Weight Loss Exercise and the Elderly

If you are older and trying to lose weight you cannot use the years that have gone by as an excuse for not exercising. Even if you are over sixty five years old and suffer from conditions that you think might prevent you from exercising you can still get fit.

Studies show that people with diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis and heart disease need to get off the couch and start moving. The weight gain caused by being sedentary can make your condition worse.

If you are not sure if exercise is safe for your health or if you are currently inactive, check with your doctor before you begin any kind of program. This should also help with any concerns you may have about whether or not it is harmful for you to exercise.

You will also feel safer exercising if you are well prepared for it. Make sure you have had plenty of rest, that you have had enough liquid to drink and that you are well fed before expending any energy. Your clothes should fit right and be suitable for exercise and your shoes should also have good arch support so that your calves and feet do not get sore.

If you are sick or recovering or simply not been that active you should begin slowly. Start with the exercises that you are comfortable performing. Walking is the perfect activity to start with especially if you have not exercised in long time. Starting slowly prevents you from getting sore and it also decreases your chances of overdoing it and straining yourself. It does not take much to begin an exercise program despite your age. All it literally takes is making that first step.

You need to of course check with a doctor about how much exercise you can get away with especially if you are recovering from an operation or have a chronic illness. However in general it is thought that doing some type of aerobic activity for at least half an hour every day will do wonders for keeping you fit.

Examples of aerobic activity are walking, swimming, and bicycling. You should also do resistance, or strength training two days per week unless you are advised not to do so by a physician. This type of training will help you burn off extra calories even while your body is sitting at rest. Furthermore weight training builds stamina and strength and is not as hard on the heart as the aerobic exercises which raise the heart rate.