Proper exercise the prescription for good health

Current fitness habits can impact the aging process.

By Thomas Kirk Cureton, Jr.

The benefits of exercise are great if the physical activity is done gradually and progressively, and according to the rules of good training. The benefits are psychological, anatomical and physiological. They can also have preventive and medical value, as physical and mental deterioration may be prevented to some extent.

People exercise for reasons determined by 50 years of research. This statement is especially true for persons age 45 or older. Most improvements are harder to make for that age group, but positive changes are nevertheless impressive for persons who persist and use good methods.

Some of the principal benefits of exercise have been documented and verified. First, we know that exercise fulfills a basic need of the body. When done reasonably, moderately and persistently, it is mentally relaxing and satisfying. Exercise makes people feel better.

Exercise also drains off excess calories. There is a caloric cost for every exercise, and the longer a person exercises the more calories are burned off.

Continual rhythmical (aerobic) exercises are easier on the body, relatively better for circulation and respiration, and the best way to use up calories. However, other exercises have specific value in sports (speed, strength, agility, flexibility, power, balance and coordination). Many other exercises also have social value, such as dancing, swimming and boating. A combination of various types of exercise is best.

Other benefits

Exercise can also have a positive effect on the central nervous system. Good rules of training involve gradual warm-up, progressive intensity, alternation of easier and harder work, tapering down activities, a shower and a rubdown.

Over a period of time, exercise strengthens the heart, muscles and glandular system. The body is trained to take more exercise, resist stress and minimize fatigue. Persistant endurance exercise, coupled with exposure to the outdoors, may actually raise the basic metabolic rate and permit food to be used better. Many middle-aged and older people suffer from undue fatigue and exhaustion. Exercise may actually increase energy-making cells.

Alternating exercising and stretching with deep breathing tends to adapt body tissues to unusual overuse such as joint trouble and injury. Millions of older people suffer from pain caused by earlier injuries of this type. This causes them to avoid exercise and accelerate their state of physical inactivity.

Exercise trains the body to resist stress.

Preventing "age sag"

Adequate exercise does tend to prevent "age sag," the middle-age and old-age abdominal bulge, jowl droop, a bowed posture, the "clump-clump" walk, poor balance, stiffness, irregular gait and the loss of tone, agility and strength. Research has shown that aging is resisted by proper living habits and exercise. Satisfactory results, however, are not achieved by trivial amounts, or short duration types, of exercise.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Thomas Kirk Cureton, Jr., is professor emeritus at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He is also a consultant to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and to the Illinois Governor's Council on Health and Physical Fitness.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 23 March/April 1985

Certain factors can nullify the benefits of exercise. These include contaminated air, water and food; overexposure to the sun, and some personal habits like smoking and drug/alcohol use.

Selecting the right exercises

Exercise should reflect the person's background, body type and needs. Not all exercise programs are good for these aspects and expert advice may be needed. The incentive to participate in a regular exercise program on a regular basis is a crucial factor. Motivation can come from a good leader, convenient equipment, a compatible group of people, a convenient time and location, and an awards system. The Cooper Point System for Aerobic Exercise is one scheme of motivation. Others are the President's Council Tests and Awards and my Exercise and Dynamics.

Insurance companies are anxious to get more people, and especially older ones, exercising. Some companies offer reduced rates for those who do. The Senior Olympic competitions at both the regional and State levels offer our older citizens a chance to compete.

An unmet need

Almost half of the national population over age 40 is physically unfit. Getting these people involved in a suitable exercise program is a great challenge facing park districts and recreation agencies, schools, churches and other community organizations. More trained leadership and motivaing devices are needed.

False information and advertising hinder that goal. That type of material implies that getting fit can be done easily and quickly for a price. Unfortunately, that is most often not the case. The military has long emphasized physical fitness, but the general public has not pursued it enough. People too frequently go to the doctor or use drugs to try to get fit. Individuals must take more personal responsibility for their fitness.

TEST YOUR OWN PHYSICAL FITNESS Balance 1. Hold diver's stance (on toes, arms outstretched, eyes closed) for 20 seconds. 2. Squat with hands on floor, knees outside elbows. Rock forward and balance on hands for 10 seconds, toes off floor. 3. With one finger on the floor, take 10 turns around finger, then walk a 10-foot line in 5 seconds. Flexibility 4. Bend at waist and touch floor with palms of hands, keeping knees stiff. 5. From sitting position with knees held down, bend forward slowly until forehead is 8 inches from floor. 6. Lie face downward with back held down and hands behind neck; raise chin 18 inches from floor. Agility 7. Kneel so that insteps are flat on floor; spring to feet and balance 3 seconds., 8. Spring up from floor and touch hands to toes while in air. Do 5 times. 9. Squat; extend legs backward, jump back to squat, stand upright—6 times in 10 seconds. Strength 10. Pick up partner your own weight and place on shoulders in 10 seconds. 11. With heels on floor, head on partner's knee and hands on hips, hold body rigid for 30 seconds. 12. Support body on knees and forearms. Lower chest until chin and chest touch floor. Hold for 20 seconds. Power 13. Do standing broad jump, the distance of your height. Endurance 14. Lie face downward, hands flat under shoulders. Weight on knees and hands. Do 30 push-ups; lift body, straightening arms; lower body slowly to floor. 15. Lie on floor, straddled by standing partner. Grab her (his) hands and pull yourself up until your body strikes her (his) legs 10 times. 16. Sit in V-position with legs and back off the floor. Hold for 60 seconds. 17. Run in place for 2 minutes at 180 steps per minute. Then hold the breath for 30 seconds. 18. In succession, do 200 two-footed hops, 200 straddle jumps (jumps from I to inverted-Y position), 200 alternate-stride hops, 50 hops on each foot, and as many squat-jumps as possible. In each area there are relatively easy, medium, and more difficult items. Adapted from REDBOOK, April 1955, and PHYSICAL FITNESS WORKBOOK, Thomas K. Cureton

Illinois Parks and Recreation 24 March/April 1985