Thanks to Rose Caplan with an assist by President Paige, AWER had another terrific speaker on March 4th. Mr. Eric Levitan is a trainer-Par-excellence and shared vital – literally – information that every single person from age 25 to 100+ needs to know and put into practice so they live more useful, more enjoyable, safer and less complicated lives.
Eric’s central message is that exercise and nutrition, not dieting which he strongly opposes, are vital for all people in order to live in ways that maximize choices, opportunities, preventing discomfort and avoidable injuries even in one’s 70s, 80s and even later.
The main issue is the deterioration of muscle mass in all people beginning in one’s mid-20s and accelerating rapidly in our 60s.
Eric is promoting a form of behavior change which, while sounding problematic, actually is not. He maintained that 30 minutes 2-3 times a week (a) with the right plan, (b) accompanied by good eating – protein is a must - is really all that it takes, providing (c) one is consistent. Eric likes exercise through a community -say 3 to 8 people, which could be a group of people that encourages and reinforces the importance of maintaining a schedule. This helps with consistency.
One thing to guard against is fat replacing muscle, which frequently leads to disability. He referred to Sarcopenia … symptoms of beginning in one’s 60s. Sarcopenia is a condition showing low muscle mass or gradual loss, overall weakness, and lower stamina, which affects physical activity levels. Lower physical activity and sedentary lifestyles also further contribute to muscle shrinkage – not good.
The primary treatment for sarcopenia is exercise. Eric emphasized some level of resistance activity in your exercise plan … not just activity, but pushing yourself, because that’s when muscles begin to be strengthened, being very careful not to injure yourself. Getting advice and guidance with a good trainer will protect against injuries.
Go to www.teamvivo.com to learn more.