Exercise is a powerful tool against the physical effects of aging and it’s never too late to start. Being a senior citizen is no reason to avoid a workout program, says University of Illinois professor of kinesiology Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko. In fact, any physical activity, like walking even if walking canes must be used, will benefit health. It’s important to “choose an activity that you will do,” whatever that is, the professor said. “It really matters less exactly what you do than it matters to avoid being completely sedentary.” A 1996 report from the U.S. Surgeon General indicates only about 15 percent of adults over 65 get a recommended level of physical activity and as many as one-third get no exercise at all, Chodzko-Zajko noted in an article he wrote for the journal Quest.

Chodzko-Zajko suggests that some people might benefit from strategies such as keeping a diary of all their physical

Seniors who participate in a workout program are generally healthier and happier than those who are sedentary.

activity and workout program, including even things like short walks to the store with their walking canes, doing housework or working in the garden. Seeing the diary with their activities written down may help motivate people to exercise because they will want to avoid days in which they have nothing to write. Another trick to encourage increased walking is getting a dog. The dog will insist on going out for a walk even if the owner might not be in the mood.

“Part of the problem may be that we’ve adopted a medical model of exercise, where exercise is sort of a bitter pill, and you get a prescription and you’re expected to stick to it,” Chodzko-Zajko said. “But the bottom line is it takes time to change behavior, and I personally feel the broader you can define your activity program, the less likely you are to become demoralized.”

Even seated exercise is beneficial. People who need mobility chairs can still benefit from exercise, although they may have to do it in a seated position. Many of those using mobility chairs have the use of their limbs, but use the chairs because they tire easily. Walking may not be a good exercise choice in this case but instead, they can try doing leg lifts in a seated position, for example. To increase the work load on the leg muscles, ankle weights can be added. Start with one pound per leg and start over at the lowest number of lifts.

Exercising the upper body is also important. This can also be done from a seated position if need be. Do a variety of arm exercises. Start with one pound weights at 10 repetitions per exercise. If you don’t own any weights, a can of peas from the kitchen is a good substitute. The important thing is to get-and keep-moving.

Anyone can tell you the benefits of exercise, but you will not realize its effectiveness in boosting mood, attitude, and morale until you try for yourself. Keep young by staying fit!

Take Charge!

P.S. Want to: Learn the “Easy” way to get and stay in shape? Discover the secret to quick fat loss? How to exercise less and get better results? Discover the secret to ripped abs without doing endless crunches? Then be sure to get my “Amazing Fat Burning Formula” HERE.

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Ask yourself the following question: “How long did it take for you to get in your present out-of-shape condition?” It probably took at least a year’s worth of inactivity and lack of exercise, right? Realistically, how long do you think it will take to not only get back to your prior slim self, but to achieve true physical excellence? Surprisingly, the answer is not that long at all. As a matter of fact, depending upon your present condition, in a mere 12 weeks you can cause tremendous and incredibly astounding changes to happen in your body. And while right now you might say to yourself, “hey, 12 weeks isn’t that long…I can do that easily,” it can seem like a really long time when you’re in the midst of your workout program.

In fact, when someone takes up the challenge of trying to get in shape, they often follow a common pattern. First they

Be patient-it may take a few weeks to start seeing results of your workout program.

are all fired up because they are finally doing something about their out of shape condition. Then they start a workout program and are “gung ho” for about two weeks. Their enthusiasm begins to die down by the third week, and they are wondering why they still have “love handles” and unsightly cellulite. They fail to recall how long it took for these problem areas to form and just want them gone now.

And this is the precisely the point where patience is a necessary virtue. If you can call upon patience and remind yourself that it took years to get into your present shape and condition, and if you truly believe (which you should by now) that everything you’re doing will eventually allow you to achieve physical excellence, then you’ve conquered the biggest nemesis of every dieter: namely the desire for instant results.

I promise that, at least once during your program, you will feel that your results are not happening quickly enough. When this feeling arises, remind yourself that you were told this would happen. And, more importantly, don’t be daunted by feelings of desperation: instead, understand where the feelings are coming from. This will help to assure yourself that results will happen, because you ARE doing everything possible in order to achieve a great physical transformation.

Take Charge!

P.S. Want to: Learn the “Easy” way to get and stay in shape? Discover the secret to quick fat loss? How to exercise less and get better results? Discover the secret to ripped abs without doing endless crunches? Then be sure to get my “Amazing Fat Burning Formula” HERE.

P.P.S. If you like this post, and think it will help others, please help me help others by clicking on one of these “Share and Enjoy” links below.

Sometimes, unlucky things happen when you least expect it. And, they can easily happen to you during your workout program. Indeed, it is very likely that you will experience some difficulties: something will suddenly ‘pop up’ to derail your efforts, unless you prepare yourself for the probability. By mentally preparing yourself for the day (and trust me it will come) when one of life’s problems confronts you, you will be better equipped to understand what is happening and bend the situation to conform to your higher objective.

If you are not prepared, you will most likely use it as an excuse to drop everything to ‘handle’ the situation. But, if

Don't let temptations ruin all your hard work or workout program!

you’re prepared, it doesn’t have to be that way. Obstacles can come in any form – family emergencies, a simple lack of progress you feel happening, or “just being tired of depriving myself of the foods I love.” It could be anything. So, when it comes, the solution lies in the preparation and faith in the cure you’ve worked out before-hand.

And what is that cure? It is the positive ammunition you have prepared for yourself in advance: your powerful reason to change written and signed, in contract form, your mission statement, your goals of what you would like to achieve in the next 12 weeks, the person you’re accountable to, your progress time line (what you’ve achieved so far and are in danger of throwing away if you quit now), and your before and after photos. In essence all of these things, when combined, form a powerful army of motivators to help you continue on in your quest for Physical Excellence.

When something threatens to stop the wonderful progress you’ve made so far, you now have a response in the form of your motivational army. As you can probably surmise by now, I believe that there are few excuses not to finish the initial 12 weeks of your workout program. By turning to “your army” when the going gets rough, and realizing that 12 weeks is a mere drop-in-the-bucket in time compared to your entire life, you have a significantly greater chance of finishing. Using your resources, you have the opportunity to become a true success story.

Visualize how you will feel when you complete the final day of your 12-week program. Can you sense the feeling of elation in knowing that you finally allowed yourself to be successful? See it in your mind, feel it in your soul, and do everything in your power to allow yourself to experience it. I promise you the rewards will far surpass any kind of pain you may feel while achieving it.

Take Charge!

P.S. Want to: Learn the “Easy” way to get and stay in shape? Discover the secret to quick fat loss? How to exercise less and get better results? Discover the secret to ripped abs without doing endless crunches? Then be sure to get my “Amazing Fat Burning Formula” HERE.

P.P.S. If you like this post, and think it will help others, please help me help others by clicking on one of these “Share and Enjoy” links below.P.S. Want to: Learn the “Easy” way to get and stay in shape? Discover the secret to quick fat loss? How to exercise less and get better results? Discover the secret to ripped abs without doing endless crunches? Then be sure to get my “Amazing Fat Burning Formula” HERE.

P.P.S. If you like this post, and think it will help others, please help me help others by clicking on one of these “Share and Enjoy” links below.