The Come Alive Project

Tag: senior fitness

  • Energy Bite 310 – Overtraining, How Much Exercise is Too Much?

    Most of what I have written involves the importance of exercise and making sure you get enough of it to grow and function as you get older.

    It’s true. You need a lot of exercise of various types and amounts to really get the most from your body, no matter what your age. Physical movement is critical in providing the personal energy you need to remain independent.

    BUT . . .

    Can you do too much exercise? You bet you can. You can overtrain your body by doing too much, by repeating your sessions too soon or too often, and by not giving your body enough time to recover. What happens then?

    You can overtrain your body.

    OK. So what. What will happen to my body if I exercise too much and overtrain? Your muscles, joints and system become overly fatigued. Your energy level goes way down. You become more susceptible to injuries and infections. Your immune response declines.

    As a senior who is new to exercise, or is planning to get back to exercise on January 1, there is a greater chance you will do too much, too often at too high an intensity. That’s natural. So why is that a bad thing? Because your body takes longer to recover the older you get. With sensible exercise, your body is far better prepared for an occasional overtraining response. But age, genetics, your current fitness level and what you eat will determine what your body can handle.

    That’s also why seniors are encouraged to start slowly without heavy resistance to allow your body to slowly increase the capacity for exercise. Any good training program will have scaled intensity levels built into it to prevent doing too much, too often. That same program will also provide for adequate recovery time for your body to adapt.

    So, as we approach the season of “new intentions” for fitness and weight loss, by all means get started with a good, solid exercise program. Just be careful at the beginning not to overdo it. That’s one of the main reasons people stop exercising after a month or two into a new year.

    Thank you for reading.

  • Energy Bite 308 – Branson’s Not the Only One

    Last week, I wrote a brief blurb about Richard Branson and his habit of exercise. Branson doesn’t smoke and eats a balanced diet. He also says swimming is a great cure for a hangover. He runs marathons, has done a triathlon and likes to “pop into” a gym while traveling. He says that fitness has been a key to his success.

    “The only reason I’m able to do all the things I do and to keep on top of a busy schedule without getting too stressed is because I stay fit.”  — Richard Branson

    Sir Richard isn’t the only high powered entrepreneur or business executive to credit exercise with their ability to run billion dollar businesses.

    Tom Bilyeu, co-founder of Quest Nutrition, the huge nutrition bar supplement company, has a gym in his California mansion. He says “I am either working, or working out.”

    Strauss Zelnick, President of Zelnick Media Capital (ZMC) and former President of one of the world’s largest music and entertainment companies, exercises heavily several times a day. He wrote a book on exercise and business and is well known for holding major business meetings in the gym.

    Jesse Itzler, the flamboyant entrepreneur, founder of Marquis Jets (sold to Warren Buffett) and part owner of the Atlanta Hawks, hired a former Navy Seal to make his already excellent physical condition even better and made the the former Navy Seal, David Goggins, famous on the talk show and speaking circuit. He wrote the book, Living with a Seal, about the experience. The New York Times best seller is a great read.

    And Sara Blakely, founder of SPANX, and a multi-millionaire in her own right as well as being married to Jesse Itzler, credits exercise with keeping her own energy level at it’s peak.

    So, if these busy entrepreneurs and business folks can find the time and the motivation to make exercise and fitness an integral part of their daily lives — SO CAN YOU!

    Thank you for reading.

  • Energy Bite 307 – Sir Richard Branson Does It.

    Sir Richard Branson owns the Virgin Brand and Group of Companies. More than 400 companies are under his control. His companies include media companies, aviation companies and even space travel companies (Virgin Galactica).

    He was asked once what he considered to be the most important thing he does that allows him to have the energy to do all the things he does. His answer? “Working Out”.

    When he isn’t traveling the world working in his 400 different businesses, he is at his tropical paradise home on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. There he plays tennis, water skis, and kite surfs, among other activities requiring a fairly high degree of physical fitness and personal energy. According to Wikipedia, he holds several World Kitesurfing records.

    In a quote from a recent article in Forbes Magazine, he said:

    “When I’m fit, when I’m healthy, when I haven’t been drinking too much, when my body is humming, I can achieve anything, and that should go without saying. The majority of us go through life where we don’t reach that peak.”

    So, when you say you don’t have time or don’t have the energy to “work out”, think about a 66 year old multi-billionaire with 400 companies to run. If Sir Richard Branson can do it, are you going to suggest that you can’t. Really?

    Thank you for reading.