Over 50? Statins OR diet-and-exercise...your choice

Feel Great in Your 50s and Beyond

A certain urgency permeates your workouts now: You still want to look good, but you're also training to stay alive. Exercising regularly is your strongest medicine. In fact, according to a recent commentary in the Archives of Internal Medicine, "Physical activity may be the most effective prescription physicians can dispense for the purposes of promoting successful aging."

The evidence keeps accumulating: Exercise protects your heart, relaxes your arteries, makes your erections harder, builds muscle, strengthens your bones, fights cancer, boosts your immune system, and perhaps most inspiring, it's one of the best ways to rewire your brain. "If you don't exercise, it's like your brain is in a cast—your brain cells and networks atrophy," says John Ratey, M.D., an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard medical school and the author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.
Tips for Your 50s and Beyond

Recharge Your Brain
Adults who devoted 4 days a week to an hour of moderate aerobic exercise (running, stair climbing, or riding a stationary bike) had more bloodflow in their dentate gyrus, the area of the brain where memories are formed, according to a 2007 Columbia University study. Increased bloodflow may signal the growth of new brain cells, a process known as neurogenesis, says Adam M. Brickman, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist and coauthor of the study. It's also possible, he says, that exercise stimulates the release of a growth factor in the brain tied to neurogenesis. Another study found that people who did resistance training once a week saw a 12.6 percent jump in a performance on memory tests.

Slow Your Cells’ Aging Process
The cells of people with high omega-3 levels age more slowly, according to research from the University of California at San Francisco. Researchers aren't sure why, but it may have to do with the anti-inflammatory properties of omega- 3 fatty acids. "Many of the conditions associated with aging—arthritis, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's—are related to chronic inflammation," says Bowerman. She advises eating cold-water fish (mackerel, salmon) twice a week, and taking 2 grams a day of a fish-oil supplement. Our favorite: Nordic Naturals Omega-3D, which delivers 550 milligrams of EPA and DHA and 1,000 IU of bone-strengthening vitamin D.

Relax Your Arteries
Regular aerobic exercise can delay and may even reverse aging in your arteries, concluded a 2008 review in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Study coauthor Douglas R. Seals, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology and applied physiology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, explains how: Exercise boosts your heart rate, which increases bloodflow. A better bloodflow creates more friction on the blood vessels' inner lining (a.k.a. the endothelial layer), which, in turn, stimulates the production of nitric oxide. This improves the ability of your arteries to dilate and confers other benefits as well, like reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, protecting your arteries from developing disorders. New research indicates that highintensity aerobic intervals appear to deliver greater endothelial benefits than steady-state aerobic training, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Fight Age with Muscle
After 50, the sedentary man's muscle loss speeds up and he then loses about 10 percent of his muscle mass every decade. This leads directly to osteoporosis. If you've been lifting weights, keep it up. If you haven't, start now—it's not too late. American College of Sports Medicine guidelines cover strength training for people over 65. Your workout should also involve more balance moves to strengthen your feet, ankles, and core and to straighten your posture.

The 50s and Beyond Workout: Fitness and Mobility

Complete this workout 3 days a week, but do the flexibility training every day. The tempo is 2 seconds up, 2 seconds down. Do the strength and core part as a circuit: perform 1 set of each of the 6 exercises (resting 30 seconds between exercises), and rest 1 minute. Then repeat 2 more times.

SPLIT YOUR WORKOUT LIKE THIS
Flexibility: 20 minutes
Strength: 20 minutes
Cardio: 20 minutes

FLEXIBILITY
Foam rolling: 10 minutes
Kneeling hip flexor stretches: 10
Lateral squats: 10
Wall hamstring stretch: 10
Doorway pec stretches: 10
Bridges: three 10-second holds
Bosu-ball drills: progress to one leg

STRENGTH
Pushups: 3 sets of 10 to 20
Split squats: 3 sets of 12; add dumbbells when you master the form
Lunges: 3 sets of 12
Front pulldowns: 3 sets of 12

CORE
Planks: 3 reps; hold for 30 to 60 seconds
Side planks: 3 reps; hold for 10 seconds on each side

CARDIO
Alternate running, rowing, and bicycling intervals. Start with a 5-minute warmup; then do five 60-second sprints, with 2 minutes rest. Mix in steady-state days during which you just bicycle, row, or run for 20 minutes at a pace slower than 70 percent of your maximum heart rate.

How Do You Measure Up?

EXPLOSIVE POWER
The average guy's vertical jump

AGE    HEIGHT
20-29    19.7"
30-39    16.9"
40-49    13.8"
50-59    11.0"

Vertical jump is a good way to measure lower-body power, and it peaks during your 20s.

The MH Fit Standard: 22"

To boost your hops, says Kelly Baggett, the author of Vertical Jump Development Bible, stand at the edge of a 12- to 18-inch-high box. Step down, landing squarely in front of the box, and then jump as high as you can. Do 3 sets of 5, pausing 10 seconds between reps and 2 minutes between sets. Do this routine 3 times a week before your workout.

BODY COMPOSITION
The average guy's body-fat percentage

AGE    BODY FAT
20-29    14.1-17.4%
30-39    17.5-20.5%
40-49    19.6-22.5%
50-59    21.3-24.1%

More than any other measure, your body-fat percentage indicates your overall health. From this decade on, the average guy adds on the adipose (a.k.a. flab).

The MH Fit Standard: 11%-18%

Use this simple strategy to maintain a healthy weight: Stand on a scale every day. More than 44 percent of dieters who've kept pounds off for at least 5 years weigh themselves daily, according to a National Weight Control Registry study. The WiFi Body Scale ($160, withings.com) measures your body fat and lets you track your weight loss and muscle gains from any Web browser or your smartphone.

FLEXIBILITY
The average guy's sit-and-reach

AGE    REACH
20-29    15"-17"
30-39    15"
40-49    13"-15"
50-59    11"-13"

The sit-and-reach test measures flexibility, which declines by about 25 percent from your 20s to your 50s.

The MH Fit Standard: 17"

To improve flexibility, hold a barbell at arm's length, your grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Bend forward from your hips with your knees slightly bent and your back straight, until your torso is almost parallel to the floor. Pause 2 seconds before returning to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 15 reps, 2 to 3 times a week, says Bill Hartman, P.T., C.S.C.S.

STAMINA
The average guy's pushup total

AGE    TOTAL
20-29    25
30-39    19
40-49    15
50-59    11

The number of pushups you can bang out without stopping is a good test of your upper-body strength and endurance. This is the kind of muscle you need to ferry groceries or carry an exhausted toddler. In his 40s, the average guy's total drops to 60 percent of its peak in his 20s.

The MH Fit Standard: 30

Here's how to avoid joining the ranks of the sparrow-chested: Determine your pushup max (the number you can do without stopping while maintaining perfect form). Now divide that number by 2 to determine your number of reps per set. Start with 3 sets, resting 1 minute between each. Each week for 6 weeks, shave 10 seconds from your resting period until you eliminate it entirely, says Alwyn Cosgrove, M.S., C.S.C.S.

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