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Last Updated: Jul 2nd, 2008 - 21:15:22 |
(NAPSI)-Young baby boomers are feeling younger than ever. Despite their advancing age, boomers continue to feel mentally fit, but physically, they are starting to feel the aches and pains of aging.
By taking the right steps before pain slows them down, boomers can maintain their active lifestyle long into their senior years.
The Pain Poll, sponsored by the makers of TYLENOL® (acetaminophen) and supported by the Arthritis Foundation, found that more than three-quarters of baby boomers think that "50 is the new 40." But eight in 10 said that their bodies could not do the things they used to do.
Overall, the Pain Poll found that 92 percent of 50-somethings have experienced aches and pains, and 52 percent said they experience aches and pains on a daily basis.
In reaction, health expert Dr. Rosa Solorio offers advice about the importance of staying physically active: "Remaining active and exercising may be harder for 50-somethings because of increased joint and early osteoarthritis pain, but at this age it is important to keep exercising because this will strengthen muscles and help to reduce stress on the joints that they support."
What can young boomers do to maintain or regain their active lifestyle? The Keep Moving Web site (www.justkeepmoving.com) has an easy-to-follow program to get boomers moving. It is recommended that a doctor be consulted before beginning or revising an exercise program. Once you're cleared to do so, following some simple tips can help boomers keep moving as they keep aging:
• A Little Goes a Long Weigh.
If you are overweight, losing just five to 10 pounds can lessen the stress on your knees and hips and help reduce arthritis pain. For every 11 pounds you lose, you may be reducing your risk of joint pain and stiffness by as much as 50 percent, and for every pound you lose, the pressure on your knees is reduced by four times.
• Cut Calories to Lose Pounds.
Cutting even 250 calories a day means losing a half pound a week. Look for small ways to cut calories out of your everyday diet. For example, drop the fries from your fast-food order and cut out 300 calories or more. Drink water instead of soda or fruit juices; switch to no-fat or low-fat dairy products; use noncaloric sweetener instead of sugar; replace higher-calorie ingredients like cheese and meats in omelets, sandwiches and sauces with vegetables and commit to fruit as a snack instead of chips, candy and other high-calorie treats.
• Get Stronger, Move Better.
Muscles are the "shock absorbers" for your joints. If muscles are weak, they are less able to protect the joints. Muscle-strengthening exercises can help muscles absorb more shock and prevent that problem.
• Learn To Bend.
Joint stiffness is a symptom of arthritis that gets worse if you don't exercise. Flexibility exercises can help your joints be less stiff and can make them move more easily.
• Slow and Steady.
For most healthy adults, their exercise goal might be working out most days of the week, for about 30 minutes each time. For people with arthritis, a good starting goal might be exercising three days a week, 10 to 15 minutes each time.
• Have Heart.
Most healthy adults should aim for a target heart rate of 60 to 80 percent of their maximum heart rate during exercise. A goal for people with arthritis might be a target heart rate of 40 to 50 percent.
• Everyday Activities Help.
Everyday activities translate into burned calories. Gardening for 30 to 45 minutes or washing and waxing your car can burn up to 150 calories. Raking leaves for an hour can burn 300 calories.
Shoveling snow for 15 minutes can burn 150 calories. Washing floors for 45 minutes to an hour can burn 150 calories.
Readers can log on to www.justkeepmoving.com for more tips and to receive a free kit featuring an exercise DVD and pedometer to help them keep moving, and information about pain relief.
Talk to your doctor before beginning or revising your exercise program.
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