Drivers Benefit From Exercise

Doug Crocker knows a thing or two about driving. The 74-year-old former Hartford police officer and his wife have navigated the continental U.S. three times in their motor home.

Even experienced drivers feel the effects of aging when behind the wheel. "It's harder to turn around now to look for blind spots," he said. "Backing up is a real issue too," especially when he drives the Jeep they tow along for in-town use.

Age-related decline in mobility, flexibility and reaction time can seriously impact driving and safety. Some simple, targeted exercises may ease normal age-related physical changes and help keep Crocker – and many of the 700,000 older Connecticut drivers -- safely on the road.

study by The Hartford Center for Mature Market Excellence and the M.I.T. Age Lab looked at the effects of exercise on older drivers' strength, flexibility, coordination and range of motion. Participants used a specially designed exercise program and an X-Box. Drivers who exercised for 15-20 minutes daily reported greater ease in turning their heads to look in blind spots when changing lanes or backing up, compared with a similar group that did not exercise.

The exercise group could also rotate their bodies further to scan the road when making right hand turns compared with non-exercisers. "When you think about the risks in intersections, that's a very positive outcome," said Jodi Olshevski, a gerontologist and executive director of The Hartford Center, part of The Hartford Insurance Company. The group was also able to get in and out of their cars more quickly, which translates to improved flexibility, something "so essential to be able to respond to all of the various actions that are required for driving," she said.

The study was important in establishing a connection between exercise and a specific fitness program and driving ability, added Olshevski.

"We wanted to look at the impact of physical fitness on driving skills of older drivers before they have really significant health issues," she said.

There were over 2.4 million licensed drivers in Connecticut in 2012, according to the latest figures available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicle data show that one in five drivers is age 65 or older. In Connecticut, 50 of the 332 fatal traffic crashes involved older drivers in 2012, according to the NHTSA.

Frank Pagerino, AARP's State Coordinator for Driver Safety, said, "Most older driver don't complain about their physical ailments, but when we start talking about it, they admit they can't walk, or it's hard to bend down, or turn their necks.'' That affects their ability to conduct maneuvers like lane changes, which require turning the torso and neck to make sure there's no oncoming traffic, he said. AARP is a partner with The Hartford Insurance Company, offering car insurance to mature drivers.

Older adults have a higher crash rate per mile driven and are frailer. So when they crash, their chances of injury or death is greater compared with a younger driver in that same crash, according to Yale doctoral student Nancy Knechel.

Knechel conducted a separate analysis on the effects of various interventions on improving skills of older drivers. She found that exercise was the best approach to maintaining driving ability in older adults compared with other activities like cognitive training.

Driving is more than getting from point A to B, she said. Seniors who don't drive have less social interaction, more depression, and worse overall health. "Even though it seems like a quick Band-Aid to take them off the road, it probably creates bigger problems," Knechel said.

In a 2013 national telephone survey of 1,107 drivers age 50 and older, turning their heads to look at blind spots, getting in and out of a vehicle, and reaching and adjusting the seat belt ranked as the top three physical challenges.

"The real question is what can people do to try to extend their ability to stay safe on the road as long as possible. That's why we wanted to look at the role of exercise as an empowerment model, rather than a reactive 'oh you've got to get off of the road' model," Olshevski said.

Many newer cars have built-in technology that addresses age-related challenges, like blind spot warnings, light-sensitive headlights and backup cameras. Fifty-one percent of consumers surveyed by the Hartford Center said they would feel safer with at least one of these technologies in their car.

AARP's Pagerino cautioned that technology is also a distraction, because "you're taking your eyes off the road to look at a screen and your concentration gets blurred. I'm a bit leery, but that's what's coming down the pike."

Read more here: http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-older-drivers-20140903,0,4592209.story

Aerobic exercise better for weight loss than high intensity interval training, research from the Charles Perkins Centre finds

Researchers find aerobic exercise has the best ‘fat furnace’ effect
High intensity training workouts not a magic bullet for weight loss

HIGH-INTENSITY interval training and Crossfit has been touted as the quickest way to get lean but according to new research, it’s no fast track to fat loss.

A world-first controlled trial has found regular continuous aerobic exercise yields better fat loss results than high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts for overweight people.

The trial was conducted by University of Sydney exercise physiologists Shelley Keating of the Faculty of Health Sciences eand Dr Nathan Johnson at the Charles Perkins Centre.

Forget the claims HIIT workouts can whip overweight people into shape in less time than regular aerobic exercise

Dr Keating said a growing number of people were substituting HIIT for regular aerobic workouts in their exercise routine.

“High-intensity burst training does deliver important benefits like increased fitness, but it doesn’t have a ‘fat furnace’ effect if you carry weight around the middle,” she said.

“The message is if you’re hitting the gym to lose weight and trim your waistline, stick with steady aerobic exercise to shift abdominal fat and see better results on the scales.”

Continue Here: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/inner-west/aerobic-exercise-better-for-weight-loss-than-high-intensity-interval-training-research-from-the-charles-perkins-centre-finds/story-fngr8h4f-1226916104243

3 Effective Ways to Burn Fat While Running

 Wear this hot leggings

Wouldn’t it be great if every runner were at his or her ideal weight? We’d all look and feel better, and race faster.

Being at your healthy, ideal weight would certainly make you a faster runner. In fact, a study completed in 2007 found that for every percentage increase in body mass, it cost study participants an extra 1.4 percent in metabolic energy to propel themselves forward. Of course, that’s not a direct comparison for runners since they weren’t running a race, time trial or other maximum effort.

But imagine how much better you’d feel training for a marathon if you could conserve 1.4 percent (or more) energy? You’d be able to use that energy in the final miles instead of hitting the infamous wall.

Finding and safely getting to your ideal weight should then be a top goal for every runner. Here are three of the best ways to structure your running program to burn fat and lose weight.




Fat Burner #1: Longer Workouts

It’s a no-brainer that longer workouts burn more calories. But interestingly enough, when you run for longer than about 90 minutes, you improve your body’s ability to use fat as fuel.

The lesson? Complete a long run every week. Since these workouts are more taxing on the body, it’s a good idea to only run one every week.

Several studies have shown that the longer a subject exercised, the longer it took for their metabolic rate to return to pre-exercise levels. Even at relatively moderate exercise durations, the benefit is significant. Another study found that this “exercise after-burn” is more than doubled when exercise is increased from 30 to 45 minutes. And after 60 minutes? Metabolic rate increased by a factor of five!

Fat Burner #2: Intensity

Intense workouts torch a lot of calories, even if they don’t last very long. Since most runners work out at an easy or moderate effort for all of their runs, this is often the missing link between staying at your current weight and losing those extra pounds.

The key with intense workouts—either strength sessions in the gym or running interval workouts—is to make the hard portions very hard, and take enough recovery so you can keep going at the same intensity level.

Races run at 100 percent of your maximum effort accomplish this goal quite well, as do sprints or maximum-weight lifts in the gym. Make sure you run at least one hard workout per week, and race regularly.

A favorite to burn a lot of calories is to run a Warrior Dash. The combination of running and obstacles keeps your heart rate high and boosts the amount of energy you continue to burn after you finish.

Fat Burner #3: Frequency

How often do you run every week? Most runners fall into the 2 to 4 runs per week category, and from an advanced weight-loss perspective, that’s simply not enough.

Running more often creates more spikes in heart rate and metabolic activity, increasing the number of calories you burn on a daily basis. Increased consistency will also help you prevent injuries, run faster, and ultimately become a better runner.

Admittedly this strategy is less important than the duration and intensity of your workouts, so start with those first and then add more runs to your training schedule once you’re comfortable with them.

And of course, understand that the goal here is to get to your ideal weight, not to be underweight. Being too thin won’t help your running and can predispose you to injuries.

When you’re able to maintain a healthy weight, you’ll realize the benefits: faster race times, fewer injuries and a feeling of accomplishment.

http://news.health.com/2014/04/22/3-effective-ways-to-burn-fat-while-running/

Celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson's tips for a healthier life

Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie and Bruce Willis are just a few of the famous faces personal trainer Gunnar Peterson works with every day in his Beverly Hills luxury gym. One of LA's most sought-after trainers, Peterson shared his no-nonsense approach to getting to the gym, eating well, and feeling your best.