Bab's Blog Page
How I Found the Fountain of Youth

Exercise and fitness has really become a big part of my life. I try to move around a little bit every day, whether it's doing a bit of gardening in my backyard, taking a stroll around the block or on hot days, doing some time on my cardio glider in front of the television with the air conditioning on. There's nothing like a relaxing and guilt-free afternoon watching soap operas and getting your exercise in at the same time!

What I wanted to share with you was what my doctor told me (and I believe him) was the real "fountain of youth" for seniors, especially us women, who want to keep our bones strong and healthy. In addition to eating right and taking our calcium and vitamin supplements, what he prescribed was resistance or weight bearing exercise.

Well hold up a minute, you might be saying. I don't want to have biceps that bulge like Arnold Schwarzenegger. I don't want to grunt and sweat while lifting heavy iron bars in a macho man gym. Well don't worry - you aren't going to grow big biceps without making weight lifting a full time job, and if you're a woman, you probably won't grow them anyway unless you take dangerous masculinizing drugs. What you will grow is strong healthy bones, and for seniors like us, that's important!

Some gyms specialize in circuit training and have some machines where you can enjoy resistance training along with the more traditional forms of exercise. They are well worth looking into. You don't have to "pump iron" to get the level of fitness you need to be a healthy, active senior - but it does help!

I lift my weights daily, and I have a little neoprene dumbell set that ranges from 2 lbs all the way up to 15 lbs. It's cute and color coordinated, and my doctor says that doing regular exercises with them is the best thing in the world that a senior can do to improve her health and strength. It's like a prescription for the "fountain of youth". Why not try some for yourself today?