March 15, 2018

In this newsletter . . .

Mid-March Fitness Grab Bag

(If you have a story to tell, it’s easy enough to put into words by faithfully following the form on the “Your Stories” page. A few words of advice, however: please provide more than just a paragraph or two. It takes more than that to tell a good story. And including a good picture is always a plus.)

Here are three recent contributors, along with one top-notch seasoned contribution, that tell about four different approaches to building and maintaining senior fitness; and, interestingly, each comes from a different part of the world.

• Francisco Tames, a recent contributor, is a 66-year-old retired airline pilot from Mexico and a truly dedicated practitioner of a fitness lifestyle.

• Ciaran, another recent contributor, lives in Galway, Ireland, and has an outdoors fitness program that takes place in what sounds like quite a picturesque setting.

• Matthew Parisi, now a picture of good health, is from Glouchester, Maine, and explains a lengthy fitness comeback after an emergency surgery.

• Dr. Robert Oliva lives in New York state. His is not a new contribution but is a fine example of a complete and well thought-out presentation of a strength and fitness lifestyle.

Treat yourself and read these. You may discover a training adaptation that fits your own fitness goals. Or you may decide to leave a comment on what you’ve read or decide to contribute something about yourself and how and where you train.

Following the entry form takes all the guess work out of preparing a good story.

Seasoned citizens often wonder how much exercise they should do? I usually start by quoting the Bill Phillips remark that practically any exercise is better than none at all. And while that’s true enough, it’s not adequate information for serious beginners wanting to improve their strength and fitness.

To simplify, let’s start by looking at each decade after reaching age 50. A beginner at 60 or 70, for example, should ease into an exercise program a little more gradually than a 50-year-old. There are exceptions, of course, but this is generally true. So be realistic. Use mature common sense and a conversation with your doctor for guidance. Exercise? By all means, go for it! But doing too much too soon or the doing wrong kind can be a mistake.

Beginners start here.

The Reptilian Challenge

I’ll bet you haven’t thought for a moment today about alligators. Well, how about alligator push-ups? You probably haven’t thought much about those, either. That’s okay. But get good at them and miraculous things may happen, such as developing a lithe, hard body.

Many years ago, I figured I'd been cheated when I found out I should stop doing bench presses. I should stop doing them because they hurt my shoulders. Switching from barbells to dumbbells helped some, but not enough. I grumbled for a while and then finally accepted my fate.

Out of necessity push-up varieties became the surrogate. Then a funny thing happened. It won’t convince power-lifters, I realize, but, overall, I give push-ups higher marks than bench presses, and they come in so many varieties. Take the reptilian challenge, for example, and discover a push-up form you may learn to love.

Spring is in the air, and summer’s coming. Muscle up!

To your vibrant good health,
Logan

Senior Exercise Central

Your comments and questions are always appreciated. Simply click on the "Reply" bottom.

Sincerely,

Logan Franklin
The Gray Iron Fitness Newsletter
www.senior-exercise-central.com