Read this before you STRETCH 

Warm muscles, tendons, and ligaments are more flexible and stretch more easily; stretching cold muscles can cause tears. If you have been following my blogs you’ll know that I have quoted Jillian Michaels as saying you should conclude your workouts with a stretching routine.

Light stretching can be done to start the routine; but only AFTER you have warmed up. Warm up routines that utilize several body parts are better than those that focus on just one or two body parts.
Stretching can also be done in between weight lifting sets.

• Stretches should always be gradual and gentle. Don’t rush through the stretching routine.  Stretch only to the point of resistance; if the stretch hurts, you’re pushing too hard. There should be mild tension; not pain.

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE

I was inspired by the article in The New York Times magazine, November 28, 2010; The Incredible Flying Nonagenarian by Bruce Grierson, to share the following:


My highlights of the article are as follows:
The cohort of people 85 and older — the fastest-growing segment of the population, as it happens — is increasingly being studied for longevity clues.
Some researchers now see aging itself as a kind of mitochondrial disease. Defective mitochondria appear as we get older, and these researchers say that they rob us of endurance, strength and function. There’s evidence that for young patients with mitochondrial disease, exercise is a potent tool, slowing the symptoms. If that’s true, then exercise could also potentially be a kind of elixir of youth, combating the ravages of aging far more than we thought. 
EXERCISE HAS BEEN shown to add between six and seven years to a life span (and improve the quality of life in countless ways).

TWO LEFT FEET? HOW ABOUT SOME BALANCE

Balance skills are an integral component of healthy aging. Simple activities like reaching into the cupboard, bending down to put on a shoe, lifting a leg up into the car, and traveling up and down stairs require subtle shifts in the amount of weight placed on each leg. The ability to remain stable as body stance fluctuates requires a healthy sense of balance. Unfortunately, as individuals age and become more sedentary, movement becomes restricted and balance and stability skills may decline to dangerous levels. Eventually, even the most basic activities like walking become a challenge. Instability may lead to falls, resulting in broken bones, serious hip fractures, head trauma and even death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accidental falls are the leading cause of death and injury among older adults, affecting more than one third of adults over age 65 in the United States each year. 1

Jay says:
The younger ones among us may be reading this and asking, what is Jay talking about? or worse, you may be saying who cares?
You wouldn’t wait until you are in your 40’s or 50’s to do strength training - don’t think you can ‘get away’ with putting off balance exercises.
ALL puns intended:

exercise is a balance:
aerobics/cardio; balance/flexibility; strength.

Future articles will discuss exercises to help you achieve and maintain balance and flexibility.

1. http://quezi.com/290