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eLearning Series:
I'm an Active Senior
Who Wants To Stay Healthy
( 50 aticles in this series )
Seniors,
Tone Your Tush!
Who
doesn’t want a more attractive bottom line? Exercise mavens note that shaping the glutes (gluteus
maximus, the official name for the muscles of your tush) is
the single item most likely to appear on the priority lists
of both men and women on all ages. It tends to creep its way
up the priority list over the years as age and nature take
their inevitable toll on the bottom line. The loss of muscle
mass that goes along with aging is the prime culprit in sagging
tushes and dropping bottom lines. However, say a fitness expert,
that doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything to tone your tush,
even in the golden years.
If you’re looking to shape up your butt with
just exercise, though, it won’t be that easy. According to
Women’s Sports & Fitness
magazine, it takes a combination of healthy diet, cardio
exercise and specific shaping exercises to get that shapely,
rounded
and firm bottom that is everyone’s goal. Because the rear end
is one of the body’s storehouses for fat, you can shape and
firm the underlying muscles all you want – but it won’t make
a difference if you can’t see them through the layer of fat
that covers them. In addition, some of the best butt-sculpting
exercises are ones that can be hazardous if you’ve been diagnosed
with osteoporosis or arthritis. Here are the best tips for
seniors who want to tone their tushes – the safe and fun way.
Before undertaking any exercise program, see your doctor to
get his blessing. Exercise is a good thing – and most doctors
will be happy to refer you to a professional who can help you
design a workout program that’s perfect for you.
Take
a good look at your diet and tune it up. Eating healthy
will help keep that fat padding over your bottom to a minimum
and let all the effort you’re putting into toning your tush
show through.
The
best toners for your tush are stair-climbing and jogging – exercises that work those gluteus muscles to the max. They
also have the advantage of being aerobic – they’ll keep your
cardio and pulmonary systems working at top capacity and reduce
the risks of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis
and osteoporosis.
To get maximum benefit from your walking and jogging, you
can add light weights to ankles. That way you also take advantage
of strength and resistance training that can strengthen your
bones and help improve your balance.
If your doctor or physical therapist Okays them, squat
thrusts are amazingly efficient at sculpting your bottom into shape.
Because one-leg thrusts put all your body’s weight on one leg,
you’ll be practicing balance as well as improving your bottom
line. Don’t do these if you have osteoporosis or any type of
arthritis, though. The risk of compression fractures is too
great.
If your doctor feels that jogging and stair climbing are too
risky because of joint problems, it doesn’t mean you can’t
work those glutes. Jogging and working out in water takes the
pressure off joints and eliminates impact stress entirely,
while increasing the benefits of most exercise because of the
added water resistance. Check with your doctor to be sure,
but most experts feel that water aerobics are an excellent
alternative to high-impact and joint-stressing exercises like
jogging.
Another alternative to high impact, weight bearing aerobics
is chair aerobics. Seated exercise may sound like a contradiction
in terms, but you can get one heck of a good workout for your
butt with leg bounces, knee lifts and crossing scissor-kicks
all without ever standing up on your own two feet.
Among the physical
activities that are great for your bottom are golfing, walking, swimming, jogging, dancing and bowling.
If a regular exercise program isn’t for you, engage in one
of these activities three times a week (or three of them once
a week or.. you get the idea) for at least half an hour.
A regular workout and exercise program that focuses on toning
your tush is a great way to keep your body looking – and feeling
– young and healthy. Don’t let a sagging bottom bring your
spirits down – join in the fun and trim your bottom line. # # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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