice-a-week training, at least for the first month or two, Rubenstein says. “After that, three to four times a week can be done if the goals warrant it.”

Weight training workouts usually require a day’s rest in between to allow muscles to recover; the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recommends allowing 48 to 72 hours of recovery time between exercise sessions. However, if you want to train daily, spread out the muscle groups and body parts on different days, Rubenstein says. For example, do a chest workout one day and arms another, etc.

4. How do I know when it’s time to increase resistance?

Again, it depends on your needs, Rubenstein says. “In general, once you can lift a weight properly without pain 15 to 20 times you can add weight.”

Increase weight for larger muscle groups, such as legs, 10 percent at a time but only raise resistance 5 percent for smaller muscles, like arms and shoulders.

5. What’s best: tubing, dumbbells, kettlebells or other resistance?

Any of these modalities work, as long as the resistance is appropriate for the muscle groups and the person’s ability to control it, Rubenstein says.

For example, a dumbbell chest press (lying on your back, pushing weights overhead) works the same muscles as a tubing chest press (you stand, fitness tubing anchored in a door hinge, and press handles in towards the center) but the tubing version may be easier to control for novices. Try a few different resistance methods to find one that suits you best.

You will likely need training first for a type of workout you've never done before. For instance, no one should just start swinging kettlebells without understanding the control that's required for them to be effective. Also, if the last time you lifted was in 1979, you should seek out instruction.

6. Any other tips I need to know?

Stretching should be done only after muscles are warmed up or at the end of your weight workout. Foam rolling also benefits muscles after and before a workout to ease muscle soreness and speed recovery.

Copyright© 2015 Next Avenue, a division of Twin Cities Public Television, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Front Porch is a not-for-profit support system for a family of companies that serve individuals and families through full-service retirement, active adult communities, and affordable housing communities.

 

More information is available at www.frontporch.net.

 

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Resident Voices: The Greatest Generation

By Ed McQuiston, resident at Casa de Mañana

This month we recognize another Casa resident, Albert Fitzpatrick, born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Upon graduating high school in 1943, he knew what he wanted to do – “Fly, rather than walk”. In July he enlisted in the Army Air Corps flight training program and received his wings as a Flight Officer. In New Guinea he flew troop support missions with combat cargo, infantry, and the wounded. Moving on into the Philippines then Okinawa and, eventually, Japan, he flew B-25, B-26, B-17, and cargo aircraft until 1946, when he returned home.

He remained in the Air Force active reserve in Long Beach, CA, attending USC, where he received a Bachelors degree in Business, then a Masters degree in Business Administration. Recalled in the Korean war, he flew C-47 aircraft in a weather squadron for a year.

Subsequent tours of duty included teaching Air Force ROTC classes at Baylor University in Business and Economics while he earned a Master of Science in Economics; then for one year study at the Air Force Institute of Technology; AF Contract Representative to the North American and Douglas Aircraft Manufacturers; After receiving a PhD. In Economics from USC, he taught economics classes for six years at the Air Force Academy. After 24 years, he retired from the Air Force in 1966 as a Major, with 6 Combat Air Medals, numerous battle stars and area campaign medals.

In his second career as a Professor of Economics, he taught classes at the University of Colorado and University of Maine, where he settled with his wife, June, to raise his family of 4 at Cape Elizabeth, Maine. He became a Registered Investment Adivisor and Expert Witness Authority on Personnel Economic Value in law cases up to and including being referenced by the Supreme Court. He finally retired at the age of 80.

 

The Top 6 Healthy Foods to Put In Your Shopping Cart

Experts pick their favorite superfoods. Are these on your list?

By Maureen Callahan for Next Avenue

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As far as good-for-you foods go, the mind-boggling mix of advice directed to fiftysomething eaters is enough to make anyone’s head spin.

Do you eat whole grains because the latest nutrition headlines say they prevent cancer? Become a vegan or vegetarian to help the heart? Honestly, the advice changes depending on whatever research is making news.

That made us wonder: Are there good-for-you food staples that make it onto the weekly grocery list of health experts regardless of headlines or hype about superfoods?

From doctors to scientists to dietitians, here’s a quick look at what six of the country’s top health experts are stashing in their shopping carts. You’ll notice the short list centers on whole foods, particularly a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. Keep building them into your weekly shopping list, experts say, and you’ll stay on the road to good health.

Mushrooms

Dr. Dana Simpler, a primary care physician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Md., places special focus in her practice on using diet and lifestyle to prevent and reverse medical problems.

“One food I definitely eat each week is mushrooms, because mushrooms have strong anti-cancer properties and are also a great meat substitute in spaghetti sauce and soups,” Simpler says. “Mushrooms have an aromatase inhibitor effect, which reduces breast cancer occurrence and recurrence.”

Dried Plums

“There’s some fascinating research on dried plums — prunes — and bone health,” says Leslie J. Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for Sports Medicine and a nutrition consultant to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Dried plums are high in boron, a mineral that is important for bone structure, and high in polyphenols, plant nutrients that may have anti-inflammatory effects,” she says.

In addition, Bonci says scientists are looking at how eating prunes might improve bone mineral density. Of course, they’re also nature’s best digestive aid. And for seniors taking probiotics, these purple-black snacks are good prebiotics, special types of sugar or starches that feed and stimulate the growth of those good-for-your-gut probiotics.

Unsalted Mixed Nuts

“I like crunchy textures, so chips are definitely my downfall,” admits registered dietitian Neal G. Malik, who specializes in chronic disease prevention and nutrition at the University of California, Riverside.

“To combat this craving, the one food I make sure I eat every week (if not every day!) are unsalted, mixed nuts. I love these as a post-workout snack! Just 1/4 to 1/2 cup provides a nice dose of heart-healthy fats, some protein, and a decent amount of fiber. They’re nature’s perfect food and they satisfy my cravings for crunch,” says Malik.

Bananas

“Bananas are a favorite,” says Holley Grainger, a lifestyle and culinary nutrition expert who shares more than 700 healthy cooking and nutrition videos with her online audiences. When it comes to nutrition, “they're an affordable fruit option that taste great, are filling and offer potassium, fiber, vitamin C, B6 and manganese.”

You can’t beat their versatility, either. “You can eat them as is or on peanut butter sandwiches, freeze and mix into smoothies, or use in baking,” she says. Even better, while bananas are helping fiftysomething blood pressure and heart health, they’re a healthy snack for the grandkids, too.

Sweet Potatoes

Dr. Thomas Campbell, a longtime proponent of plant-based diets and author of the upcoming book, The Campbell Plan: The Simple Way to Lose Weight and Reverse Illness, Using The China Study's Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet, says he’s only recently come to appreciate sweet potatoes.

“Sweet potatoes have tremendous amounts of healthful nutrients, including antioxidants and minerals, in a package that's full of long-lasting energy. It is a fairly low glycemic index food, causing a lower spike on blood sugar than white potatoes and many grains,” says Campbell.

Leafy Greens

Mayo Clinic dietitian Katherine Zeratsky puts some form of leafy green in the grocery cart every week, usually romaine lettuce.

Romaine's mild flavor and crunchy texture “allows me to dress it up with many varieties of foods – other vegetables, fruits, meats, cheese, nuts and seeds, to create combinations of savory or sweet dishes, not to mention make a balanced meal,” she says. “My cups of romaine are very low in calories yet an excellent source of potassium and vitamin A.”

Don’t like romaine? Zeratsky says just make it a point to choose favorite fruits and vegetables that are in season.

“Seasonality allows for better pricing and better quality,” she says. “I eat fruit at meals and as snacks, so there are always one or two bowls in the refrigerator. I have salad as an entrée or as a part of the meal several times per week, as it is a great way to get nutrients and fill up my stomach while keeping calories in check. Also, I add carrots, celery and onion to most meals, raw and cooked.” It’s all just “a great way to add flavor, fiber and antioxidants.”

Copyright© 2015 Next Avenue, a division of Twin Cities Public Television, Inc.

 

Front Porch is a not-for-profit support system for a family of companies that serve individuals and families through full-service retirement, active adult communities, and affordable housing communities.

 

More information is available at www.frontporch.net.

 

 

6 Ways You Can Help a Friend Who is Sick

Suggestions that let you be present and make a difference

By Carol A. Cassara for Next Avenue

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Boomers pride ourselves on our ability to handle anything that comes our way, but there’s one thing many of us aren’t prepared for: when friends in our age group get life-threatening diseases.

This inescapable front-row seat to a friend’s suffering — and recognition of our own aging — are happening now and will continue for the rest of our lives.

While our friendships in the past might have included vacations, gym sessions and social events, the scenario changes significantly when, for example, a friend is undergoing chemotherapy or another serious treatment. She may be housebound with no energy for outings, unable to drive or even sit at a movie.

We want to be helpful, but we’re often unsure about what we can do. Plenty, it turns out. Here are six specific, kind, and helpful acts to aid a friend who is suffering:

1. Don’t ask; do. We’re an independent generation and many of us hate being dependent. So take the initiative to be useful. Cook a meal or two your friend can eat and bring it over. Offer to run an errand or take her to the doctor or sit with her for treatment. She'll appreciate those types of things.

2. Pay extra attention to your sick friend. Call often, even if you just leave a message. Be sure your friend knows you will stick with him or her no matter what. Because, it turns out, some friends disappear when another gets sick, probably because they don’t know how to handle the situation or what to do. Don’t be one of those who vanish. Be there for your loved one.

3. Visit, and don’t come empty-handed. My local grocery’s floral department will make a small arrangement of six blooms in a small vase for around $12 — perfect for a bedside table. Maybe yours will. Or you could bring something from your garden.

Small-scale is best. Bake banana bread, cookies — whatever might tempt your friend’s palate and let show you are thinking of them.

4. Watch sappy movies together. I have a friend who loves to watch them, and every so often when I visit, we watch an escapist romance on Netflix or on TV. We’ve had some of our best times during those movies and it takes her out of herself for two hours.

5. Give your friend's caregiver some respite. A spouse or other caregiver is often on duty 24 hours a day. Why not offer to spend a day with your friend to give that angel some respite? Let the caregiver have a massage, go to the gym, run errands or just get some much-needed rest. The bonus? You’re spending time with your friend.

6. If your friend lives far away, send something. It might be hard for you to get there in person. Why not send a weekly card? Or a package with some light reading you think your friend might like. Some women might appreciate a deck of health-related affirmation cards. I actually made a deck of affirmations for a special friend, one she uses every day.

It’s hard to watch a dear friend suffer and easy to be paralyzed with fear that you won’t do the right thing. Fact is, any kind, loving act from the heart is appreciated — including just the pleasure of your company.

Copyright© 2015 Next Avenue, a division of Twin Cities Public Television, Inc.

Front Porch is a not-for-profit support system for a family of companies that serve individuals and families through full-service retirement, active adult communities, and affordable housing communities.

More information is available at

www.frontporch.net.

5 Secrets to Transform Your Experience of Aging

They'll help you shift from a sense of loss to a sense of gain

By Ed Merck for Next Avenue

 

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My 15-year-old son Evan walked off the tennis court triumphantly, as if he had just won the U.S. Open. Up to that point, our matches had always ended in a tie: I made sure of that or, rather, I could make sure of that.

Now, toweling off while feeling an unfamiliar tug on my heart, I said to him, “Hey, Ev, did you ever wonder why the score always remained the same in our tennis matches over the years?” Then, in a suggestive whisper, I continued: “Maybe you could continue that trend — gracefully?” He didn’t respond, but I knew his answer. And it was deafening.

Walking back to the car, I was consumed by the thought that my relationship with Evan (and with my life generally) was clearly at a crossroads. Staying positive as I aged would require letting go of capacities that were diminishing and embracing ones that were expanding.

Easy transition? No! Gratifying? Mostly!

Here are five secrets I’ve learned along the way that helped turn my experience of aging from a sense of loss into a sense of gain:

1. Learn to accept what is. There is no end to the expanding benefits of embracing life on its own terms. If I hadn’t accepted my inevitable decline in physical acuity — the awareness of which began on the tennis court that day — it would have led to nothing but suffering. Instead, by refocusing my attention on supporting, even celebrating, my son’s physical ascension from boy to early manhood, I was able to walk away from “defeat” feeling relatively good.

This mindset shift allowed me to interpret the situation, and many others that have followed, as a smooth, downhill coast, rather than a long, uphill trudge. It really is as simple, and as difficult, as just accepting what is.

2. Engage risk. Complacency is the enemy of feeling alive and vibrant. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to unknowingly slide into what is safe and familiar, especially as we age.

Risk (and its kissing cousin, change) is the counterbalance, and must be willingly embraced or we wither on the vine. Make a commitment to move into something new that has an edge for you.

At 63, after divesting from my successful software business, I sold my house, moved out of my community, bought an ocean-going sailboat and with no destination in mind, began sailing up and down the east coast of America. Along the way, I experienced fiery romantic trails, a deepening bond with my son, emerging spiritual insights and the blaze of self-transformation.

Was it tough at times? You bet! Today, however, at 68, I feel alive and ten years younger. (That journey towards wholeness is captured in my recent memoir, Sailing the Mystery.)

3. Settle into your body and open your heart. Most of us spend years in the workplace perfecting our strategic minds, and essentially living in the future. But engaging ourselves with vitality and gusto in the years after working full-time requires that we more fully occupy our bodies and hearts, which root us in the present moment — the only place where we can feel truly connected to our life experience.

To practice, try engaging anything that is sensation-oriented such as exercise, sex, or even falling in love — and not just with another person, but with life itself.

My mother’s end of life was filled with fear, and drawn out over many years. At first I tried to mitigate her pain using talking strategies, which only exacerbated the frustration for both of us. Then, when in her presence, I began working on just breathing deeply and moving more into my heart. Overnight, the connection between us changed; we grew closer, her trust of me increased and I experienced again the heartfelt juice of our mother/son relationship. Most noticeably, her suffering — and mine — decreased.

4. Practice equanimity. Many spiritual paths embrace the state of equanimity as their end point; that blissful place of being engaged without reactivity. Muting our temptation to be judgmental (“I am right, she is wrong.”) is key. Try dropping fully into the moment with as much empathy as is available to you — over and over again.

Several weeks ago, my friend Jason went a week without answering my increasingly urgent texts. At first I took his silence personally, which made me feel uncomfortable. Then, a moment of grace occurred: I dropped into my heart and wondered if he was okay. Rather than projecting more negative scenarios, I placed a call to a mutual friend, only to find out that Jason’s phone had died a week ago.   

5. Soften the edges of your identity. To paraphrase Carl Jung, we spend the first half of our lives building up a sense of “I” and the second half tearing it down. Inflexible trees snap in the wind. The more we protect who we think we are in the face of major life changes, the more we’re at odds with the natural flow.

So, let go, loosen up and don’t take yourself too seriously while learning to open yourself to the new you that emerges in every moment.

I was able to do that on the tennis court many years ago. Ever since, it has become the ultimate win/win for both Evan and me.

Copyright© 2015 Next Avenue, a division of Twin Cities Public Television, Inc.

Front Porch is a not-for-profit support system for a family of companies that serve individuals and families through full-service retirement, active adult communities, and affordable housing communities.

 

More information is available at www.frontporch.net.

Front Porch and Intel-GE Care Innovation Partner Up to Put Telehealth to the Test

by Cassandra Dowell  

Telehealth holds promise as a way for seniors to receive medical evaluations and interventions from the comfort of their own home — including in senior living communities — through technologies such as video and wearable sensors.

Providers see telemedicine as a way to potentially avoid hospital admissions and improve residents’ well-being. But with the technology still in its early stages, some operators wonder: Is it all it’s cracked up to be?

Senior living operator Front Porch is embarking on a pilot with Intel-GE Care Innovations to find out.

Read article in full at SeniorHousingNews.com

Maintaining Your Independence

By Peggy Buchanan and Maddie Kong, Vista del Monte Retirement Community Fitness, Aquatics and Physical Therapy

Summertime is here and with that comes many celebrations: graduations, summer vacations, backyard barbeques, and of course, Independence Day. While the parades and fireworks are traditionally reserved for the Fourth of July, the staff at the Fitness and Aquatic Center believe that you can achieve and celebrate your independence all year long by adding more walking to your daily routine.

Walking is a comprehensive way to help maintain your independence, and the benefits can be seen with even the smallest additions to your daily routine. Walking will keep your heart, bones, and muscles strong, and your brain healthy. Walking increases oxygen to your brain, helping to prevent dementia. In addition, walking can improve your mood by increasing BDNF, “brain fertilizer”, and endorphins, “feel good hormones”.

Regular walking can also help decrease joint pain by as much as 30% from arthritis. Finally, regular walking can lower your risk for cancer and diabetes. The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, which tracked 150,000 people, showed that those who walked more were more likely to live longer and maintain a higher quality of life.

Vista del Monte is a wonderful place to walk and can be done on your own schedule! Most all the walking areas are level, surrounded by beautiful scenery and lots of fresh air!

 A few tips to incorporate more walking into your routine:


1) Start with “baby steps” and set a distance or timed goal that you are willing to increase on a regular basis. 


2) Walk before or after a meal. That’s easy to do if you set a goal to walk to and from the dining room.


3) Walk with a friend. Company is more fun and creates accountability.


4) Walk tall, not small: check your posture and keep your center of gravity over your base of support. If using a walker, walk between the handle bars and as close as safely possible to the seat.


5) If you use an electric cart, use it as little as possible and set a walking goal to counter balance the sit-time.


Make every day in July and all year long for that matter, a celebration of your independence. Go on a walk and know that you are benefitting your overall health and well-being!

Peggy Buchanan is the Coordinator of Vitality and Wellness Programming for Front Porch and serves as the director of fitness, aquatics and physical therapy at Front Porch’s Vista del Monte Retirement Community. Madeline Kong is the fitness specialist at Vista del Monte Retirement Community, where she teaches balance and strength. Front Porch is a not-for-profit organization, based in Glendale, California, that serves individuals and families through full-service retirement, active adult communities, affordable housing communities, and related management and development services.