Inspired by the AmGen Tour of California, coming through Santa Cruz, I am thinking about the bone density of the world’s top cyclists. In the past 5 years, much has changed in the way we think about exercise and bone density. We used to think that weight-bearing or weight training exercise was the best for building bone. So, just what exercise is best for building bone? And, what can avid cyclists do to preserve their bones?
Two and a half years ago my dad had a fluke accident in our home, at the age of 87 he fell and broke his leg. Well, my dad is an avid tennis player, gym enthusiast, has a Nordic Track in his bedroom, and takes bike treks with his buddies (the ones 20 years his junior) for hundreds of kms. Even at his age, he had a fabulous recovery, blowing the minds of all health professionals…
If we’re honest, sometimes it would be great to turn off all of our electronic devices, not show up for work, tell our families and friends we don’t want to talk and just take a moment for ourselves. A moment free from distractions, stressors and responsibilities! However in our fast paced digital world seldom do we make time for ourselves or our health.
The heart is the key to life as we know it. If it fails we die. Cardiovascular exercise is a life affirming activity because it is focused on the heart. The idea of cardiovascular training is to stress the heart and cardiovascular system so that we bring oxygen and nutrients to all the tissues of the body and strengthen the heart muscle itself. The process whereby the arteries that transport the oxygenated blood from the heart to the muscles also give us the ability to accomplish the normal activities of daily life.
A cardio training session is characterized by continuous movement over time at a specified rate of speed. Walking for an extended period of time would qualify as a form of cardio exercise. Playing tennis does not qualify as a cardio activity because it does not consist in continuous movement, just as a round of golf doesn’t. Other types of cardio exercise are cycling, swimming laps, hiking, running, cross country skiing and other such activities that require one to work overtime and involve a constant effort to maintain muscular involvement of all the major muscle groups on the body.
1. RESTING HEART RATE: This is measured in the morning before you get out of bed. It is done by placing two fingers on the wrist (radial artery) or neck (carotid artery) for 60 seconds and counting the number of beats. This number can also be found by counting for 15 seconds and multiplying by four. Your resting heart rate is used in calculating training heart rates and will be an indicator of improvement resulting from cardio training. My resting heart rate has been as low as 40 beats per minute (the average is 72 bpm).
2. TARGET HEART RATE: The idea of establishing a target heart rate is to “find your starting place” and determining the intensity during your training session. Each bout of cardio can be anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour or more – depending upon your fitness goals and preparedness. The more conditioned one is, the more “work” one can do in a shorter period of time – burning more calories as a result – and strengthening the heart as well. To determine your target hear rate, take 220 minus your age and that will give you a rough “maximum heart rate”. Multiply that result by 50-85% to establish the range for your heart rate. In my case, I’ll be 70 in August, so:
220 – 70 = 150 (maximum hear rate)
150 x .5 = 75 beats per minute (low end)
150 x .85 = 127 beats per minute (upper limit)
Knowing these two parameters is important – for both success – and safety. The less conditioned you are, the lower the intensity you should start from. The more conditioned you are, the more intensity you can bring to your chosen activity. Intensity is determined during and after the activity by counting the number of beats in a 6 second count and multiplied by ten.
If you have questions do seek the assistance of a fitness professional in guiding you to your own individualized program. Do consult a medical professional before beginning ANY exercise program requiring an understating of your current fitness levels while discovering any personal limitations that may have such as joint issues, heart issues, blood pressure issues, medications and other potential “red flags”.
Being aware of the many benefits of cardio training and reminding yourself about them is crucial to ensuring that you remain committed to your fitness and health goals.
The amount of blood pumped by the heart in one contraction is called stroke volume (SV). Stroke volume improves as a consequence of cardio training resulting in decreased blood sugar levels, improved lipid profile (circulating fat called triglycerides), improved stress responses, a calming of the mind, and increased energy levels to mention just a few. Here’s a more detailed list of the benefits of cardio training:
Improved respiratory function:
Improved heart function:
Increased fitness level:
Improved metabolism:
Increased overall wellness:
The many gifts of cardio training are known but the key to this process is the body’s increased ability to burn calories. Weight management, maintenance – and indeed weight loss – is a known benefit of cardio exercise. If we train our bodies to anticipate a period of heightened calorie burning each day we will establish the greatest result of all: a higher resting metabolic rate that supports all levels of health for us.
These benefits are valid reasons for embracing cardio training on higher and more challenging levels and should motivate you to incorporate some form of this training into your daily life.
I started running to relieve the stress of homesickness during my freshman year at Syracuse University and fortunately for me it developed into a lifestyle that I carried into the next decades of my life. When I think of the years I have been a runner, I am so grateful I found something so healthy for my body, mind, spirit – and heart. I am convinced that running saved my life.
Due to injury to my feet these past few months (inflammation and pain), I reduced the running and started riding a stationary bike to allow my injuries to heal. It took time, but it has worked and I am running pain free now (with the help of new shoes and inserts). I am now incorporating cycling sessions into my training routine to minimize the risk of additional plantar fascia injury. This is what I mean by being flexible and listening to your body.
I love running fast and will for as long as I can. It is the way I love to run as I enter my 70’s. Jogging was never for me so I “play” with each program I do and challenge myself daily to improve – or reach for higher goals. It energizes me – and it will do the same for you as well.
Originally posted on healthynewage.com. Reprinted with permission from Nicholas Prukop.
Nicholas Prukop is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer & a Health Coach, a fitness professional with over 25 years of experience whose passion for health and fitness comes from his boyhood in Hawaii where he grew up a swimmer on Maui. He found his calling in writing his first book “Healthy Aging & You: Your Journey to Becoming Happy, Healthy & Fit” and since then he has dedicated himself to empowering, inspiring and enabling people of all ages to reach for the best that is within them and become who they are meant to be – happy, healthy and fit – and be a part of a world where each person can contribute their own unique gifts to life.
In our youth we all have power – power of thought, anticipation, joy, action, mystery, imagination and so much more. As we get older, we lose our wonder of the power of our own life. This term also refers to our physical power. I know that when I am doing my weight training I am addressing my power and physically: it is made very clear to me while I am bench pressing 250 pounds 20 times.
Body Image can be thought of as the picture we have of ourselves. For some of us, this is a very clear picture and it is a positive one. For others, it is distorted and the image we see is often times not what others see. A healthy body image is appreciating your own unique shape and size.
Do you struggle getting activity in your life? As high-level women, meaning those of us who are breathing, we resist exercise more and more as our schedules fill up. I surveyed over 1500 women, ages twenty to sixty-five, and posed these questions: “What has or could bring exercise into your life? Why are you resistant to exercise?”
In the world of exercise and fitness, we constantly talk about nutrition. We are in the stages of making resolutions for 2017. Here is one I implore every person to mindfully add to their 2017 commitments – getting restorative sleep. We are going to talk about quality sleep, because the truth is quantity can vary greatly.
Excerpt from the book “Get the Skinny on Your Success” by Amy Cady
My mom is a great example of committing to a healthy lifestyle. She turned seventy four this year. She lives on the East Coast and I live on the West Coast, so it’s a challenge to get together, but we do talk on the phone at least once a week: I take her with me on my walks! We catch up on our lives and on the family drama. (This, by the way, is a great way for some people to fit exercise into their schedule. When you walk, you can talk!)
It’s shocking to me that my mom is in her seventies, because she’s so young and vibrant. I am really blessed that she was such a positive role model for me in life, especially when it came to exercise. As far back as I can remember, she was in theater, typically in musicals, so she was always dancing and moving throughout the day. It made sense then that she enrolled me in dance class in children’s theater when I was young and where I continued to dance throughout high school. I loved and adored every minute of it, and it made me feel so good about myself.
My mom and I continue to share that special bond. She is retired now, but that has not stopped her from moving. She has a part-time job at Curves, so she is still working out and moving. She told me that she had a physical recently and the doctor praised her for her excellent blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and the fact that she is just as healthy as can be. It’s no coincidence that she has put exercise as a priority, along with other healthy habits, like eating well and getting rest.
This doesn’t mean that she’s superhuman. She has had a knee replacement and shoulder surgery for a rotator cuff tear, but her recovery time was quick, and within a matter of weeks she was back to her routine. Because she made exercise a lifestyle, she was strong, supple and bounced back quickly after her surgeries.
My point in sharing this personal story about my mom is that exercise has benefits no matter what stage of life you’re in. And it’s never too late to start to exercise and continue with it for a lifetime. Our bodies tend to stiffen as we get older, and if we don’t move we get tight and achy joints. One of my clients reported as to why she exercises: she wants to be healthy and stay mobile as she ages. She has elderly people in her life who did not exercise or stopped exercising, and because of that they are no longer very mobile. It really scares her.
I am forty nine now, and I definitely can relate to the tightness and stiffness in my body as I age. I am definitely not bouncing back after a workout like I did after dancing eight hours a day in my twenties. But I continue to take care of myself and have chosen to exercise as a way of life. It has served me well, and I still feel virile, agile, vibrant, flexible, and strong. I was told recently that I looked and presented myself as much younger than forty nine. I was flattered by that compliment, but more importantly, because I have adapted exercise as a way of life, I truly believe that I carry myself differently from those who don’t. Exercising helps me feel good about myself, and from that I exude confidence and security in daily activities. My demeanor is most definitely projected in a positive way — and you can feel this way too if you work out, feel worthy of feeling good and confident about yourself.
Here is how you can adapt exercising as a lifestyle today:
It is never too late to start to make exercise a permanent part of your lifestyle. Keep moving for a stronger body, for a longer, healthier life, for more productivity in your daily activities, and to fuel your confidence. You will love the positive results…
Amy Cady, MFA, PMA-CPT, is a best selling author, International speaker, Pilates master trainer, and owner of AC Training and Seminars. She works with people all over the world to implement exercise into their busy schedules as a means to empower them to be more productive in every aspect of their lives, thereby creating healthy, successful and vibrant people. Amy’s achievements include being named an Ambassador for Lululemon Athletica for her community involvement and commitment to health and fitness through Pilates, as well as developing the Pilates programs at various colleges and community centers locally.