 Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash Long-term exercise preserves memory functionScientists studied people who had exercised consistently for a long-term and found they had better memory function than those who did not exercise. Starting to exercise at any time of your life is good - it's never too late - but starting earlier can bring benefits.
This finding is important to know because the research found that just being an active participant in a sport for a long period had this beneficial effect. You don't need to become a gym nerd.  HIIT Yoga - How Many Calories? | Image Credit: Screenshot, The Author For when you need to know how many calories HIIT Yoga burnsYou know those times when we're not wearing a fitness band or an Apple Watch and wonder how many calories we're burning? Here's a simple and accurate method that you can easily do in your head.
I often run or walk without any gadgets, and I rarely wear fitness bands at the gym, and never take my phone. From time-to-time, I wonder how much energy I've used in a workout. Now, I use this method, which I worked out after plotting a few charts and averaging a few numbers, and comparing to the estimates from the times when I do wear a fitness band. I will explain the one key variable that you need to know, the calculation you apply to that key variable, and why the answer makes sense metabolically.  Photo by Eric Stone on Unsplash How slow is slow, and is the fat-burning zone even true?We've all heard about the "fat-burning zone" and that we should exercise aerobically at low intensity to burn the most fat. I've always been sceptical about this advice, so I dug into the science.
Does the science support this advice, and what is low intensity anyway?  Photo by Марьян Блан | @marjanblan on Unsplash If you've thought about running, this is a good reason to tryI believe that the most beneficial goal of exercising when we are older is to lower our body age. That's why I named my Medium Publication "Body Age Buster".
I've studied how to do this, and put in into practice over the last 21 years, with great results. Typically, tests of my body age report ages between 15 and 20 years younger than my physical age (72 this year). Despite all my years of reading and practising these ideas, I was completely surprised when I found out recently that exercise can lower the body age of our bone marrow.  Photo by dylan nolte on Unsplash About twice as good, actuallyWhile watching a Japanese TV show about girls working out at a kick-boxing gym my ten-year-old daughter suddenly asked me if (rope) skipping is better for us than running.
It's a good question because we could all do with more skipping, especially as we get older. "Yes", I replied, "because skipping uses more of your muscles and your brain". That must be why they do lots of skipping but not much running, was her response. 
Photo by Wayne Lee-Sing on Unsplash
Running clears your mind and refreshes your hope
In these times, when for many of us one of the few acceptable reasons to NOT shelter at home is exercise, running is a great way to nurture your soul and refresh your spirit.
I wasn't a runner, in fact I hated it. But now I find it a great relief to run each day. When I'm stuck for an idea, or confused about where we are all headed in this coronavirus crisis, running really helps get back my perspective. It can for you too. 
Photo by Orkhan Farmanli on Unsplash
You can start with one round
If you had to choose just one at-home exercise - using no weights and no equipment - for both cardio and strength, which one would you choose?
I must admit, I took a while to agree with myself that it would be burpees. I was hesitant because most people hate burpees. That's half-true at least. There's always the "I did 100 burpees a day" brigade, which makes it seem not so bad. But there's a catch. It depends on your outlook. My outlook is always to get the best Return On Exercise. 
Photo by mauro paillex on Unsplash
After this advice I completed my first 10km trail run
At my age (72 this year), and having only been running for a couple of years, there are regular aches and niggles that come with the pleasure of running.
I consulted my podiatrist about pains in the balls of my feet and right hip, and she gave me some great tips which solved those problems. 
Photo by dylan nolte on Unsplash
Adjust your expectations and get back on track
The most common reason that you are not losing weight is down to the way we think about our effort and the expected results.
At the gym, the average level of energy in cardio classes is modest, but the expectations are high. When the outcomes fall short of the expectations, then we are likely to give up. That applies to all of our endeavours - writing on Medium, learning a language, exercising, or losing weight. We'd be better off to do a reality check on our expectations before quitting. If we can reconcile a less ambitious set of expectations, and then keep putting in the effort, success is much more likely. |
ChoicesSince I was diagnosed at 50 with Type 2 diabetes I've been learning how to do bone-building fitness training which lowers my age. You can too. It's your choice. Walter 
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