To Help or Be Helped, That is the Question

A car pulled up to the valet in front of the restaurant, the car door opened, and a voice called out, “Hey Jack, can you help me?” Jack helped the man get out of the car and situated onto his walker.  It turns out the two men had graduated from high school together 55 years earlier. I asked Jack what was wrong with the man. Jack said, “He is just old”. 

That reply really struck me then and looms larger in my mind as I get older. At some point in my life, I will be the one being helped. I would like to put that off as long as possible.  Diet, lifestyle choices, and exercise, particularly the right strength training exercise, can put off the inevitable so that you can live more years as the helper rather than the one being helped.

Below is a list 35 benefits of exercise from the article Train for Life: Exercise is Medicine in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.  Most items on the list would tilt the scale toward being the helper.

The list:

Mind

·        Improved cognition such as sustained attention, short term memory etc. in older adults AND brain health

·        Decreased cognitive decline.

Mood

·        Reduced depression

·        Reduced anxiety

·        Team sports promote involvement in the community to improve overall health and happiness

·        Improved self-esteem

Musculoskeletal

·        Moderate exercise beneficial for cartilage

·        Often weight control

·        Often strength, endurance and power,

·        Often flexibility and coordination

·        Increased bone mineral density

·        Reduced pain and discomfort from arthritis. Exercise is important in reducing symptoms of osteoarthritis.

·        Reduces pain and discomfort from fibromyalgia

·        Reduced back pain

·        Enhanced flexibility

·        Increased physical function

·        Favourable changes in genes associated with aging

·        Hip fracture risk decreased by 30-60%

·        Benefits of exercise outweigh risk for osteoporosis

Visceral

Heart:

·        Decreased risk of cardiovascular disease

·        Exercise is better than primary coronary intervention for cardiac event free survival.

·        Improved resting blood pressure

·        Every 200 step/day increase in physical activity is associated with an 8-10% reduction in CVD risk

·        Regular exercise is more effective than heart stents

Colon

·        Decreased gastrointestinal transit time

·        Improved outcomes from colorectal surgery

·        Reduced side effects from chemotherapy

·        Lower 1-year mortality rate

Breast cancer

·        Regular exercise can reduce breast cancer risk by 20%.

Diabetes reduction

·        Improved glucose/insulin metabolism

Overall

·        30% reduction in all causes of mortality and increased life expectancy

·        Reduced body fat mass

·        Reduced abdominal fat

·        Improved blood lipids

·        Increased resting metabolic rate

·        Improved sleep quality

These 35 items are the impetus for a healthy life. Failure to achieve many of items on this list will necessitate serious compromises in your life. An example is being compelled to avoid physical activity to minimize joint pain. This inactivity brings about more problems, and a downward cycle begins. 

We can improve these parameters, but we face obstacles. Maybe you hate exercise, or you don’t know where to start, or your attempts at exercise have not been successful in the past.  An exercise program only works if you do it. Start with a feasible approach to exercise, one that you will stick to, and set your course toward being the helper and not the helped.

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself at our Austin Personal Training facility

We operate by appointment. Before you stop by please call us at 512-964-8787

Yes, we are open with Covid-19 safety protocols in place.

How to keep your New Year's resolution to exercise this year

You have not exercised in months, maybe even years. That status is likely to remain so unless you can make a realistic New Year’s resolution you can actually keep. If you start from the premise that it is not how much exercise you can tolerate, but how little is needed to produce ongoing measurable improvement you will find:

·       It does not take that much exercise

·       You will more likely stick to the exercise program

·       You will see more improvement and be motivated to continue

It doesn't have to be all-out. Just do a little more than you are used to handling.  Progress each week - do a little bit more weight or have the duration of the individual exercise be a few seconds longer. Eventually a 30-minute session will have you totally out of gas.

It doesn’t have to be every day.  Allow plenty of time for recovery between bouts of exercise to ensure that you come back stronger. With less time in the gym, you will have more time to do those physical activities you enjoy.

It doesn’t have to be drudgery. Knowledgeable trainers at our Austin Strength Training facility will take care of all the details based on your individual needs, age, and past performance - exercise selection and order, setting of the equipment, the goals for the day, and recording reps and/or time under load.  They will attend to your form, breathing, and exertion levels to ensure safety and ensure reliable measurements of improvement.  

You just show up each week and go.  This is a resolution you can keep!

Do this on a weekly basis and you will have:

·       More energy (Enhanced mitochondrial capacity)

·       Increased capacity to do demanding work (An increase in nitric oxide availability)

·       Improved cardiorespiratory fitness

·       Increased strength. Those who are older will likely make greater strength gains.

The above improvements serve to make your workouts even more productive - a positive feedback loop.  Over time you’ll be at a higher exertion level, produce more lactic acid, and as a result, have a significant endorphin response. Endorphins produce a relaxed state of euphoria. Endorphin levels can remain elevated for hours and even into the next day. Your aches and pains will subside, you’ll be less stressed, your mood will improve, and you’ll sleep better.  Your life will change, and you will look forward to your workouts. 

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself

We operate by appointment. Before you stop by please call us at 512-964-8787

Yes, we are open with Covid-19 safety protocols in place.