One of the often unmentioned health care facts for seniors is that fact that there are weight training benefits for people over 60. The reason is that maintaining muscle mass and strength is of increasing importance as people get older.

Over 60 Weight Training Benefits

An article in WebMD relates a recent study that examined the benefits of weight training for people over 60. The study concluded that weight training for seniors had benefits that not only included increased muscle mass, but also “increased aerobic capacity, better fatty acid metabolism, and improved bone and joint health.”

The study examined two groups of people, one aged 60 to 75 and another aged 20 to 35. Both groups underwent a program of resistance training for four months which included a course of knee extensions, leg presses, and squats three times a week. At the end of the four months each group had gained muscle mass.

Then the participants were randomly divided into three groups, one that did no exercise at all, one that did the same exercise as before but just one day a week, and the third that reduced their regime of exercises to one set one day a week. At the end of 32 weeks, the differences between the old and the young participants were said to be striking. The young participants who continued to exercise at a reduced level lost little or no muscle mass. The older participants, on the other hand, loss muscle mass, through they maintained much of their strength.

The conclusion was that resistance training needed to be maintained indefinitely for older people just to maintain muscle mass. This can be most effectively done under the supervision of a trained and experienced personal trainer familiar with the exercise needs of older adults.

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One unfortunate fact about growing older is that nothing works as well as it used to. It takes longer to do a lot of things, and your days of gleefully doing cartwheels and somersaults on the front lawn are long over. In fact, for many older Americans, just going for a daily walk or puttering around the house can be painful on the knees.

Knee Arthritis Pain is Common

For many people – even seasoned athletes in their 30s and 40s – knee pain due to cartilage degeneration is caused by a lack of strength in the quadriceps muscles. Since the quads control movement of the kneecap in the groove where it sits above the femur, weakness in the quads can cause the kneecap to start moving off-track, hitting and pinching the cartilage on the femur and wearing it down over time. This wearing-down or degenerative process is largely responsible for knee arthritis pain.

If you suffer from knee arthritis, know that there is more you can do about it than take anti-inflammatory medications and go in for surgical procedures which, due to the long recovery period, may limit your mobility even further in the long run. Even if you have suffered with arthritis pain for many years, weight training exercises for mobility can strengthen the quads, essentially lifting your kneecaps back up into place and away from the pinched cartilage that is causing your knee pain. Recommended exercises for beginners include leg press and quad extension exercises performed at a gym or other fitness center. Done faithfully under the guidance of a trained professional, these exercises will help to reduce pain and restore function in your lower extremities.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is very effective in treating both chronic knee pain from arthritis and acute knee pain from strains, impacts and strains.  Click to learn more about acupuncture and acupuncture for knee pain.

Joe at Fort Lauderdale Personal Training is committed to helping seniors in Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding areas to maintain strength through functional movement exercises and active recovery from acute and chronic orthopedic conditions. For more information on how we can help you live the happiest, healthiest, fullest life possible, contact today.

Let today be the day you change your life! Regardless of your age, or previous experience, physical activity is an important part of healthy living. In fact, as age increases, the benefits of exercise become even more vital!

Your goal might be to feel more healthy. It might be to keep up with your grandkids, who are always on-the-go. Your goal might be to participate in an event like the Race for the Cure. Or it might be to reverse some negative health patterns. Just as there are many reasons to become physically active, there are many benefits!

Being strong and healthy allows you to do both necessary and voluntary activities. Activities of daily living include things like cleaning the house, taking out the garbage, shopping, and others. As you age, it is important to maintain strength, flexibility, and endurance to ensure independent living. Activities like hiking, golf, swimming, and many more are ways you can enjoy the extended benefits of being healthy!

Living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, provides many opportunities for outdoor exercise. Due to its natural appeal, there are large populations of adults of all ages in Fort Lauderdale, and there are many avenues to find social groups that enjoy the activities you do.

A great first step is to start a nutrition plan that will help you meet your goals. Aging adults have specific nutrition needs, including daily caloric intake and increased mineral amounts (such as calcium). Meeting with Joe Kozma can help you discover the best nutrition plan for you! The next step is to beginning an exercise program. Many individuals without previous exercise experience feel intimidated by gym equipment and the terminology used in the fitness world. In these cases, a certified personal trainer can help you understande your options and safely learn how to exercise.

Your workout program should include a variety of activities, including strength training and cardiovascular endurance exercise. Strength training will increase muscle mass and flexibility, and improve joint health and bone density. “Cardio,” as it is commonly known, includes activities like walking, jogging, swimming, and biking. These activities improve heart health and provide many other benefits to your overall health. It is important to choose activities you enjoy, because if you are bored or uninterested in a certain activity you will not be motivated to continue. Talking with a professional can help you understand your options and get started today.

Contact us to learn more how Joe Kozma, a top personal trainer in Fort Lauderdale, can help you begin your fitness and nutrition plan for healthy living at any age.

Florida is a fantastic place to retire. The temperate climate, the sunny beaches, the shopping, dining, and area excursions all provide the relaxation and enjoyment that your years of hard work have earned. But how can you enjoy your retirement if you don’t feel good?

Good health is necessary for getting the most out of any stage of life. And nothing promotes good health like physical fitness. Fitness training under the supervision of a professional trainer can accomplish so many benefits for seniors, including:

• Improved circulation, which heads off numerous health problems;
• Improved mental functions with sharper recall;
• Greater stamina, which increases the range of activities;
• More positive outlook and greater satisfaction with life; and
• Increased sphere of usefulness to others less well off.

The most important factor in any senior fitness program is that it be customized to your individual needs by an experienced trainer. Following your examination by a medical professional, fitness expert Joe Kozma will consult with you to develop a fitness plan tailored to your desired outcome.

As a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Sports Nutritionist, Joe has over 20 years of experience in assisting clients achieve their fitness goals through nutrition and common-sense exercise. Best, Joe can offer you in-home personal training not only in Fort Lauderdale, but also in

• Aventura
• Dania Beach
• Deerfield Beach
• Hillsboro Beach
• Pompano Beach
• North Miami
• Coral Springs
• Davie
• Hollywood, and other areas.

How effective is Joe’s training? Just ask his clients. Chris says, “Joe: I just want to thank you for all your help. When I first met up with you my shoulder movement was at 40% of maximum range of motion, not to mention that I was really out of shape. Less than 7 weeks later, not only have I been able to increase my shoulder range of motion to 89%, but I’ve also lost 18 lbs. of fat and gained 13 lbs. of muscle!”

You’ve earned the best retirement possible; make sure you enjoy it. Contact Joe Kozma to get started today.

Pompano Beach Personal Trainer

If you are reading this page, then it is safe to assume that you’re interested in the benefits of personal training. Besides building muscle, there are many other benefits your body receives by working out regularly. These benefits will increase your wellness overall at any age and at any fitness level, so there is no reason not to start. If you’re not yet motivated, below are the top four benefits to strength training that will surely get you up and ready to work out.

Benefit #1:  Builds Muscle
As most people know, the main aim of strength training is to build muscle.  Don’t worry about “getting big”, you can build plenty of muscle that you won’t see.  The easiest way to get started would be to buy a few dumbbells at a weight you can manage. The goal is to tear the muscle tissue in order for it to rebuild itself during rest periods. Be sure to warm up and cool down before and after working out to minimize the risk of injury and to prevent soreness. A Pompano Beach personal trainer can help you choose the best types of exercises to do.

Benefit #2: Lose Weight
Every exercise will speed up your metabolism and burn fat with strength training being no exception. Performing intensive exercises will not only burn calories while exercising, but will keep burning fat throughout the day thanks to the boost in your metabolic rate. The reason strength training is the preferred way of losing weight is due to the fact that the body needs to quite a bit of effort into repairing the muscles, thus burning more calories than most exercises.

Benefit #3: Bone Health
If you are young, this may not sound like much to you. Of course, you may want to look into how common bone diseases such as osteoporosis can be as you get older, and if you looked it up you will see that it is a lot more common than you think! In order to prevent such a disease and to keep your bones as healthy as can be then strength training would be a good option. Also, if you have stronger bones the less of a chance a bone fracture will occur if you were to get injured.

Benefit #4: Mental Health
Stress, insomnia, and concentration are three mental problems strength training, or any exercise for that matter, can fix. When you are stressed or anxious, your brain releases two hormones called cortisol and norepinephrine, and if you have too many of these hormones it can cause your mind to go into a state of depression. It has been proven that resistance training will lower the output of these hormones and that will result in a lower stress level. Since your brain is not filled with unneeded stress hormones, it will be easier to concentrate at work or on any project you are working on. Insomnia is cured due to the fact your body is worn out from working out and it will cause you to fall asleep faster in order to recover. That and insomnia is usually linked to stress hormones, which are also prevented thanks to strength training. As you can see, three major mental problems common in most people are linked together and can be prevented with exercise.

Above are only the top four benefits to strength training. Exercising can also reduce cholesterol, strengthen the heart, and keep the body healthy overall. Although strength training may be a little intimidating to those who have never exercised before, it is quite easy to get started but you have to make sure to keep working at it. It would be wise to consult with a personal trainer in Pompano Beach in order to get the best out of a workout, plan out a diet that will benefit you even more, and stay motivated to continually workout until you have reached a healthy, physically fit body.

Call me to get started on your new workout plan!

Las Olas Personal Trainer

If you are past the age of fifty, you may believe that losing weight is far beyond impossible at this point. Well, I am here to tell you that your belief is entirely untrue. Even if you are over fifty you can still burn fat just as everyone else can. If you have any injury of course this will hinder, but it is still possible. The key is to take your time and start slow, do not start with exercises you can barley manage to finish. Step one is to find an exercise that you can manage to do for thirty minutes three to four times per week. This can be as simple as walking as long as you are actively doing something.

Using the example of walking, here is how someone could progress. After doing basic walks for awhile, one could move on to short bursts of speed walking. You could walk normal for one minutes then speed walk for twenty seconds or for as long as you think you can manage to do. Alternate between the two speeds for the entire thirty minute exercise if you are able to do so. The goal would be to achieve a full thirty minutes of performing this exercise and then you would be able to move onto the next.

Over time you’ll be able to increase the interval of speed walking. Just be sure too keep at it and work as hard as you can. It has been proven that working as hard as you can for a short period of time is much more beneficial than working moderately for a long period of time.  If you ever feel intense pain during a workout out, please stop and consult with a Las Olas personal trainer in order to find out what you are doing wrong and what will best suit you.

Nutrition

Diet should also be considered when wanting to lose weight. In order to achieve a flat stomach, you need to eat foods that will not store in your body as fat. If you do so, you will have to work harder, and if you don’t work hard enough then you will never get anywhere because you are only burning the foods you are currently consuming. Make sure to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and proteins instead of any process or unrefined junk foods.

I can help you choose the best diet for your body type and furthermore can create an exercise plan that will help burn that fat. Even though it will take a bit longer to lose weight than younger people, you shouldn’t be discouraged as it will be well worth it in the end when you have the body you’ve desired for a long time.

Times have changed, and 40 isn’t “old” anymore; in fact, when you’re over 40, fitness is essential to staying healthy.

The three main components of staying fit at any age are cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise, strength training, and maintaining a healthy diet. For example, because we lose muscle mass as we get older, it’s important to eat enough protein to combat this. Osteoporosis is another concern as we age; not only is it important to get enough calcium, regular weight-bearing exercises can help slow loss of bone density. As we age, flexibility decreases, so it’s important to continue to stretch on a regular basis. Our metabolism slows, making weight loss more of a challenge.

If you’re returning to exercise after an extended time off, it’s important to start slowly in order to avoid injury. As we get older, not only do we become more prone to injury, those injuries take longer to heal. Talk to your doctor to prior to beginning any exercise program.

Working with a personal trainer is a great option for staying fit. Your personal trainer will have the experience and knowledge needed to adapt your workout to your strengths and weaknesses. Your trainer can help keep you from injuring yourself by making sure you use good form and don’t push yourself too hard.

Once you get in shape, maintenance is the next step; it’s important to keep exercising regularly. Setting goals is one important step towards fitness. Keeping those goals is another. As you set your fitness goals, it’s important to make sure they’re realistic. Our bodies change as we age, and what was easily attainable at 20 may less so at 40. Motivate yourself to keep working on your goals by celebrating your successes, and give yourself added accountability by working out with a friend or trainer.

Contact us to learn more how Joe Kozma, a top personal trainer in Fort Lauderdale, can help you in developing your fitness and nutrition plan to stay healthy at over 40.