If there is a secret to long, healthy life and virility...even if you did not choose the right parents, it is regular exercise: aerobic, graded, and integrated into one's life-style. 

But what is that concept?  Well, after getting medical clearance from your physician if you are over 50 or if you have long been a couch potatoe at any age, the important exercise is endurance-building rather than muscle-building: brisk walking, stair-climbing, bicycling, rowing, etc. For example, a 72 year old man, 6 ft. tall, 205 lbs, in fairly good condition and fairly active generally, does a 1 mile brisk walk at 4 miles per hour in fifteen minutes, with a two minute warmup and two mnute cool-down, during which time his pulse (monitored constantly by a Polar Pacer, very important) goes from 65/minute to 100 - 120, depending on the exercise, with a return below 90 within two minutes.  He then does 8 flights of stairs at 3 flights per minute.  He then rows (at maximum machine tension) 500 meters at 35 strokes per minute.  He does that two or three times per week.  It takes about 30-40 minutes...and it feels great.  

"Try it.  You'll like it".

GS

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Overhydration

May 6, 2007

Important information for long distance runners, including slower runners:  excessive intake of water and other fluids during the run can kill you!   Over-hydration has been found to be more dangerous than dehydration.  This is due to a resulting dilution of important body minerals like sodium and associated cerebral edema, due both directly to the fluid intake and also due to a resultant dysregulation of "anti-diuretic hormone". 
 
The primary source for this information is: Siegel, AJ et al, "Hypohatremia in Marathon Runners Due To Inappropriate Arginine Vasopressin Secretion", American Journal of Medicine (2007) 120, 461, e11-461.17.
 
GS

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