By Pat Mooney
For Coastal Senior

Five areas of fitness Overall physical fitness consists of good ability in five areas: Flexibility, Muscle Strength, Muscle Endurance, Cardiovascular Endurance and Body Composition. · For Flexibility, learn to stretch sensibly (no "bounces" particularly with cold muscles) and check out Yoga, Tai Chi or similar programs. · Muscle Strength and Muscle Endurance is improved by using them against resistance. Free weights, when properly used, or machines like Cybex, Nautilus or Universal provide the workout with less risk of injury. · Cardiovascular endurance improves through aerobic workouts like brisk walking, jogging, running or bike riding while muscular endurance improves through extended work against less resistance. · Body composition improves by increasing lean muscle mass and reducing body fat. Workouts and a healthy diet are the keys in this area. A good fitness program promotes all of these and all are important for seniors looking to combat maladies like heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, the blahs, flab, and saggy stuff. Most major healthcare systems have fitness programs and most have programs designed for seniors. The YMCA and commercial fitness centers are another resource. All these are listed in the Health section of the Yellow Pages. "Use it or lose it" and even if you have some physical limitations "work out what works."

It's good for you - mind, body and soul.

Janet grew up in the 1940's when most girls in her age group played with dolls and dollhouses. Not her - touch football was her favorite and you wouldn't find her inside unless there was a Louisiana downpour outside.

Told to become more "ladylike," (don't sweat and don't jostle around too much) when she hit her teen years she resentfully complied knowing that somehow it just didn't make sense for her. When she went to work for the Y in her 30s she resumed her "unladylike" activity level. Now, in her 60s, after a layoff of a dozen years, she's working back into a lifestyle that includes raised heart rates and sweatbands.

Bill, in his late 60s, is a personal trainer and works out three times a week after having been a somewhat sedentary academician for most of his life. He's pleased with the fruits of his labor during the past year and he's glad he's had the thrice-weekly appointment to insure that he continues on this aerobic path.

Bill and Janet have discovered, albeit at different times in their lives, something that researchers confirm with empirical evidence - regular exercise helps you feel better physically and mentally! A recently commissioned AARP survey shows that 63 percent of Americans between ages 50 and 80 view exercise as the best thing they can do for their health and 89 percent believed that folks their age should get 20 to 30 minutes of exercise at least 3 times a week Janet and Bill have discovered something else - it's easier said than done! The Centers for Disease Control confirmed this when they found that virtually half of people over 50 do virtually no physical activity and, between the ages of 45 and 64, most (65 percent), though somewhat active, don't meet the Surgeon General's minimum recommended exercise level.

Want to keep the ticker ticking longer? Want to lose a little weight or gain a little muscle? Want to shake the blahs that creep in and won't creep out? Increasing your level of physical activity may be just the answer to these questions and here are some tips to make that more likely to happen.

Step one is to get a clearance from your doctor and let him or her know that you're planning on improving your fitness.

Next, get a clear idea of your goal for this endeavor. Is it to just become more active overall? Is it to lose 10 pounds or decrease your blood pressure? Do you just want to be able to keep up with the grandkids a little better when you take them to the park? Do you want to do the Bike Ride Across Georgia? Whatever your goal, take some time right now to imagine how you will be as you are moving toward this goal and how you will be when you attain it. Make it real! A clear vision now will help sustain you when temptation sings its siren song.

If you are too busy to go work out then incorporate exercise into your daily rounds. Park at the far end of the parking lot (make sure it's safe), take the steps instead of the elevator, and pick up the pace when you walk from one place to another. You won't get in great shape but anything's better than nothing and you may find that you've started something that turns into a more formal workout program in time. Or, get a treadmill so you can read the morning paper while you work out, but get used to the treadmill first. Get creative!

If setting aside time for real workouts is what you want to do, then make sure you're set up for it. Walking, jogging or running? It's really important to get a good pair of shoes. Want to ride a bike for fitness? Make sure it's in good working order, that it fits you correctly and that you have a helmet that fits correctly. (Go to a good bike shop for these things.) Going to the gym? Let them teach you how to use the machines and the weights.

Learn about how to increase your exercise level sensibly. Nothing is quite as discouraging as blisters, cramps and various other overuse injuries. As we age, our recovery takes longer and we can't increase our level of effort as rapidly as when we were younger. Pay attention to your body and learn to distinguish between discomfort that's due to injury versus "healthy" discomfort. Many a good workout intention has been dashed by a crippling Monday morning due to excess "Weekend Warrior" zeal.

Pay particular attention to the risk of overheating. (In Savannah? Surely you jest!) As we age, our cooling system doesn't work as well as it did and after about 80 you may not sweat at all. Wear cool comfortable clothing. (I saw a guy trudging around Lake Mayer wearing a dark sweat shirt and sweat pants on an 85 degree afternoon recently. That's asking for a trip to the hospital if not the cemetery.) Drink plenty of water or sports drinks. Alcohol won't work as fluid replacement: it actually dehydrates you, as does caffeine.

If you are exercising to lose weight, which is the most common motivation according to Jennifer Teeple, coordinator of Fitness and Health Promotion at Memorial's Health Institute, then "pay attention to more than just the scale." She recommends noticing how your clothes fit better, how your posture improves, how the face in the mirror begins to smile at you when you see how your appearance improves. Since muscle weighs more than fat you may look and feel better without losing much weight.

Finally - have fun! It's a whole lot easier to maintain a fitness program if you do. Make your fitness activity enjoyable. Work out with friends. Work out in a pleasant environment. Listen to music on a portable music player - but not when it blocks your awareness of traffic or strangers with bad intentions. Smile and think pleasant thoughts.

You'll thank yourself for the vim, vigor and vitality you've gained.

Pat Mooney is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Savannah. You can e-mail him at patmooneymssw@att.net