Tech Mahindra_Issue_I_52 pages_3

exercise
34 wellness
Two Exercises That Will
Keep You Fit For Life
We already know that if you
want to live a long and healthy life,
you should get exercise regularly
throughout life. Indeed, many
researchers have found that, in
those that do, many fit older adults
have the muscles and bones of
people years younger. And while
any exercise is good for you, some
is better than others – especially
depending on your age.
According to physician and
researcher, Dr Michael Joyner, one
of the world’s top experts on fitness
and human performance, to stay
fit and strong while you age, two
exercises are essential: Burpees
and jumping rope (ideally using a
weighted jump rope).
Your body starts to lose strength
as you age, with most people
peaking between 25 and 28,
but if you want to say fit into
later life, then you need to
build strength to combat
the body’s natural loss of
muscle mass. Doing so
could keep you feeling
younger for longer. In fact,
studies show that simple tests of
physical performance are highly
predictive of future mortality. To
achieve peak physical performance
at any age, you need to go beyond
endurance to build strength.
Lifting weights and adding
intervals to endurance workouts will
both work, but alternating burpees
with a weighted jumping rope
routine is a proven way to build
both endurance and strength.
Burpees
Burpees are hard to beat in
terms of single exercises that will
work your whole body and many
trainers recommend this exercise
for a full-body workout. That’s
why they’re commonly used when
training Special Forces soldiers.
However, you’re not a Special
Forces soldier, so make sure you
start slow with burpees to get
the exercise right and to gain
maximum benefit.
Start in a normal standing
position, squat down until you can
put your hands on the ground,
kick back into plank position, do a
push-up, then kick your legs back
into your squat position. Finish with
a jump.
You can also do burpees with a
wider stance, which can be more
stable for someone not accustomed
to this particularly challenging
exercise.
Jumping rope
Using a weighted jumping rope
is more straightforward, but still
very challenging. There are a wide
variety of workouts and routines
which you can try to see which suit
you best. Once you get up to speed,
you can then do a series of sets,
perhaps alternating with another
exercise, such as burpees, if you’re
feeling tough enough.
Just remember, these workouts
are intensely strenuous. Take
the time to practice to get the
movements right and to build up
the levels. Depending on your
age, it might be a good idea
to talk to your doctor first if
you’re worried you might injure
yourself. And always integrate
rest days into your exercise
schedule.
yourwellness.com