It is not uncommon nowadays for enlightened individuals in their 40s to attain levels of fitness superior to those they possessed in their 20s. We want to remind you too of the advantages of keeping a training diary, not only to help organize your weekly schedule, but also to help maintain a discipline in your weekly exercise schedule.
Two types of exercise considered to be appropriate for maintaining and developing general fitness - namely aerobic exercise and postural exercise.
Firstly, two aerobic exercise examples.
(1) Cycling around the lake. On stretches where the cycle path is obviously clear, gain a little speed to stimulate a little puffing. Get up off the seat and push up a couple of the hills that emerge at various spots. At other segments simply cruise along easily and enjoy the views.
(2) Jogging in the forest. Pick up a friend or take some of your family out to the forest. Depending on your level of fitness you can jog or jog/walk a loop or "out and back" segment if you're not sure where to go.
TRY to aim at 20 minutes at least of actual jogging time. Jogging is perhaps the most convenient way to gain aerobic fitness, but it's also the hardest on your body, so don't overdo it and build up gradually. If you don't want to jog, try fast walking or "power-walking" which means you bend the elbows and stride out heel and toe.
This type of exercise is very popular because it results in less stress on the joints than running. Race walking, of course, is also becoming very popular.
Postural exercises involve strengthening some muscle groups and stretching others. Tummy muscles must be strengthened. One way to do this is to lie flat on your back. Bend your knees up, feet still on the floor.
Now tilt your pelvis to flatten the lower back to the floor. Hold this position while you lift your head off the ground. Not easy is it? Your abdominals are required to contract to stabilize your torso when you lift your head. A more difficult version of this is to curl further up, taking your shoulders off the floor.
We need nice long hamstrings to maintain good posture. Regular stretching is important, especially in runners where the hamstrings tend to shorten up. One way to stretch the "hammies" is to again lie on your back. Keeping your legs straight, draw one leg up as close to your head as possible.
Many people will, at best, get their two straight legs only into a right angle-position. The most flexible individuals will almost do the splits by pulling their leg up very close to their head, the other leg remaining on the floor. The key to stretching is that the stretch should be held and not bounced or jerky.
Further, the stretch should not be painful - the stretch on the back of the leg should be a little uncomfortable, but easily held for 20 to 30 seconds. The same principle applies to routine toe-touching.
IN the sitting position, see how close you can get your head toward your knees. Touching your forehead on your knees indicates excellent hamstring and lower back flexibility. Again, make sure you do not force - gentle pressure held for the 20 to 30 seconds is all that is required.
Another area to strengthen is the upper back. This helps to prevent "round shoulders". The best way to strengthen this area is to use a bench and dumbbells. Lie on the bench on your tummy and lift the dumbbells from the floor so that your elbow is directly out to the side, not close into your body.
It is easier on the elbows to bend them as you lift up the weights rather than maintaining a straight arm. You can progress to heavier weights or you could perform this exercise with your arms out-stretched to make it more difficult if heavier weights are not available.
Another variation of this strengthening exercise is to find a single-railing fence like those around sporting grounds. Lie under the fence and reach up to grab the single railing. Pull yourself up so that your chest approaches the railing with your elbows out to the side, not tucked in close to your body.
Tucking your arms in tends to make use of the latissimus dorsi muscle, the big muscle of the lower back, rather than the upper back muscles which hold your shoulders back. How is your training diary progressing? Whilst variety is very important in all aspects of training, aerobic and postural exercises such as those described are important basic components.
Would you like to write articles about Lifestyle, Health, Beauty, and Fitness for Dietbet?
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy4yPzMCSwA
http://www.runnersworld.com/strength-training/10-essential-strength-exercises-for-runners
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/feb/07/five-best-posture-exercises