Top 5 Questions Seniors Should Ask

“Being fit” simply defined, basically means that you are able to perform all the functions that you need to perform on a day to day basis.  Other people would say that it is about appearances or particular read-outs of cholesterol and blood tests.  Knowing that one is fit is much different than trying to breakdown what fit is into labels and definitions. A fit person will say that they have energy, can get everything done that they need to on average, and that they are happy or satisfied with how their clothes fits them.

If you are a senior in search of a good fitness program, you may be wondering how they will define fit or define you.  They all will advertise their benefits like billboard signs on a highway telling you that you just passed the best restaurant in the world when you drove past exit 25.  Before you turn around to examine every program which wants you to join it, it is good to ask a few questions to yourself first.  After you know what you are looking for in a fitness program, you will know what questions to ask them.

Your doctor should be able to direct you in appropriate directions to start out.  His office may be connected with another institution which offers classes, personal training, nutritionists and clubs.  The fact that your doctor has connections with fitness programs may possibly make him or her fewer objectives about listening to what you like to do for physical activity and wellness, so know that you don’t have to play badminton every Tuesday for the rest of your life if you don’t want.  Let your doctor know what you want.  If you feel that fit would mean that you can reach the top shelf without getting out of breath or if you want to be able to walk/run five miles a day, then get that specific. Having you sign up with a square dancing club when you would rather be able to walk on the golf course is not going to keep you motivated in your fitness program.

Other questions that you should ask yourself include:

Do I want to workout with people in a class or group sport?

Do I want to build strength or maintain it?

Does my workout need to help me burn more calories?

Would I stay more motivated if I could just take walks with a friend every morning?

What health concerns do I have?

The senior body is as diverse as humans are in general.  Make sure that you ask yourself exactly what you want out of a workout, but be open to suggestions.  There may be a sport or activity out there which you would absolutely love.  Staying open to new opportunities keeps the mind young and curious too.

If you have consulted with your doctor and yourself about what you want, it is still possible that you will have to come back to the drawing board a few times.  This depends of course, on what, if any, conditions you have which may make a certain exercise more strain on your body than its worth.  Your doctor will not always know exactly how your body will react.  Keeping an open mind toward your doctor, your body and any place you go to participate in a fitness program will make the process easier.  Most fitness programs are accustomed to people trying them on a trial basis.  Make sure that they offer at least a week trial that is free, so you do not get wrapped into a contract for something you will not be able to use.  The trial period should be long enough for your body to tell you whether you will enjoy the activities which they provide.

Another key to success with finding an appropriate exercise program for you is to let yourself take everything slowly. The body does not like abrupt change under most circumstances.  Let your body get adjusted gently.  Most fitness programs are incorporating cross training elements which means that you might walk on a treadmill one day, then do swim aerobics the next.  Your body will need to absorb the various pressures and stretches you will be putting on it.  Agree with yourself that you will apply only the most moderate levels exertion in the beginning of your fitness plan.

The Twenty Four Hour fitness center is like your one stop shop to everything about fitness and your well-being. Imagine it as the Walmart of the fitness industry.    Twenty Four Hour fitness centers are located in a number of areas in the state.   All of them have equipments which cater to weight training as well as cardio vascular equipments.  A variety of fitness gear is also available.  Twenty Four Hourfitness centers all have locker rooms and – believe it or not – baby sitting accommodations.  Over all, the Twenty Four Hour fitness center is a complete, clean and extremely well maintained facility that especially caters to all your fitness wants, needs and preferences.

Join Us

It is very easy to get started on your path to fitness.  Twenty Four Hour fitness centers have over three hundred clubs located in the whole nation and is open for twenty four hours. There is no long term contract to sign up in.  You have the option to pay monthly, but you are offered a complete personal training package that suits your body type, body weight and built so you are ensured with a service that is truly personalized.

Which club do you belong in?

Twenty Four Hour fitness center gives you the option to choose the specific type of club that you desire.  The active club involves a group exercise as well as free weights and cardio machines to work off that fat.   The sport club also includes everything in the active club but with additions such as basketball, heated pools and whirlpool.  The super-sport club also includes the amenities found those in the active club and the sport  club but with more additions such as massages, a sauna as well as a steam room.  The ultra sport club is the works.  It includes most of the amenities found in the active, sport and super sport club, plus a day spa, courts for racquetball as well as an executive locker room.

The Path to Performance

It all depends on what you want to achieve.  In Twenty Four Hour fitness centers, a uniquely specialized fitness program is available to anyone who simply wants to improve their performance in a specific sport or is seriously training for competition.  The program is designed by athletes.

The Performance program includes a menu plan specifically customized for those intense workouts.  A resistance training is also available as well as a full cardio workout.  After your exercise, a metabolic rate test is conducted.

This program is designed for those who wants to get started as soon as possible but has no clear and specific idea how.  This is clearly the best option for them because all the information on nutrition, resistance training is learned through this program.  This is the foundation one needs in order to have results that would last your body a lifetime.
The Components of  Fitness

A regular exercise, an intense workout is just part and parcel of your path to health, fitness and well-being.  There are other factors that should just as well play a part and which Twenty Four Hour fitness center teaches you.

Food intake is one of them.  A menu is provided to those who follow the performance path.  This details what you should or should not eat, or at least eat less of, if not completely avoid.  Cardio is also one as this enhances  your endurance to stress and exercise. Vitamins and supplements are a necessity unless you are sure that you are able to receive the proper amounts of iron, calcium, vitamin C or D or E in a day.  If not, it is best to take them in. Resistance training is a feather in your fitness cap and is a necessary tool for being healthy, wealthy and wise.

Planning a fitness program should not be a complicated procedure that requires a degree in physical education. As long as you are aware of your own physical condition, the goals you want to reach and the exercises that fit well into your life, you should have no problem planning a simple fitness schedule that gets you where you want to go. Too many people are afraid to go out on their own in terms of exercise without a trainer but oftentimes trainers plan routines that are inconvenient or involve exercises that you just plain hate. Taking control of your fitness program frees you from time crunches and dreaded routines, so step right up and learn how to plan the perfect fitness schedule for you!

The first thing you consider should be your goals in a fitness program. If you are seeking to lose weight, your routine will be different from someone who is trying to lower cholesterol or train for a 5K simply because different goals require different approaches. Trying to train for a race while you are still twenty pounds overweight will only result in frustration because your body wants to deal with the excess weight first, and then build the endurance you need for a long-distance run. Maybe you have more than one goal that you want to accomplish. If that’s the case, consider which one is the most important and whether multiple goals can be achieved with the same workout program. Some goals can go hand in hand, such as training for a 5K and increasing your aerobic capacity. Goals that are similar in nature are much more likely to be accomplished with one program than are two goals that are vastly different. If your goals don’t parallel each other so well, identify your primary objective and focus on that. Secondary goals can wait and may even become easier when the primary reason is accomplished. Whatever the scenario may be, figure out what you want from your fitness program and then plan accordingly.

When you want to accomplish weight loss, whether five pounds or fifty, you will need to plan a fitness schedule with at least four days of cardiovascular activity, incorporate strength training, and eat a healthy diet that is low in calories, fat and sodium. Weight loss can be a challenge and requires a different mindset than training for an athletic event or focusing on lowering blood sugar. You must stay encouraged even on the days when you don’t see change. To see consistent weight loss, you should count on at least four days of cardiovascular activity and three to four days of strength training. The more effort you put into your program, the faster you will see results. Choose aerobic exercises that you enjoy to make working out more pleasant. If you hate spinning then you’re really not going to enjoy four hours of spinning class weekly. People who prefer to exercise alone may choose not to use a gym or to go during off-hours, while others may seek out the busiest times in order to have the most social contact during exercise. It’s important to choose what fits you best, not what your mom thinks or what all the magazines are saying. For strength training, plan to spend time in the weight room at the gym or else purchase your own weights for use at home. Once you’ve identified activities that fit you, take out your daily planner and assess your schedule to find free time. Maybe you can do any hour of power-walking a couple of days during the week and take an aerobics class on the weekend. Figure out what will work best with your schedule but remember to factor in a couple of free days. One of the most important parts of a fitness routine is flexibility – if your plan isn’t flexible, you won’t stick with it.

For fitness plans that aimed at training for an event, the best way to start is by figuring out how much time is left before the event. Ideally this should be at least two months to allow adequate preparation time depending on your fitness level. If you run on a regular basis and have participated in 5K races, you may want to challenge yourself by running a 10K. When the distance is doubled, one of the best ways to calculate preparation time is to double the time frame for training. If you would normally train six weeks for a 5K, train twelve weeks for a 10K. Allowing your body to gain strength and endurance gradually is easier on the system than waiting until four weeks before race day and forcing yourself to run a wildly accelerated training schedule.

Perhaps you just want to increase your aerobic capacity or tone up an area of the body. Improving your body’s performance is best done slowly to allow yourself enough time to adjust and recover from your workouts. Plan to spend at least 45 minutes four to five days weekly working on your aerobic endurance or muscle tone. Muscle builds itself best when it has adequate time to heal, so factor in enough rest days. In terms of building your aerobic endurance, you should plan to allow eight to twelve weeks for measurable improvement (though you may be able to tell a difference before then). Body toning, though, can be much quicker – some areas, such as the legs and buttocks, will respond very quickly and show improvement within three to four weeks. Solid muscle, however, will take anywhere from six weeks to ten weeks to begin to show.

By taking control of your fitness plan and personalizing it to your own needs, you can make your exercise routine work twice as well. That means your body will be stronger and leaner in half the time as otherwise. Having a healthy, beautiful body is what making your fitness schedule is all about.

Being active makes a person healthy and strong. It is not just for people who have a weight problem but for everyone who likes to stay fit.

There is a lot a person can do such jog or walk every morning, play basketball or any other sport with friends but if a person wants to have muscles and look lean, then one can sign up and workout in a gym.

People workout for 3 reasons;

The first is that the person is overweight and the only way to lose those extra pounds will be to reduce ones calorie intake and at the same time workout in the gym.

The second is that the person is underweight and the only way to add extra pounds is to have more calories in ones diet and workout.

The third is just for fun and to keep that person in shape.

The best exercise plan should have cardiovascular and weight training exercises. This helps burn calories and increase the muscle to fat ratio that will increase ones metabolism and gain or lose weight.

Just like taking any medicine, one should first consult the doctor before undergoing any form of exercise.

Here are some benefits of exercising;

1. It is the easiest way to maintain and improve ones health from a variety of diseases and premature death.

2. Studies have shown that it makes a person feels happier and increases ones self esteem preventing one from falling into depression or anxiety.

3. An active lifestyle makes a person live longer than a person who doesn’t.

Working out for someone who has not done it before should be done gradually. Endurance will not be built in a day and doing it repeatedly will surely be beneficial to the person.

It is advisable to workout regularly with a reasonable diet.

A person can consult with a dietitian or a health professional to really help plan a good diet program. It starts by evaluating the lifestyle and the health of the patient before any program can be made.

Afterwards, this is thoroughly discussed and recommended to the person which usually consists of an eating plan and an exercise program that does not require the use of supplements or one to purchase any expensive fitness equipment.

A good diet should have food from all the food groups.

This is made up by 2 things. The first is carbohydrates. The food that a person consumes should have vitamins, minerals and fiber. A lot of this can come from oats, rice, potatoes and cereals. The best still come from vegetables and fruits since these have phytochemicals, enzymes and micronutrients that are essential for a healthy diet.

The second is fat which can come from mono and poly saturated food sources rather than animal fats. Since fat contains more than double the number of calories in food, this should be taken in small quantities to gain or lose weight.

Another way to stay healthy is to give up some vices. Most people smoke and drink. Smoking has been proven to cause lung cancer and other diseases as well complications for women giving birth. Excessive drinking has also shown to do the same.

For people who don’t smoke, it is best to stay away from people who do since studies have shown that nonsmokers are also at risk of developing cancer due to secondary smoke inhalation.

One of the simplest and most effective ways to bring down blood glucose levels, cut the risk of cardiovascular disease, and improve overall health and well-being is physical fitness and exercise. Yet, in our increasingly sedentary world, where almost every essential task can be performed online, from the driver’s seat, or with a phone call, exercising and being physically fit can be tough case to sell.

In reality, everyone should exercise, yet survey shows that only 30% of the United States adult population gets the recommended thirty minutes of daily physical activity, and 25% are not active at all.

Inactivity is thought to be one of the key reasons for the surge of type 2 diabetes in America, because inactivity and obesity promote insulin resistance and other factors that trigger other kinds of diseases.

The good news is that it is never too late to get moving, and exercise is one of the easiest ways to start controlling the onset of any kinds of diseases. For people who are already candidates for some serious diseases like diabetes and heart failure, exercise and physical fitness can improve the condition of some parts of the body like insulin sensitivity, lower the risk of heart disease, and promote weight loss.

In 2003, the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism had published an issue regarding the result of their study and found out that lack of exercise and physical fitness were the key factors behind obesity and other serious diseases like diabetes.

Hence, it is extremely important for a person to stay healthy and be physically fit in order to avoid such illnesses.

Getting Started

The first order of business with any exercise plan, especially if you are a “dyed-in-the-wool” couch potato, is to consult with your health care provider.

If you have cardiac factors, your doctor may want to perform a stress test to establish a safe level of exercise for you.

Certain complications of some diseases will also dictate what type of exercise program you can take on. Activities like weightlifting, jogging, or high-impact aerobics can possibly pose a risk for people with diabetic retinopathy due to the risk for further blood vessel damage and possible “retinal detachment.”

Health experts also contend that patients with sever peripheral neuropathy or PN should avoid foot-intensive weight-bearing exercises such as long-distance walking, jogging, or step aerobics and opt instead for low-impact activities like swimming, biking, and rowing.

If you have conditions that make exercise and physical fitness a challenge, your provider may refer you to an exercise physiologist who can design a fitness program for your specific needs.

If you are already active in sports or work out regularly, it will still benefit you to discuss your regular routine with your doctor.

The bottom line is that physical fitness and exercise should not have to be a rigid activity and should not come off strong. Your exercise routine can be as simple as a brisk nightly neighborhood walk, walking the dog, or simply taking the stairs instead of the elevator. The important thing is that you keep on moving. Every little bit really helps a lot.

In the end, you will realize that the many things that good food can bring you are equally the same as what physical fitness can do for you.