EFFECT OF DOING PUSH-UPS & SQUATS ON YOUR BODY AFTER 50.

   

EFFECT OF DOING PUSH-UPS & SQUATS ON YOUR BODY AFTER 50.

As you age, the 3 basic things that you must develop & have for a fit & healthy life till your later age are - BODY BALANCE , MUSCLE STRENGTH & BODY FLEXIBILITY. For which you need to EXERCISE.

The real reason you should exercise is , if you don't get regular movement, your brain will degenerate prematurely.

You may be doing all the right things - eating low carbs , eating less frequently, switching from processed food to whole food , but the one thing you are still not doing is regular EXERCISE. 

Doing Exercise is critical , exercise is not optional if you want to have optimum health, specially when you cross the age of 50, as your general activity tends to slow down.

The purpose of the brain is to coordinate function between the cells of your body. To allow the cells what they need to do under different circumstances and create balance or HOMEOSTASIS.

The 2nd purpose is to coordinate movement, because now when you have a common purpose you need to able to move around and do things towards that common goal. 

So, who needs to exercise ? the answer is "Those who have Brains need to exercise". 

Exercise is an incredibly powerful principle. If you have a muscle, you work it out by putting some stress and tension on that muscle, then it performs some work and body is going to create some growth. The stress sends signals to the brain , that says we need to get better on this as he might do it again tomorrow, thus get strong muscles to perform that work again.

Blood circulation provides drainage , it brings nutrients to the tissues and it brings waste products from the tissues , if you can increase that circulation then you can increase the distribution of both nutrients and waste,which helps in DETOX.

We have a weird modern notion that we have to go to a GYM and do some special activity, you have to suffer, you have to produce blood sweating tears otherwise it doesn't count. It is all about moving your body through space against the feel of gravity and in doing so you generate signals to stimulate brain. 

 

EFFECT OF DOING PUSH-UPS & SQUATS ON YOUR BODY AFTER 50.

But you do not need to do lot of these , you could do this 10-20 minutes a week , or 10-20 minutes in a day, twice a week, if not being able to do daily, depending upon your physical capability or fitness level , it doesn't take tremendous amount of your time, but has to be intense (Please read my previous blogs on short duration exercises/cardio, for the same).

PUSH-UPS & SQUATS are the best for those above 50, when it comes to body balance & muscle strength. These are not only compound exercises stimulating all important muscles in your body, but also enhances your muscle strength & balance, that you tend to lose with age.

EFFECT OF DOING PUSH-UPS ON YOUR BODY:

Push-Ups are among the the most basic exercises invented. If your physical / muscle strength is crucial for you as you age then you should not miss this. Physical strength is what we require on a daily basis to perform any activity. 

1. Improves your muscle definition : doing push-ups daily will get you shredded. You will definitely lose all the extra fat. 

There are different kinds of push ups by which you can target different muscles with each method - 

a) With standard push ups, your hands are placed shoulder width apart, this works your triceps .

b) with wide push ups where the distance between your hands are twice as wide, pumps up your chest. 

c) with narrow push ups your hands are placed close to each other , this benefits both your triceps and pectorals. 

d) with forward push ups your hands are shoulder width apart , except they are placed about 20 cm. of your shoulders.With backward push ups your hands are placed about 20 cm. back of your shoulders. These both work on your abs & back muscles.

2. Helps your joints : 

Joints are the part of the body where two or more bones meet, push ups allows them to properly function and strengthen your joint muscles & tendons of your shoulders and hands. Push ups are multi joint exercise. There is no fixed number that how many push ups you should do, you can do as much as your fitness level permits. Fitness experts normally recommend 3 sets of 12 reps each.

3. Push-ups help prevent cardio vascular problems: 

These can greatly benefit your cardio vascular system, this exercises forces your heart to work harder , in turn producing oxygen which is sent to your muscle tissues, in order to get best results you need to go hard. As per a study, those who could complete 40 push-ups in a 30 seconds time frame enjoyed a lower risk of heart disease  & cardio vascular issues over the next 10 years. 

If you want to engage in any type of exercise, need to make sure your lung are in tip top shape. (Read my BLOG : A Powerful Breathing Technique- Increases Lung Capacity & Improves Immune System).

4. Push-ups protect your shoulders: 

The one injury that you don't want is your rotator cuff , this is the joint that allows your joint muscles & tendons to function. As we age , our shoulders become increasingly more vulnerable to damage and injury, that is why proper exercise is necessary. The stronger your shoulders, the better they are preventing injury. The action of doing push-ups works to stabilise your shoulder muscles surrounding your rotator cuff. If done properly, your shoulders can become more flexible helping you function better. 

5. Push-ups build your core:

doing solid amount of push-ups gives you a well defined abs. The forward & backward forms (placement of your hands on the floor) are ideal methods in securing that amazing core that you always wished for. Not only they will look good but also make them healthy & strong, when I say core, I am talking about everything from the abdominal to the waist all the way to the pelvis region. These ab muscles are broken down into 2 groups - MOBILISING MUSCLES & STABILISING MUSCLES. Stabilising muscles help to maintain a healthy posture and support the body . Mobilising muscles allow your body to move. Proper push-ups strengthens each of the key areas, reinforcing a healthy back enabling you to run faster and enhancing your body flexibility. 

If your core is weak, it will aid in to back problems and injuries. You can also grow tired much quicker , effecting your daily  activity level. 

6. Push-ups maintain your balance: 

to keep it simply, push-ups helps to keep you from falling over, the exercise trains your proprioceptive muscle fibres which in turn keeps your body balanced. 

You may not know it, but just in the act of doing a single push-up puts your body to the test , when placing yourself in the push-up position your muscles are already working to prevent you from collapsing , attempting to push your self upward is a different story, your nerves react to prevent your body from tripping over and try desperately to keep you stable. 

If you are doing 12 reps per set , think of how much it is helping to improve your balance.  

EFFECT OF DOING SQUATS ON YOUR BODY:

Squats have some major benefits :

1. Builds stronger joints : 

it is a strength exercise where you lower your hips from a standing position, once ready you make yourself back up. It is among the most compound exercise that the lower body can go through, as it requires many group of muscles and joints that work together. If your joints are not healthy it may lead to cartilage damage or arthritis. 

When squats are performed correctly it engages your hip, knee & ankle joints. 

2. Helps build muscle & strengthen them: 

it works on your diverse group of muscles, like quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, abdominals, lower back & gluteus maximus. If performed correctly on a regular basis, it gives you a well toned lower half of your body. 

3. Assists in weight loss : 

when it comes to exercises related to burning calories, it is not often you see squats on top of the list , be that as it may, this exercise is great if you want to shred some fat while working on your muscles. 

But there are certain factors you need to take into account - body weight, length of workout and the overall intensity of your exercise. The harder you go, the more likely you will burn calories. 

The level of intensity of physical activity is known as the METABOLIC EQUIVALENT or MET. Sitting still or lying on bed has MET of 1, but while doing squats your MET level can shoot up to 8. 

You need to remember the factor in your body weight as well, if your body weight is less than 155 pounds, if you squat at a level 8 for longer than 25 minutes, you could lose potentially about 222 pounds. If your squat level is 3.5, then doing the same amount of time will burn less than 100 pounds. Either way, If you are looking for a weight loss journey, squats are not about options to start with.

4. Boosts Your Strength : 

not only the squats can improve the look of your muscles, it also enhances the strength, which will enhance your ability to perform physical tasks inspite of your age. Your speed and ability to jump are greatly impacted by the power of squats. 

5. Boosts your heart Health: 

due to the intensity of the exercise , squats can strengthen your heart, this in turn lower your heart rate, blood pressure and bad cholesterol. When these variables are maintained, you are actually assisting your heart and avoiding disease - decreasing your chances of a heart attack or stroke. If you even are exercising at a moderate level of intensity , you still have a chance of reducing heart disease.

6. Strengthens Your Core : 

a strong core can improve your ability to complete everyday movements & lift weights. It also improves your body balance and posture. Better core strength leads to stabilised muscles. 

7. Prevents Injury : 

As mentioned earlier, squats strengthens joints and bones. Squats also assists in tightening of tendons and ligaments which is great for preventing or at least lowering your risk of injury. Squats strengthens your body supportive tissues which decrease your chances of injury during physical activity.

While performing squats your correct form and technique has to be ground solid. 

8. Improves Your  Body Flexibility : 

As you grow older your body flexibility starts to lower down. As years passes by, our ligaments and tendons lose flexibility, making it harder for you to stretch or move around, this in turn makes it difficult to manage physically.

Many people lack the flexibility to begin with, making squats harder. Just stretch your muscles to their ultimate capacity. Remember to do warm-up exercise before starting your squats, or any workout for that mater (Read my Blog : Body Warm-up Exercises).

You can do squats anywhere, these are among the most simple exercises. You can complete squats with weight as per your capability and fitness level, but are not a requirement. The most important is to do squats with correct form & technique. To start with, you can do 20 squats per day, this is a basic number, this you can increase as you get used to the routine. 

Initially, if you can not do 20 squats at one go, then break it up into 2 sets of 10 reps each, then as you progress can add one more set of 10-12 reps. If not daily, then you can do squats thrice a week on alternate days.

With age as you find your body is fit and able to perform all the basic activities required in your daily life, without being able to depend on others, automatically this will boost your mental fitness and alertness level. This is the benefit of doing exercise as you age.