How Much Should You Exercise?

How Much Should You Exercise?

Exercise helps to prevent disease and prolong life. The Copenhagen City Heart Study found that those who exercised 2.6 to 4.5 hours per week were 40 percent less likely to die over the next 25 years than the less active people (Mayo Clinic Proceedings, August 17,...
How Much Should You Exercise?

Arm Exercises: Conductors Often Have Long Lives

Eighty-year-old Ricardo Muti just extended his contract to conduct the Chicago Symphony to 2023 (Chicago Tribune, September 23, 2021). Pablo Casals, Nadia Boulanger, Arturo Toscanini, Arthur Rubinstein, Mehli Mehta and Paul Paray all conducted major orchestras into...
How Much Should You Exercise?

How to Prevent Wear-and-Tear Injuries

If you think that football is the sport with the most injuries, you would be wrong. Each year, 79 percent of long-distance runners suffer injuries that force them to take time off from running (Br J Sports Med, Aug, 2007;41(8):469-80). The most-injured part is the...
How Much Should You Exercise?

Walk Faster, Live Longer

Many studies show that the faster you walk, the longer you live. Picking up the pace is more healthful than just walking slowly, even if you go longer than the recommended 30 minutes per day.  Paul T. Williams, a statistician at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,...
How Much Should You Exercise?

Intervals: The Best Way to Increase Intensity

Intense exercise for older people is still a controversial subject, but it is far more effective than casual exercise in preventing and treating diabetes (Circulation, July 2008) and reducing belly fat (Med Sci Sports Ex, November 2008). Vigorous exercise helps to...
How Much Should You Exercise?

No Need to Measure Maximum Heart Rate

Your maximum heart rate is the fastest your heart can beat and still pump blood effectively through your body. As you age, your maximum heart rate drops. The maximum heart rate formulae used by heart rate monitors (such as MAXIMUM HEART RATE = 220 – age) are all based...