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Fitness Files: Making A’s (sometimes) in health

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Sometimes I daydream about having a coach trained to help me get the most out of this old body.

But then, I go on my way, doing what I do.

My personal fitness formula is:

—aerobic

—strength

—flexibility

I give myself a grade of A for aerobic effort. Running, hiking or power-walking for two to three hours, six days a week, piling up a sweat quotient — that’s more than enough. I’m confident of my grade here.

Mayo Clinic uses the Department of Health and Human Services recommendation of “150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week.” That’s 25 minutes of moderate exercise a day for six days, or 12 minutes a day of vigorous exercise for six days.

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Mayo lists the payoffs as weight control, increased stamina, more efficient immune system, heart health, healthy blood pressure level, management of chronic conditions and mood elevation.

That list ought to attract some adherents to aerobic.

Strength training: I’m a B on this one. Maybe a trainer would give me a C.” I go to the gym three to four times a week, following an 8-year-old routine from a free lesson with a trainer. Adding weight, I’ve continued with the same basic sequence. I like free weights best. Finished with those, I migrate around the gym, selecting machines to push or pull. Concentrating on arms one visit and legs the next, I include exercises learned years ago in physical therapy to strengthen knees. Even though I duplicate the same old routines for years, I’ve gained definition and endurance. Let’s see what the experts say.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists benefits that include reducing future arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, obesity, back pain and depression. Also listed are gains in balance and reduction of falls. Good stuff.

Here’s a nugget: fitness.mercola.com says that “Strength training has a beneficial effect on your gene expression. Not only has it been shown to slow cellular aging, but it can actually return gene expression to youthful levels … turning back the clocks for seniors as much as a decade.”

Best to find instruction before starting a weight program. The benefits are unbelievable, but the hazards of injury from lifting too heavy or incorrect posture can be avoided by class or trainer.

I’d give myself a C in flexibility training. I stretch at the gym but not daily at home. I know the benefits of yoga from past classes, but I’m not enrolled at present. Like weight training, I do the same old bends and stretches, whereas yoga instructors guided me to assume positions I don’t do on my own.

Mayoclinic.org/stretching gives as much caution as benefit. Like weights, the secret is to warm up first, then stretch. Stretching after a sports activity is recommended.

Then, using proper posture, hold your stretch for at least 30 seconds, don’t bounce, and breathe normally. “Expect to feel tension, not pain.”

Remember, one side is often more flexible than the other. Always stretch both sides, aiming for symmetry.

Bottom line: start.

Neighborhood gyms are as common as coffee shops. Community recreation classes and senior centers add opportunities. Many health insurance plans cover gym membership. All that said, a combination of aerobic, strength training and gentle stretching adds immeasurably to your health and well-being.

My own routine isn’t perfect, but I’ll give myself an A for something I call “The Long Haul.” Over decades, I’ve stuck with some form of aerobic, strength and flexibility training — usually dragging myself out of bed in the early morning to do it.

It’s a struggle to initiate an exercise routine and a battle to keep it up, but in the words of football coach Woody Hayes, “Paralyze resistance with persistence.”

Newport Beach resident CARRIE LUGER SLAYBACK is a retired teacher who ran the Los Angeles Marathon at age 70, winning first place in her age group. Her blog is lazyracer@blogspot.com.

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