Exercise for all ages

Whether you’re eight or 80 - or somewhere in between – you can benefit from the health-giving properties of regular exercise.  We’re not just talking about keeping your weight under control and your heart in good order.  These are only two of a multitude of exercise-related health benefits.  

Physical exercise increases blood flow to the brain, and boosts “feel good”, mood-altering chemicals called endorphins.   Regular aerobic activity is nature's own natural antidepressant, with active children and adults proven to suffer from fewer problems with anxiety, depression and apathy. 

Weight-bearing exercise, such as climbing, running and walking, increases the ability of young and growing bones to generate calcium, thereby ensuring a greater bone density later in life – essential for avoiding brittle bones and osteoporosis. 

As we get older a natural tendency is to slow down and reduce physical activity, as energy levels drop and aches and pains creep in. But the benefits of maintaining a regular exercise regime for the elderly can be truly miraculous. 

Aerobic activity like going for a brisk walk four or five times a week can lower blood pressure, and raise levels of “good” HDL cholesterol, high levels of which can reduce the risk of hardening of the arteries and heart disease.

Between the ages of 20 and 70 we lose around 30 per cent of our muscle strength if we don’t make our muscles work for us.  Strength training, even if started in old age, helps to prevent this muscle wasting, as well as increasing bone density.  Strong muscles and bones make us more stable and less likely to take a fall.

A number of studies show that regular aerobic exercise reduces the risk of dementia in older people.  The Journal of the American Medical Association recently revealed that elderly men who are sedentary or who walk less than a quarter of a mile a day are twice as likely to develop dementia as men who walk two or more miles a day.

And according to the Interdisciplinary Ageing Study conducted by the University of Iowa, regular aerobic activity has been found to have a positive effect on cognitive function, with an improvement in both memory recall and recognition.

Children

Take an honest look at the lifestyle of your children and grandchildren.  For many, gone are the days of dropping the school bag in the hallway and racing out the door to climb trees and run free with friends.  Hours of after-school television or computer surfing now take the place of active fun.  

To stay healthy, children need at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity every day.  Preferably  30 minutes of sustained movement, but if this is not possible, five 'snacks' of activity, totalling 30 minutes, can be scattered through the day.

Kids take their lead from us, so it’s our responsibility to be great role models and show them the enjoyment of physical activity. 

• Go for walks on the beach or in the park
• Enrol them in a “walking school bus” or park 10 minutes walk away from the school gate and you’ll enjoy the exercise as well
• Play ball or frisbee in the garden.  If you don’t have a large garden try skipping; 
• Give them the job of walking the dog regularly in return for a little pocket money
• Help them find an energetic after-school activity that excites them - tennis, gymnastics, rock climbing, or dancing.

Adolescents

Motivating a slothful teenager can be a challenge. Unlike their younger siblings, teenagers do not always respond positively to the role-modelling of parents.  You can get up early and go for a run every day of the week in the hope of inspiring your sedentary 17 year-old to do the same but they may not even be awake to notice!  Research from the University of North Carolina shows us that what motivates teens to get moving is a sense of “personal fulfilment”.

In other words, if it’s fun and makes them feel good they’re more likely to do it.  The prospect of weight loss, peer influences and urging parents have only a moderate influence compared to the personal “feel good” factor. What to aim for?  Light to moderate exercise four to six times a week for 30 minutes-a-time, with at least 20 minutes of strenuous activity three times a week, should be the goal.   Some ideas:

• walking briskly while listening to music on an ipod
• going places by bike or scooter
• skateboarding or roller-blading
• ball sports
• dancing, aerobics, cheerleading

While losing weight is not a primary motivator for prompting slothful teens into action, the reality is that approximately 70 per cent of obese adolescents will go on to become obese adults.  There is no clear data available on the prevalence of obesity in New Zealand adolescents, but estimates suggest that around 30 per cent of New Zealand teenagers are overweight or obese.

Adults

Modern life is often crazily busy, and time pressures give us a great excuse for not exercising. In reality it’s not time that’s the issue, but our priorities, personal motivation and the choices we make.  You should exercise because your life depends on it:

• Instead of flopping on the sofa at night, put on your walking shoes and burn around the block for half an hour
• Or get out of bed a little earlier in the morning and start the day with a walk or run
• Eat your lunch in half of the lunch hour and go for a walk in the other half
• Park further from the office and walk the rest of the way
• Use the stairs instead of the lift, whenever possible
• Find some activity that fires your soul... have you always wanted to tango or take up yoga?  There's no time like the present!
• Take the baby for a regular walk in the buggy... walk briskly and push the pram up hills and you combine your aerobic and weight training in one! 
• Play ball in the garden or chase the kids around playing Tiggy.
• Buy a yoga or Pilates video and go through your moves in the comfort of your own living room.
• Put a seat on the back of your bike and cycle yourself and your toddler to the shops.
• Join the gym and work with weights
• Buy some resistance bands and dumb-bells and workout from home, if training at a gym is impossible.

The ideal to aim for is 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise daily.  Split it up into 10 minutes  ‘snacktivity’ scattered throughout the day, if you need to.  From the age of 40 onwards, strength training is vital to improve bone density and prevent the loss of muscle which accompanies aging. 

Remember that if you have any health problems, or are a male over the age of 35, or a female over the age of 45, be sure to get a medical clearance before embarking on an exercise programme.

The senior years

If you’re over 60, relatively unfit and keen to start getting more active, have a check up with your GP first and get medical advice on the appropriate level of activity for you. Set some specific goals and build up slowly. 

Aim for 30 minutes of sustained exercise four to six times a week:

• Wash the car or windows
• Do the vacuuming
• Walk
• Play golf
• Do yoga, Pilates, water aerobics, swimming and cycling. They are all great forms of exercise to build cardiovascular strength without taxing the joints. 
• Weight-bearing exercise is vital, so carry shopping bags, laundry baskets, dig the garden, push the lawnmower, and give those muscles a workout.