Full life fitness : a complete exercise program for mature adults

196 Pages·1992·28.298 MB·English

by  Janie Clark

FULL
LIFE
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A Complete Exercise
Program
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Mature Adults
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DO NOT REMOVE
CARDS FROM POCKET
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
FORTWAYNE, INDIANA 46802
Youmayreturnthisbooktoanyagency,branch,
orbookmobileoftheAllenCountyPublicLibrary.
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"CI ark , Jan i e -
Full iife fi tness
A Complete Exercise
Program for
Mature Adults
MS
Janie Clark,
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Human
Kinetics Publishers
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Clark, Janie.
Full life fitness : a complete program of exercise for mature
adults / Janie Clark,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-88011-459-2
1. Exercise for the aged. 2. Physical fitness for the aged.
3. Exercise. 4. Physical fitness. I. Title.
GV482.6.C58 1992
613.7'0446-dc20 92-2860
CIP
Allen County Public Library
ISBN: 0-88011-459-2 ;?00 Webster Street
P0 Box 2270
Copyright © 1992 by Janie Clark " Wiyne, IN 46801-2270
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Contents
Preface vii
Acknowledgments xi
PART GETTING STARTED
I. 1
Chapter 1. Getting Fitter Without "Exercise" 3
Chapter 2. Exercise Benefits for the Good Ol' Todays 11
Heart, Lungs, and Blood 11
Muscles, Bones, and Joints 14
Weight Control 15
General Physical Health 16
Mental and Emotional Health 16
Chapter 3. Safety Guidelines for the Older and Wiser 19
Stress Testing 19
Working With Your Doctor 20
Your Exercise Environment 22
General Safety Guidelines 25
PART THE WORKOUTS
II. 35
Chapter 4. Aerobics for Keeping Young at Heart 37
You Have Lots of Choices 38
How Hard, How Long, How Often 38
Aerobics for Special Conditions 43
Full Life Low-Impact Aerobic Dance Program 44
vi Contents
Chapter 5. Muscle Conditioning for Getting Over the
Hill (and Over the Next Hill and the Next!) 57
Why Work Out Mature Muscles? 57
Types of Muscle Work 58
How Hard, How Long, How Often 59
Muscle Workouts for Special Conditions 61
Full Life Low-Resistance Calisthenics Program 64
Chapter 6. Stretch Exercise So Joints Don't Get Set in
Their Ways 91
Types of Stretch Exercises 91
How Hard, How Long, How Often 92
Stretching for Special Conditions 92
Full Life Stretch Exercise Program 94
Chapter 7. Water Workouts for Staying in the Swim 111
How Hard, How Long, How Often 111
Pool Work for Special Conditions 113
Warming Up and Cooling Down 114
Full Life Water Workout Program 115
PART III. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER 145
Chapter 8. Plans and Options 147
Chapter 9. Sticking With It for the Best of Your Life 159
Using Self-Psychology 161
Looking at Your Overall Lifestyle 163
Bibliography 165
Index 173
About the Author 179
Preface
Welcome to the Full Life! You are entering an enlightened realm
in which mature adults enjoy the benefits ofphysical exercise while
avoiding the fatigue and overexertion associated with many exer-
cise plans.
The secret of the Full Life plan's success lies in putting to use
all of the knowledge science has gained from the latest physical
fitness research. The result is a program of easy-does-it exercise
especially designednot to overtax or discourage you while provid-
ing the rewards you deserve.
And those rewardsare many! Youcanimprove thehealth ofyour
heart and discover bottomless stores of energy you didn't know
you possessed. If you need to lose weight, you can. And if you
need to tone up, you can do that, too. With Full Life Fitness you
can help protect yourselffrom the bone disease osteoporosis and
from other health problems that threaten our mature years.
In short order, you can expect to start feeling livelier all day
through. Before long, family and friends will begin to remark that
you're looking terrific. These happy side effects will multiply as
you continue to follow the Full Life program. And you can have
it all without working too hard or too long.
Weknow fromexperience what overdoingitaccomplishes. Have
you ever known someone who attended an exercise class only to
wind up limping around the next day feeling worse than ever?
Perhaps the class was simply too exhausting. Orperhapsthe work-
out injured your friend's back, hips, or knees. Full Life Fitness
Vll
viii Preface
drasticallyreduces the risk ofexercise injury, because the Full Life
plan has been developed to give you an effective workout without
overstressing your joints, muscles, tendons, or ligaments. Where
did the notioncome from, anyway, that exercise has to "kill" you
to doyourbody any good? It doesn't. Andwith the helpofmodern
research, this plan has been designed so that you can enjoy all the
benefits of exercise while avoiding unnecessary aches and pains.
In fact, if you already suffer from physical problems such as ar-
thritis orback pain, this science-based programcan helpto relieve
those conditions.
Still, science per se can get mighty dry. So the Full Life plan also
includes adistinctlyhumancomponent. Haven'twe all embarked
on an exercise regimen only to abandon it a short while later? No
exercise physiologistworthhisorher saltclaimsthatregularphysi-
cal exercise is such a fascinating endeavor that people should be
expected to stick with it effortlessly.
But you can succeed with Full Life Fitness, because this program
recognizes those special parts of your personality that make you
uniquely you. The Full Life plan is specifically tailored to satisfy
yourpersonallikes and dislikeswhilemeetingyourparticularphysi-
calneeds. Inthisway, itkeepsyourexerciseroutinefresh, stimulat-
ing, and enjoyable for a lifetime. In fact, by applying the "personal
touch" fitness principles that you are about to learn in this book,
you should soon come to viewexercise as such a pleasant, worth-
while partofyourlifestyle that no one everwillbe able to talkyou
out of it!
You probably have noticed that Full Life Fitness is not presented
as an exercise plan geared only to persons over age 50—or over
65 (or7l1/2!). Thatwouldbe absurd. Instead, Full LifeFitness recog-
nizes that each person is a little different from the next. Mature
adults vary widely in individual matters such as personal fitness
level, previous exercise habits, medicalhistory, andstate ofhealth.
For example, a clinically obese 45-year-old who has been seden-
tary for the past 20 years cannot be expected to outdo a healthy
80-year-old who hastakencareto remainphysically fit and active.
In other words, when it comes to aging, we can forget about the
numbers! Wewillachievealotmorebythinkingintermsofphysical
health, active vitality, and personal enthusiasm for living.
And those are the keys to the Full Life. The Full Life plan pro-
vides a flexible routine of gentle conditioning that adapts itself to
the needsofmatureindividuals. Soifyourcircumstances compare
with our 40-something-and-inactive example, Full Life Fitness can