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Fit all the way to a ripe old age By Ariel Rubinsky Tags: fitness, Itai Ziv "If they ever create a pill that generates the same results as physical exercise - that will be the winning pill," says Dr. Itai Ziv, the deputy director of Si'im (Peaks), Tel Aviv University's interdisciplinary center for sports. According to Ziv, physical exercise is "the best medicine there is." Of course, it is best to start as early as possible to avoid a poor physical condition later in life, but, according to Ziv, even older people who already suffer from certain functional problems would do well to be active. "It's never too late to start," he says. "The claim that, 'At my age, all is already lost,' is exaggerated. Even an elderly person, confined to his bed, can still do some kind of physical exercise of which he will benefit and which will prevent muscle deterioration." The question is what is considered old today. "In principle, this refers to people aged 60 and above, but it depends on the person," says Ziv. "Among people aged between 60 and 70, there will be some whose chronological and physiological age correspond to each other, some who look and function physically as if they were 10 or 15 years younger, and some who are in poor physical shape." Advertisement A stress test and a physiotherapy exam to check a patient's utilizing his full range of movement can help assess physiological age. Ziv recommends that anyone over 40 do a stress test once every year or two. "After 40, there is a relatively steep decline in physical functioning," he explains. "This test sheds light on the physical situation and can point to any specific problems." Moreover, "Even if the previous test yielded a result of 'high physical fitness,' this definition applies to that period only. It is not possible to accumulate physical fitness. Keeping fit is a Sisyphean task for life. Physical activity is an everyday requirement, just like eating and walking." According to Ziv, it is important to correctly define a person's needs and the objectives supposed to be achieved by physical activity. Furthermore, after a certain amount of time has passed, one should check about any progress. To illustrate: Every muscle contains both white and red fibers. The white fibers contract rapidly and are therefore responsible for short and rapid movements, such as getting up from a chair. Red fibers are slower and responsible for ongoing activities. Old age, combined with a lack of physical activity, affects the fibers' functioning and leads to a situation in which the white, more rapidly contracting fibers behave like red fibers. The result is that a person will get up from a chair slowly, will need support to get out of a car or to stand up from the couch - all types of activity that require a burst of energy. "Deterioration of the white fibers is problematic in all organs, but when it occurs in the lower extremities, it completely disrupts everyday functioning," says Ziv. "It starts with 'give me a hand' and continues with people adopting all kinds of strange ways of standing up, in order to cover for the weakness in their legs, such as leaning the body forward, a movement which creates pressure on the spinal column and gives rise to other problems. This whole process ends with a situation in which people think twice before getting up and spend most of the day sitting on the couch." Every difficulty experienced in daily functions - standing up, sitting down, experiencing difficulty or pain when lifting a hand to take something off a high shelf, pain while rotating the body, inability to climb two stairs at once - should set off a red warning light. Ziv notes that overweight young people often face such difficulties. The solution is to do exercises that closely resemble the activities themselves. For example: Practicing standing and sitting correctly a few times a week, with the movement coming from the legs. If that proves too difficult, start by getting up from a high chair, and then switch to a regular chair. As the movements improve over time, add a little extra weight: "For example, hold an item of canned food in your hands while standing up. Just this simple exercise of sitting and standing can significantly improve day-to-day functioning," says Ziv. Yoga's not enough However, Ziv notes that the best solution is to work out in a gym, using a set program. In addition, he recommends occasional meetings with a gerontologist or a stress physiologist and not making do with the suggestions of the fitness instructor on duty. "The problem is that sometimes we tend to relate to older people as sick people," he explains. "A 60-year-old woman comes to the gym and they tell her to do a few stretching exercises that will be pleasant for her, a few arm exercises, a few thigh stretches, a little abdominal work and that's it. If she has a problem with bone density, all these exercises will be of no use to her - instead, she will need to do exercises that have an element of compressing the bones, elbow push-ups, strength exercises that use many muscles, and she has to make sure not to do more than 20 repetitions of the same exercise, but to add extra weight. These exercises may be less pleasant, but they address her needs." Ziv notes that although at every age it is possible to do something to improve one's condition, there are substantial differences among older people who engaged in physical exercise for many years and those who only started at the age of 60-70, following doctor's orders. Therefore, the best preventive is to engage in physical activity at a younger age. And it should be diversified activity, so it will contribute to heart and lung capacity and strengthen the muscles. According to Ziv, those who make do with long runs on flat surfaces, for example, improve their aerobic ability tremendously and increase the red fibers in the muscles, but they may suffer from problems related to the white fibers as they get older. To strengthen the white fibers, one should vary the pace, climb inclines and perhaps add a day of bike riding. "People have to realize that they can't be too comfortable while engaging in physical exercise," he argues. "You don't have to become an athlete and train for a triathlon, but you need to exert yourself a little. Walking is a good activity, but not at the pace of a trip to the mall. If you want to burn a few calories, improve problems related to the metabolism, high blood pressure and others, you have to increase the pace. It is also advisable to use a pulse monitor to check the effectiveness of the walking. The same is true of swimming: It's hard to increase the pulse rate by doing a leisurely breaststroke. For effective aerobic activity, it is best to engage in freestyle." Here, too, Ziv recommends drawing up a plan with a trainer and holding regular training sessions in the gym. Those who don't like gyms should try to find a proper combination of activities they like. For example, cycling to improve aerobic capacity and wall climbing to strengthen muscles. The main thing is not to expect one exercise to address all needs, not even Pilates or yoga. "Pilates, yoga, Feldenkrais and the like are very good as a complementary activity," notes Ziv, "but not as the only physical activity. They are good for stabilizing muscles, posture, abdomen and improving the range of movement and more, but contribute less to building muscle mass and tone, which are needed for daily functioning." The exceptions to the rule, as far as he is concerned, are the martial arts, some of which combine work on stabilizing muscles, balance, flexibility, strength and also some aerobic activity. Of course it all depends on the method and the nature of the training. "For older people with problems related to osteoporosis, I wouldn't recommending engaging in martial arts combat," Ziv says. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Survivors and pioneers Yad Vashem exhibit shows how Holocaust survivors helped shape Israel's identity Researching bacon Lahav's pig breeding gained widespread notoriety because of its legal loophole.

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