Author: Riley Pearce
Director of Social Media
If you read this blog then it is likely that you know just how important exercise is for our longevity. Challenging out muscles with moderate to vigorous exercise on a regular basis is a great way to keep bones strong, maintain balance into later years, keep the heart healthy, and the mind sharp!
In recent years the focus has really been on weight training. Some people even believe that you can get the same cardiovascular benefits from weight lifting as you can from running! But what about as we age?
Should there be a focus on one form of exercise over the other as we age? Getting older usually means a gradual decrease in energy, and some weakness, as well as loss of muscle mass. With all of that going on, wouldn’t we want to be as efficient and effective as possible with our choice of exercise?
Observations of aging individuals shows that the simple fact of aging can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular complications (ex. strokes). If you want to attenuate those risks, then research suggests that cardiovascular, or aerobic, exercise could be the best thing to protect you.
Aerobic exercise, in the 70%-80% of predicted VO2 Max (predicted maximum exchange rate between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body), has a few protective effects.
First, it keeps the inner lining of the blood vessels healthy and new. The more we test the endothelial cells of the blood vessels, the more we promote macrophage activity. Macrophages are basically the body’s clean up crew. They circulate the blood and clean up damaged tissue in order to make way for new, stronger tissue to grow. This process can also help keep bad cholesterol from building up in the blood vessels.
Regular cardiovascular exercise can also boost nitric oxide production in the body, which helps to maintain the tone of the blood vessels.
While regular aerobic exercise keeps blood vessels healthy, that in turn helps to strengthen venous return, especially from the lower legs, and the hands. Cardiovascular exercise is also a great way to maintain good insulin sensitivity, thus keeping metabolic syndrome at a low risk level.
The research will show you that there really is no reason not to be engaging in regular cardiovascular exercise as you age. As far as guidelines go:
- Your cardio should work as much of the body as possible, or many large muscle at the same time (think cycling, or a brisk walk)
- On a scale of 1-10, the exercise should be somewhere between 7 and 8. You should be slightly breathless, but still able to talk.
- If you already have heart conditions such as angina, then make sure to speak with your cardiologist before exercising.
Lastly, just like any great workout plan, pairing regular aerobic exercise with a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, high fiber foods, and healthy fats and proteins will help support your exercise efforts, as well as your recovery.
