My name is George Radzyminski and this will be my first blog. Since I just gave a presentation I think it would be a good idea to further talk about that. I first want to thank everyone that listened and participated, the class seemed to be an attentive group and I appreciate that. Now, I would like to expand on a question that Dr. Radina had during my presentation. When I was discussing the CDC guidelines for fitness she asked me if 30 minutes of physical activity needed to be done at once or if it could be spread out? That is a good question and it made me think about if other people had similar questions about their own physical fitness. I am going to post a link to the CDC website where all of the guidelines and recommendations are posted. They are the foremost experts in this this area of health so this website is the area where the best information can be accessed. Once again thank you for your attention during my presentation on physical activity and aging.
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/index.html
I learned a lot from your presentation, George. I especially enjoyed the discussion about why elders benefit more from excercise than young people do. I strongly believe that culture and traditions play an important role in how active the elders stay, for instance, in Russia, there is a stereotype of an old person as being passive, cooking for the grandchildren and sitting on the bench in front of the house 24/7 and eating sunflower seeds, therefore retirement is something that many people are scared of. retirement is equal to poverty, bad health, loneliness, and dependency. But in the countries like the U.S. I see more people waiting for their retirement because they can actually make all their dreams come true - vacation, international traveling, sport cars.
ReplyDeleteNo matter what country you are from, staying active in your older years can prevent or reduce the risks of health problems. Moreover, from what I had read, physical activity can help managing the present health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or elevated cholesterol.
I believe that there should be an active life style promotion, and the media should advertise fitness and group activities for elder people. It is never too late to become physically active and there is nothing to be ashamed of that you cannont run as fast as a 20 year old. The most important is that you are doing something and not just sit in front of TV.
I found this really interesting article on the website of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services about physical activity and older Americans, here is the link:
http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/activity.htm
While looking at the site George posted, the pysical activity guidelines for older adults are easiely reachable in my opinion. It says they need at least 2 hrs and 30 min of exercise a week. This breaks down to only exercising 5 times a week for thirty minutes. Walking would be the easiest I would think and older people like to get out and enjoy their environment anyways.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the CDC says that this group of people also needs two or more days a week of muscle strengthening activity. This seems like a goal that would be hard for them to meet, considering some college kids dont take the time to do strengthening exercises. I cannot see an elder adult wanting to go to the gym to lift weights, especially if they have never done it before. I think it would be a good idea if older adults could form exercising groups so they dont have to do it by themselves and it would be more enjoyable for them and not seem like hard work.
I think a major problem why older adults dont get the amount of exercise they need is because the younger generation caters to them too much. I know in my family, for example, when we would go to pick up my great grandma for an occasion, we would always park the car as close to her appartment as we could so she wouldnt have to walk as far. My grandma was even completely healthy and did not have any trouble walking but still we tended to her to make it 'easiest' for her. We always see cars parked right up next to stores where a younger person is letting out an older person right at the from door so they dont have to walk as far. And then they would go and park the car while the elder waits at the door. Im not saying this is all a bad thing, it is just something that i would never think about, older adults physical activity levels.
I looked on the CDC website to find out more and I was surprised by the wealth of information. There are recommendations for moderate or vigorous exercise and muscle strength. Options include important health benefits and even greater health benefits. I think it's important to include many options so exercise is as appealing as it can be to as many people as possible. It even says that 10 minutes at a time is fine. That benefits people who can only do 10 minutes at a time and those people who like to be active throughout the whole day.
ReplyDeletePhysical fitness is something that everyone needs to stay active in doing, even if its only a 15-20 minute walk each day. It's unbelievable what the obesity rate is in the United States. We are ranked #1, especially our children. As I am getting older, I find myself wanting to work out more and to invest the time in getting my own weight down to a comfortable, healthy size. It decreases the chances of diabetes and digestive heart failure that is so prevalent in African Americans. Also, you feel better about yourself and the energy that is felt when you maintain a healthy lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your presentation and thought it was very informative about staying healthy. Fitness is such an important aspect that should be incorporated in all our lives. I think its important for even elderly people to remain active and healthy and any amount of exercise is better than nothing!
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