If you’ve kept yourself active, do a little experimenting to see what works for you. If you are used to long runs, exchange them for shorter runs or jogging. Don’t engage in a high-impact activity every day. Switch between high impact activities and a low impact activity like a spin class. Your major cardiovascular advantage is in endurance activities. An in-shape senior may not be as fast as a twenty-something gym rat, but you can keep going long after they give up and go home. And let me tell you, there is nothing sweeter than outlasting one of those obnoxious hard-bodies!
You will want to perform some form of intense cardiovascular activity three days out of six. On the other days, incorporate more non-exercise related activities into your day. Here is where the gardening can come in. Go for a long stroll. Take a dancing class. Take a leisurely bike ride.
Strength training
Anyone can lift weights. Anyone. Dr. Fiatorone proved this when he took the frail elderly at a nursing home (his patients were between the ages of 86-93) and put them on a weight training plan. Many of these ladies and gentlemen were so weak they couldn’t walk without a walker. Some needed help just to get out of a chair. In just eight weeks these volunteers increased their strength by an average of 175%. Their walking speed and balance improved by 48%. Two of the participants threw out their canes.
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