This week The British Weekly welcomes Ricky Parcell to our stable of regular contributors. Ricky is a British expat and an acclaimed master wellness and mind trainer. For more information visit Ricky’s website at: www.bodyconfidenceclub.com.
By Ricky Parcell
AMERICA has a rapidly ageing population, and as a nation we must pay attention to two key areas in life, both of which are critical to your future health and longevity….S & F!
Do you know what they are?
The first key factor is “Strength” which needs to be put in the spotlight more, especially after the age of 40 years old. This is when most people begin to lose muscle mass at the alarming rate of 1% a year – especially if one does not exercise. So that’s 20% of muscle mass gone at 60 years of age, unless you pump iron at least 3 times a week. This could leave you frail, and give you a poor posture – setting you up for trips, falls and injury in everyday life. The bottom line here is that if you don’t use it, you lose it! The body loves (and thrives on) body resistance training….if you push on anything, it pushes back and builds back stronger. So if you test your body only 3-4 times a week with resistance, the body benefits massively. In fact, a recent study over six weeks in Europe on a progressive weight training program for 80 year olds, found that after the trial ended, all participants had similar strength to healthy young 18 year-olds. Cells, tissue and indeed muscle (which enables the body to carry out daily talks such as walking, lifting and working) simply fade or get weaker every day. As we get older, cells, muscle and tissue are also less inclined to regenerate on their own. They need a little push or help. This is where the 3-4 times a week training is so critical. This must also of course be backed up by a natural diet and plenty of water with at least 6-8 hours sleep a night.
The other key area is “Flexibility” – when we area young flexibility is easy and simple, but as we age our habits change and unfortunately some people get into the habit of not maintaining their flexibility levels, hydration levels or healthy eating habits. These combined add up to lots of trouble down the line, unless we make flexibility exercises part of our daily routine….yoga or just simple stretching for five minutes a day can make a huge difference between struggling with day-to-day tasks or being able to enjoy life to the full, at whatever age you are…
Ricky Parcell is a master wellness and transformational coach and CEO of bodyconfidenceclub.com. He can be reached at: (805) 259 9703.
