Exercise Does the Body Good

There are many ways to keep yourself healthy. I often recommend simple therapies to family, friends, and patients. The ones I recommend most are cryosauna, infrared sauna, and floatation therapy. These are modern-day advancements of age-old healing practices that have numerous benefits.

While alternative therapies can be beneficial, exercise is utmost importance is exercise. Staying physically fit through moderate exercise and weight training is one of the most effective tools to help fight off the aging process. Strength and cardiovascular endurance can be improved upon and maintained no matter what stage of life you are in. The body has a sort of a “use it or lose it” relationship with exercise but not entirely. As we age, muscle mass, cardiovascular capacity and the number of muscle fibers we have naturally decline.  However, the size of the fibers that we have and our fitness level can always be positively changed through exercise, which can allow the physical effects of aging to decline gracefully.

There are two aspects of exercise – cardiovascular endurance and strength training. Both need attention, and the body requires different types of exercise to achieve beneficial gains in each area.

Many people feel that as they get older, they do not have to do any "weight" training. This is far from the truth! Studies have shown that weight training is one of the best methods of exercise to help prevent osteoporosis (and osteoporosis is not only found in females), maintain physical independence, avoid injury. A study in a nursing home with people between the ages of 93 and 95 showed that participants increased their strength after three months of weight training by 20%.

Endurance - the ability to keep going, is related to the cardiovascular system, your fitness level, and lung capacity. Even basic aerobic training significantly improves your cardiovascular endurance. An endurance study using individuals in their 70's showed a 22% increase in lung capacity after six months of exercise. This means that after just six months of exercise, the 70-year-old participants in this study had the same lung capacity as their 50-year-old counterparts. Additionally, cardiovascular exercise helps to prevent many age-related conditions, including osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and excessive weight gain.

Set Goals

When you are choosing your exercises, keep in mind that you are using it to slow your aging process and maintain fitness, endurance, and strength. Just like with any other aspect of your life, you need to consider what you need to accomplish. How much time or days of the week do you have to commit to exercise? Do you want to increase strength, increase muscle mass, improve endurance or do you want to tone your body?

Each of these goals is different, and in turn, require you to approach them differently. You will need a specific exercise program to accomplish these individual goals, and you will need to fine tune your diet and nutrient intake to supply your muscles with what they need to build stronger and healthier.

• Plan an exercise schedule that contains at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise each day. This does not have to be strenuous cardiovascular exercise, just something that gets your heart beating faster than usual. It can include a long walk, riding your bicycle, or just walking up and down the stairs. Anything that gets your heart pumping faster.

• You should also plan an activity that utilizes your muscles, and helps to strengthen your body, like using weights. Other options include doing push-ups or lunges using only your body weight as resistance.

• If you are new to weight training, you will need to start your program slowly. A set of exercises should take around 30 seconds or 15 repetitions. To "grow" muscles, you need to work them with enough force that the weight, or resistance, becomes difficult at the end of the repetitions you are doing.

• After exercise, the growth and healing process is also important. Therapies such as cryosauna and infrared saunas which are used by amateur and professional athletes are extremely helpful for muscle recovery and soreness.  Recent research has shown improvements in overall workout intensity, endurance, and recuperation when exercise is combined with infrared and cryosaunas. 

Finally, keep in mind that a winter of inactivity causes muscles strength and fitness to decline. Consequently, the question is not should you exercise, but how and what should you do? Whatever physical routine you choose, weight training and cardiovascular exercise are necessary for a lifetime of optimal health.

About the Author

Dr. Josh Kantor is the owner of Chill Space, a leading NYC Health Spa. Learn more by visiting his website at ChillSpaceNYC.com