Health: Fitness at any age

This point is so important that I am going to say it twice. You can work out to improve your health no matter how old (or young) you are. Here it goes again: You can work out to improve your health no matter how old (or young) you are. If you are a parent, getting your children involved in physical activity is a must to get them on the path to leading a healthy life. It doesn’t matter what kind of physical activity—dance, football, running—as long as they’re getting some exercise. My boss’s two year old prefers gymnastics….and running away from daddy. Getting your kids involved in exercise at an early age does two things. First, it keeps them happy and healthy from birth, when obesity in children is a growing. Second, and more importantly, it sets them up to view exercise as normal and fun—something that will benefit them throughout their lives. Moving to the other end of the age spectrum, those over 50, 60 or 70 should also keep on moving. The main goal of exercise is to improve your heart rate, flexibility and strength—three things you can do at any age. My 67 year old father still calls me from New York to inquire about his target heart rate. In fact, as you age the benefits of exercise can become increasingly important. Getting older naturally means that your body begins to lose some of the functions (flexibility, strength and heart strength) that it once had. Exercise can help slow down this deterioration by maintaining strength, preventing bone density loss and improving flexibility. For those of us younger than 70, staying in shape will maintain a healthy, happy body longer into old age. Amity Weiss is a professional personal trainer from America living in Kigali. Contact: Amity_weiss@yahoo.com