Exercise & Fitness Archive

Good posture is important, even during exercise. Quick posture checks before and during a core exercise routine can help you avoid injury and squeeze the biggest benefit from your workout. Here is what you need to know:

1. Stand up straight. When instructions for an exercise ask you to stand up straight, that means keeping your:
   • chin parallel to the floor
   • shoulders even (roll them up, back, and down to help achieve this)
   • arms at your sides, elbows relaxed and even
   • abdominal muscles pulled in
   • hips even
   • knees even and pointing straight ahead
   • feet pointing straight ahead
   • body weight evenly distributed on both feet.
2. Stay in neutral. Neutral alignment means keeping your body in a straight line from head to toe except for the slight natural curves of the spine. Whether you're standing or seated, that means your spine is not flexed or arched to overemphasize the curve of the lower back. One way to find neutral is to tip your pelvis forward as far as is comfortable, then tip it backward as far as is comfortable. Neutral is roughly in the middle. If you're not used to standing or sitting up straight, it may take a while for this to feel natural. A neutral wrist is firm and straight, not bent upward or downward.
3. Get the angle. When angles appear in exercise instructions, visualize a 90-degree angle as an L. To visualize a 30-degree angle, mentally slice the 90-degree angle into thirds, or picture the distance between a clock's minute hand and hour hand at one o'clock.

Achieving and maintaining good posture during your workouts takes a little practice. If possible, look in a mirror when exercising. Try to take a few moments each day to practice better posture, too.

Benefits such as mental stimulation and social engagement are associated with staving off chronic disease.

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Punching a time clock is still part of the regular routine for an increasing number of older adults. They're staying employed or going back to work, even though they're beyond the traditional retirement age of 65.

"For well over 100 years, men had been retiring at earlier and earlier ages. Something shifted in the 1990s, and they began working longer. The story for women is different. They weren't always in the labor force. But now we see employment rates rising for women at every age," says Nicole Maestas, an associate professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School. She studies the economics of aging, health, and disability.

Research we're watching

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High cardiovascular fitness during middle age may lower the likelihood of dementia late in life, according to a decades-long study.

For the study, researchers asked 191 middle-aged women to ride an exercise bike until they were exhausted. They then grouped the women according to their peak cardiovascular capacity. Just 40 women met the criteria for high fitness, while 92 were in the medium category, and 59 were in the low category.

These strategies may offer greater protection.

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While there's no cure for Alzheimer's disease, ongoing research has suggested there may be ways to lower your risk.

"Much of the existing science supports how certain behavioral changes made in middle age can protect people as they grow older," says Dr. Kirk Daffner, director for the Center for Brain/Mind Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. "However, there is evidence that adopting certain healthy lifestyle habits can benefit older adults too."

Research we're watching

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Good news for people who struggle to find time for exercise: every little bit matters, even if your "workout" is broken up throughout the day. To come to this conclusion, researchers who published their results March 23 in the Journal of the American Heart Association looked at data from 4,840 people ages 40 and older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2003 to 2006. People who spent the shortest amount of time in moderate or vigorous activity — 20 minutes or less daily — had the highest risk of dying during the roughly six-year follow-up period. But those who got at least an hour of moderate or vigorous activity cut that risk in half, and those who got at least 100 minutes a day cut their death risk by 76%. And they didn't have to get those 100 minutes all at once. Even short bursts of activity at different points in the day added up to reduced risk.

Along with the growing realization that obesity is a complex disease comes greater understanding that treatments need to be highly individualized and address the physical and emotional factors that contribute to it.

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Newer medications, which may be safer than earlier drugs, have expanded the options for treating obesity.

Obesity is now considered more than a risk factor for other conditions; it's a disease itself. It has been the subject of intense scientific and medical research to develop effective treatments. But the quest has been elusive.

Your core muscles are the sturdy link between your lower body and upper body. Every move you make starts in your core or transfers through it. So, a weak or tight core can translate into less power from your arms and legs.

It's well worth including core work in your exercise plan. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend the following well-rounded plan:

The practice of yoga incorporates many separate breathing techniques (above and beyond the coordinated breathing you do during yoga routines) that can help relax you and release tension. And many of these techniques can be done anytime, anywhere — not just during yoga class.

If you'd like to reap the benefits of these breathing techniques, start with the abdominal breathing technique described below. Once you've mastered abdominal breathing, you can then try others based on the unique benefits that each technique offers.

Falls continue to be the leading cause of injuries among older adults. Practicing balance exercises can help keep you steady.

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Every year, about one-quarter of adults older than age 65 experience at least one accidental fall. The impact of a fall can be devastating. About 20% of falls result in a serious injury like broken bones in the wrist, arm, and ankle; hip fractures; and head injuries. Surgery or rehabilitation may be needed, which may impair your mobility. A fall also could cause psychological trauma and make you fearful of being active.

"You want to do whatever you can to avoid a fall," says Dr. Adam Tenforde, a sports medicine physician at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.