Showing posts with label Old age. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Old age. Show all posts
Tai Chi: The Perfect Exercise for Older Adults
When we speak of "exercise," the first thing that comes to mind for most people are heavy weights, treadmills and an intense workout regimen. For some, the word "exercise" would include jogging, running or brisk walking. But one thing is for sure; we can get a lot of benefits from exercising.
It bears stressing that exercise needs to be done in moderation. Well, practically almost everything needs to be done in moderation. Just like eating, moderation is the key to good health and a fit body. Too much of something can be bad for one’s health.
While high-intensity workouts fit best for athletes, the same cannot be said for beginners. That being said, you cannot expect guys with frail bodies to lift heavy weights. All the more if old people would do that. Imagine your 70-year-old grandpa bench presses his way to achieve a heavenly set of abdominal muscles. At the very least, watching him give his everything just to lift a single rep would be a very painful sight to see.
Grandpa needs to stick to low-intensity exercises. Tai Chi is the way to go!
Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial art that involves slow but precise movements that focus heavily on breathing, balance and harmony. Since it’s mostly slow motion, Tai Chi is perfect for the elderly. More often, Tai Chi is also practiced for health reasons.
In addition, Tai Chi is also regarded as a mind-body exercise that helps promote total body coordination. It helps improve balance, as well as strength and flexibility. It has also been shown that Tai Chi practitioners have improved their immunity for certain diseases. Moreover, they have improved their cardiac functions, and have better sleep qualities.
Overall, Tai Chi greatly contributes to a happy life. It also improves awareness in the surroundings. But what makes Tai Chi more appealing is the fact that it greatly reduces stress. In effect, Tai Chi helps alleviate the burden of stress, which if not addressed could cause ill health.
Foods That Will Help You Age Gracefully
These days, most people are obsessed at keeping their youthful looks. While some go out and do it the natural way, others visit the doctors to erase the wrinkles off their faces. Delaying the aging process, as what most people would call it, is the name of the game. Everybody’s trying to swipe the years off by eliminating the wrinkles and the crow’s feet.
However, the signs of aging extend beyond the concept of crinkles, lines and rumples on the facial skin. Osteoporosis, decreased brain functions, memory loss and other age-related illnesses are just among the debilitating effects of advanced age.
To reduce the risk of these age-related chronic diseases, it is important to adopt a healthy lifestyle. For starters, it would be wise to watch what you eat. While we’re on the subject, do away with excessive eating. Keep everything in moderation.
In addition to having a proper diet, it is also important to engage in a regular physical activity. It is not necessary that you hit the gym and lift weights. Just do something that makes you sweat. More importantly, pick one that you enjoy doing. Thus, if you like to take a dip in the pool, swimming can be your exercise.
Also, get enough sleep every night. Ideally, spend six to eight hours in the sack every night.
As much as possible, minimize alcohol intake. But maximize your water intake. Drink around eight glasses of water everyday. Also, avoid tobacco and other nicotine products. We all know smoking is bad for our health, and it also speeds up our aging process. Notice how chronic smokers have plenty of wrinkles on their faces.
Picking the right foods is the key to delaying the aging process. The sooner you start on a healthy diet, the greater the rewards will be.
It’s worthy to note that as we age, we become susceptible to oxidative stress. Eventually, free radicals build up as our bodies age; thus, causing inflammation and oxidative stress.
To combat this impact, it is best to eat foods that contain "phytonutrients." These powerful antioxidants eat up the free radicals; thus, reducing the risk of heart diseases, osteoporosis and cancer.
Avoid foods rich in fatty acids and sugar because they can spike up the aging process. Instead, eat fish, fruits and vegetables.
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