Exercise & Fitness Archive

In the journals

 Image: © kali9/Getty Images

For the first time in 10 years, the U.S. government has updated its guidelines for regular physical activity. The guidelines, published in the Nov. 20, 2018, issue of JAMA, still suggest adults get at least 150 to 300 minutes each week of moderate-intensity physical activity, and the more you can do, the better. Examples of moderate-intensity activities include brisk walking, swimming and cycling.

What is new are specific suggestions for certain age groups. For adults ages 65 and older, the report recommends their allotted minutes include multicomponent activities that offer balance training, aerobic exercise, and muscle strengthening, all of which can help older adults reduce their risk of falls. They noted that many recreational activities like dancing, yoga, tai chi, gardening, or sports often incorporate the multiple types of activity you need.

Ask the doctors

Q. My partner recently had a heart attack. The doctor recommended exercise, but I wonder if it's better to take it easy. I feel like exercise might be dangerous or even cause another heart attack. Is exercising too risky?

A. As counterintuitive as it might seem, exercise is good medicine for heart attack survivors. Provided the doctor gives the green light, about two-and-a-half hours of moderate-intensity exercise each week can be beneficial — this is the amount recommended by the American Heart Association. Exercise can start as soon as the doctor gives the okay.

Including stretching exercises in your workout regimen is essential to maintaining good posture and balance.

 Image: © kali9/Getty Images

Whether you're an avid exerciser or spend most of your time sitting in front of a computer, stretching should be part of your weekly routine. While this may conjure images of complicated twists and contortions, the type of stretching you need may be as simple as taking periodic work breaks to lift your arms above your head and to perform some other easy movements.

"Stretching doesn't have to be a particular program. It's just getting out of the posture you spend a lot of time in, taking some deep breaths, and moving your joints through their full range," says Dr. Lauren Elson, an instructor in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School.

News briefs

 Image: © Vesnaandjic/Getty Images

You probably know that exercise can help you maintain your balance and prevent falls, which are among the top causes of injury and death among older adults. But if you're worried that being active will wind up increasing your risk of getting hurt, a large study may put your fears to rest. The research, published online Dec. 28, 2018, by JAMA Internal Medicine, analyzed 40 randomized trials that included about 22,000 older adults. People who exercised for one year or more had a 12% relative reduction in falls and a 26% relative reduction in falls with injury, compared with people who didn't exercise. Also: exercising long-term was not associated with an increase in the rate of hospitalization or death (though it wasn't linked to a reduction, either). Researchers didn't determine which kind of exercise was best. However, the most benefits were seen when people exercised three times per week, 50 minutes per session, in programs that included several components, such as balance exercises, strength training for the lower limbs, and aerobic exercise (the kind that gets your heart and lungs pumping, like brisk walking).

Do you sometimes feel like the Energizer Bunny when his battery runs low? You might start the day strong, but by midafternoon, you can't quite keep going and going.

Fatigue afflicts everyone at one time or another. Assuming your doctor has ruled out serious medical causes, there are a few basic steps you can take to "recharge your batteries."

Sticking with exercise isn't always easy, but setting goals and having a plan for when your motivation lags can help. If you're spending more time finding excuses than doing those planks and bridges, try taking a look at the list below for some inspiration.

Doing core exercises regularly will

• keep your back strong and flexible, which will help you avoid low back pain
• ease back pain or stiffness so you can move, sit, and sleep comfortably
• enhance your balance and stability, which will help prevent falls and make walking and other activities easier
• reclaim the strength and flexibility you need for everyday movements like bending, turning, and lifting
• build up the strength and flexibility you need for on-the-job tasks like lifting heavy items, twisting, or standing or sitting at a desk for hours
• add power to activities you enjoy, like tennis, running, golf, kayaking, gardening — or any other active pursuit
• improve your posture, which can trim your figure visually and help prevent back injuries
• help tone your waistline
• spice up your regular workouts by adding variation.

For more ways to keep your core muscles strong and working for you, read Gentle Core Exercises, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.

On call

Q. Do men have to worry about bone health, and if so, what are the best exercises to keep my bones strong?

A. Most men have the advantage of continuing to produce bone-protecting testosterone throughout life. But the level of the male hormone declines with age and therefore may not be sufficient to keep bones strong as a man hits his later years.

In the journals

It's well established that aerobic exercise improves health, but a new study suggests that better cardio fitness leads to a longer life, and that the benefit may help older adults the most. The results were published online Oct. 19, 2018, by JAMA Network Open.

In the study, more than 120,000 people (59% of them men) underwent exercise treadmill testing periodically over 14 years. The researchers found that increased cardio fitness levels were directly associated with longer lives, and that people with the highest aerobic fitness levels lived the longest, especially among those over age 70.

In the journals

Eating extra protein may protect older adults from becoming disabled and help them maintain independent lives, according to a study published online Nov. 1, 2018, by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. In the study, scientists recruited 722 85-year-olds and examined their medical data, including information like physical activity, what they ate each day, their body weight, and overall health status. Disability was measured from self-reported questionnaires in which the people described how much difficulty they had performing 17 activities of daily living, such as getting in and out of bed, dressing, bathing, doing household chores, and going up and down stairs.

Weak gluteal muscles can overload the muscles in the backs of your thighs.

 Image: © izusek/Getty Images

The hamstrings are the unsung heroes of the upper legs. The three muscles in the back of each thigh enable you to bend your knees and pull your legs back as you walk. They also assist the gluteal muscles (or "glutes") in the buttocks — the powerhouses that propel your body forward when you get up from a chair, bound across a room, or climb stairs. The glutes also help you come to a stop from a run or walk and lower your body to sit down or squat.

But weak gluteal muscles wind up overburdening the hamstrings. "When the glutes are weak, which is common in the age of sitting too much, the hamstrings are continually overworked and overloaded," says Matt Natanson, a physical therapist with Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.