Not necessarily. In fact, you can get effi cient type of exercise available in the body, with little rest between
— and stay — fi t in less time than you — you get a lot of results in a short exercises. Do a single set (eight to 12
think: 20 to 30 minutes a day is all amount of workout time,” he says. repetitions) of each exercise. The last
it takes. The trick is to know exactly What if you don’t have access to repetitions should be a challenge.
how to maximize your exercise time. a gym or exercise equipment, or you “It takes maybe 20 minutes if
“As we age, the most important just plain hate working out? If it’s you’re in good shape and 25 min-
thing is to maintain our engines, and an access problem, there are ways to utes if you go slower. If you can do
the engines of our bodies are the work around it by doing simple exer- that twice a week on non-consecu-
muscles. The heart, of course, is the cises at home, most of them without tive days, that’s all you need,”
fuel pump,” says Dr. Wayne West- cumbersome equipment. Westcott says.
cott, fi tness research director at the If you have trouble sticking with Most gyms have weight machines
South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Mass., a fi tness regimen because you don’t that are designed to be worked in a
and author of several fi tness books, enjoy it, take heart: There are ways circuit. The circuit should include
including Strength Training Past 50 to make your workout more tolerable exercises such as the leg press, which
(Human Kinetics, 2007). and even fun. works your entire leg, and machines
As we get older, we naturally “The problem with exercising in- that target the muscles of the backs
lose muscle, not only making us doors is that it’s very boring,” West- of your thighs (hamstrings) and the
less strong but also slowing our me- cott admits. “Fortunately, you can fronts of your thighs (quadriceps).
tabolism, causing us to burn fewer work around that problem.” The circuit also should incorporate
calories in the course of a day. For- exercises that work your back, chest,
tunately, resistance training can help Build those muscles shoulders, and arms — both the tri-
offset that loss. People think they have to spend a lot ceps (the back of the arm) and the bi-
Personal trainer Craig Ballantyne, of time at the gym or follow a com- ceps (the front of the arm). You also
author and owner of www.turbu plicated routine to build or maintain can include exercises to strengthen
lencetraining.com, agrees maintain- their muscles, but according to West- your abdominal muscles and the
ing and building muscle is vital to cott, that’s not the case. muscles of your lower back and
health — and it doesn’t mean spend- The most effi cient way to main-
ing hours at the gym. tain or build muscle is to do circuit
“Strength training is essential for training at a gym using machines, Using an exercise ball to perform
men and women to live independent- Westcott says. That means doing a bodyweight exercises is an inexpen-
ly well into their later years. Fortu- basic series of eight to 10 exercises, sive and effective way to strength
nately, strength training is the most targeting every major muscle group train in the comfort of your home.
60 MILITARY OFFICER DECEMBER 2007 PHOTOS/IMAGES: TKTK
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