I have noticed an interesting evolution in my practice. When I was in my 20′s the vast majority of my patients were similar in age, and therefore had questions commonly found in the 25-38 year old crowd. Questions like, “How do I get a six-pack?” used to dominate the discussion.

Now in my 40′s, the tones of vanity have given way to cries for survival!

“Why is this happening to my body?”
“Will I ever be able to do that again?”
“Why is it taking me so long to heal?”

And my personal favorite, “Do you have any secrets for living longer?”

Well luckily, I do advice in the area of longevity, but I have to warn you, be careful for what you wish for, because when pressed on the subject, most honest people are able to admit, its not living longer that we most desire, its living more quality years.

So before I dive into the first lesson for longevity a few Rules We Must All Agree On:

1. Anti Aging is QUACKERY! I will tell you that real scientists agree that they cannot do such a thing, so anyone making those claims is a con artist and a charlatan.
2. Our Goal is more quality years NOT more total years.
3. Longevity is more than just your physical being, it is the health of your mind and spirit.
4. I am not sharing any Rules or hidden secrets, I am sharing lessons learned from the most successful cultures on this planet. Cultures that seem to have fooled the clock, or the science books, about the concept of living a long and happy life. Many of these lessons were taken from studies done in the book “The Blue Zones.”

Without further delay:

RULE NUMBER ONE: Move Naturally

Considering I just completed a marathon, this first rule may surprise you. The research suggests that longevity isn’t about running marathons and triathlons, and it isn’t about being the weekend warrior. Worse still, it isn’t about the 90 day P90x or Insanity workouts, its about making regular, low-itensity physical activity, part of a daily routine. Cultures that spent their lives gardening, or working as shepherds; doing daily yoga or taking regular nature walks, did the best.

Remembering that “LIFE” is the marathon, so don’t approach it as a sprint. All of the longevity cultures studied incorporated some form of regular, low-intensity activity that satisfies each of the following:

-A large emphasis on core strength at least twice a week,
-Daily balance exercises
-Aerobic exercise 5 times a week.

STRATEGIES TO INCORPORATING LESSON ONE

1. Inconvenience Yourself-Use the stairs not the elevator, get up to change the channel, get rid of the electric can opener/snow blower/garage opener.
2. Have Fun. Keep Moving.-Rather than exercising for exercise sake, make your lifestyle active. Take walk breaks instead of coffee breaks, don’t join a gym if you hate it, do things that keep you active that you enjoy.
3. Walk.- Its easier on the joints, always accessible and invites company.
4. Make a Date.-Getting out and about can be more fun with other people. Knowing someone else is counting on you will motivate you to keep at it.
5. Plant a Garden.-Working a garden requires frequent, low-intensity, full Range of Motion activity, and you have the benefit of fresh vegetables!
6. Enroll in a yoga class.-Just be sure to practice it 2 times a week.

Now that you’ve heard about all the benefits of exercise as you age, you’re ready to hit the gym or at least go for a daily walk. There’s only one problem: Your joints don’t seem to want to cooperate. Is it too late to limber up? For most people, the answer is NO!  Flexibility decreases with age and physical inactivity, and this can cause your muscles, tendons and ligaments to grow shorter over time. But regardless of your age, you can increase your flexibility by incorporating stretching into your daily routine. Remember, though, that aerobic fitness and strengthening are also very important for older adults. And exercise can improve your well-being and reduce your risk of falling.

Note: Always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise or stretching routine.

A daily stretching routine can improve the following:

Physical performance. Increased flexibility makes it easier and less tiring to perform daily tasks such as lifting, bending, turning and engaging in other repetitive movements.

Circulation. Stretching raises the temperature of your muscles, increasing the circulation in that area – which helps keep your tissues healthy.

Posture. Short, frequent stretches throughout the day can keep your muscles from getting tight. This helps you maintain proper posture and reduces aches and pains.

• Stretch lightly before engaging in strength and endurance activities, then stretch more thoroughly after your workout.
• If you’re unable to perform strength or endurance exercises but able to do stretching exercises, do them at least three times per week for at least 20 minutes per session.
• Do each stretching exercise three to four times during each session.
• Stretch slowly and as far as possible without pain. Hold the stretch for 10 to 30 seconds. Relax, and then try to stretch further with each repetition.

• Talk to your doctor before engaging in a new exercise program.
• Warm up before you stretch. A little bit of easy walking or arm pumping should be sufficient.
• Mild discomfort or a mild pulling sensation is normal during stretching, but you should never stretch until you feel pain, especially joint pain. If you feel pain, reduce the stretch so that it doesn’t hurt.
• Ease slowly into a stretch – don’t bounce. Jerking into a stretch can cause muscle tightening and increase your risk of injury.
• Don’t lock your joints into place when you straighten them during a stretch. Your arms and legs should be straight when you stretch them, but not tightly so. You should maintain a very small amount of bending in your joints.
• If you’ve had a hip replacement, talk to your surgeon before doing lower-body exercises. When stretching, you shouldn’t cross your legs or bend your hips past a 90-degree angle.

An active exercise program is essential to maintain good health….FOR EVERYONE! Exercising should be a part of your daily routine whether you are 10, 20, 40, or 60. Regular exercise is proven to lead to better long-term health. For seniors, ages 60 and up, we want you to keep living, actively, for as long as you can, to increase your chances of longevity. But before starting any daily exercise routine, it is important for everyone, seniors in particular, to remember to Warm Up! Warm up exercises help to stimulate blood flow, to prepare your body for the elevated exercise that is to follow, and to help reduce the risk of injury while exercising. Check out the following examples of warm up exercises to help you start your daily routine off right:
1) Walking – Start by walking in place for 5 to 10 minutes. This helps to gently raise your heart rate and breathing before beginning more strenuous exercise.
2) Bicycle Riding – Hop on your stationary bicycle for 5 to 10 minutes if you are not into walking in place. Maintain your pace to ensure a proper warm up.
3) Rowing – Either stationary or actually on the water, use this warm up exercise to increase blood flow, while using your arm and leg muscles.
4) Stretching – Take care to do slow, thorough movements, to build flexibility and to avoid muscle injury.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/129030-warmup-exercises-seniors/

My friend Mariah works closely with senior population through her work with AARP. We recently had a brief discussion on the topic of again and physical activity. I think Mariah knew what my opinion was going to be before we even got into the discussion.

My short response was this:

“If there are 80 year olds running marathons and 30 year olds complaining of chronic pain, then is our ‘age’ really the issue?”

I like to say, some people grow up and some people just grow old! As it relates to physical activity and aging, the key point to remember is that the physical deficits we begin to realize in our 20′s and 30′s are essentially the same deficits we will experince in our 60′s, 70′s, and 80′s. The biggest difference is if we didn’t begin to correct these issues earlier in life, the work to correct them later may require a little more patience.

If a person has never been instructed on where to begin, I always recommend the following:

1. Work to improve balance
2. Improve flexibility of the front of the hips (hip flexors)
3. Improve flexibilty of the back of the hips (buttocks region)

Our seniors should work with a qualified physical therapist, personal trainer or doctor to begin improving these ares of concern.

I will post videos to demonstrate some of these exercises in a future blog post.