Senior Fitness.com - Anti-aging Strategies for Lifetime Health and Senior Fitness

Welcome to Senior Fitness.com! Your #1 source for lifetime fitness information; vital strategies for promoting senior health, life-long strength, vigor and independence. Learn how to slow and reverse Age-related Functional Decline. We bring you the latest strategies to optimize senior health and fitness into advanced age. The time to start is now; the place to start is here. Begin by reading How to best use this site: Take the tour. Then act on the knowledge; you can improve health and fitness at any age by using the strategies on these pages.

The Latest Word on Senior Fitness News Roundup - Recent health news worth talking about Disinfectants can make bacteria resistant to treatment by Lucy Goodchild Post Date: 10/05/2008 Form of Crohn's disease traced to disabled gut cells by Michael C. Purdy Post Date: 10/05/2008 A little exercise goes a long way for severely obese by Debbe Geiger Post Date: 10/05/2008 Sex hormones link to heart risk by Maciej Tomaszewski Post Date: 08/31/2008 Global study shows telmisartan reduces outcome of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke... by Susan Emigh Post Date: 08/31/2008 The 6 Critical Keys to Dynamic Senior Living Anti-aging - Slowing the processes involved in aging, and delaying their consequences. The Best Places for Anti-Aging Skin Care Products by Jordan Howler Post Date: 10/07/2008 Anti-aging Dietary Tips for Eternal Youth by antioxidant antioxidant Post Date: 10/07/2008 Choosing Quality Anti-Aging Products by Jordan Howler Post Date: 10/07/2008 5 Easy Steps to Find the Best Men Anti-Aging Skincare Products by Christy Smith Post Date: 09/29/2008 Anti-Aging From the Inside Out by Elle Elle Post Date: 09/29/2008 Exercise - The primary driver for reversing age-related functional decline. Aerobics - to maintain and recover your heart/lung/vascular fitness. Weight Training - to trigger your anabolic, or muscle-building process; muscle you need to look good and move well, be stronger than you look and dissolve fat 24 hours a day. Yoga, Pilates, Stretching & Balance - Building poise, posture, flexibility, strength, endurance, balance and grace, while connecting with the spirit within - speed and power aren't the whole story. National Qualification in Exercise, Health Studies and Personal Training by Peter Lawless Post Date: 10/07/2008 Imagine a Healthier Life, Then Start Living it. by Jackie Orman Post Date: 10/02/2008 Why Older People Need Exercise, Too. by Jackie Orman Post Date: 10/02/2008 Weight Gain in Old Age: It Doesn't Have to Happen to You. by Jackie Orman Post Date: 10/02/2008 It's Never Too Late to Get Healthy! by Jackie Orman Post Date: 10/02/2008 Nutrition - the Raw Material for Senior Health and Lifetime Fitness Fit Fuel healthy living superstore now online in SA. by Dylan Hichens Post Date: 10/07/2008 Children and Obesity: Should My Child Go On a Diet? by Del-Metri Williams Post Date: 10/07/2008 Food for thought -- regulating energy supply to the brain during fasting by Gina Kirchweger Post Date: 10/05/2008 Nutrition and Nutrients by Kazim Shah Post Date: 10/07/2008 Whose Health Is Average? Is yours? by Robert Bell Post Date: 09/30/2008 Rest, Recovery and Relaxation - Time for the body to repair and strengthen itself. Gardening - Profoundly spiritual – rest, recovery and recreation for the soul, mind and body. You Don't have to be Perfect to be Free of Back Pain by Steven Hefferon, CMT PTA Post Date: 09/30/2008 Loss of Sleep, Even For A Single Night, Increases Inflammation in the Body by J. A. Dawkins Post Date: 09/12/2008 The Art of Relaxing and Restoring Your Health by Todd Durkin Post Date: 08/20/2008 Hidden Dangers at the Gym for your Back and Body... by Steven Hefferon Post Date: 07/31/2008 The Art of Relaxation by Esther Kane Post Date: 07/28/2008 Supplements - Exercise right, eat correctly; is that all it takes? Not as seniors! Supplements make up for the losses of aging. Shilajit, Increase Libido and Anti Aging Supplement by herbal remedies Post Date: 09/10/2008 Role of Anti Aging Supplements in Health Longevity by Francis Adam Post Date: 08/22/2008 Feed Your Spirit! by Stephen Rogers Post Date: 08/22/2008 A Solution for Stress Eating and Weight Management by Stephen Rogers Post Date: 08/22/2008 Powerful Stress Relief! by Stephen Rogers Post Date: 08/22/2008 Thinking and Attitude - One person's junk is another's treasure; it's all a matter of thinking and attitude. Exercise can be an extremely pleasurable experience; you just have to get your brain to think so. Hypnosis for Change - Ancient and mysterious; a powerful modern tool for change. Do you wish to be somehow different, better than you were yesterday? Then make hypnosis a part of your strategy of improvement. Neuro Linguistic Programming - NLP - Strategies and tools for rapid mental and behavioral change that serve your goals. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) - Rapid emotional and physical healing by melding acupressure meridian stimulation with linguistic suggestion The Source of Kingdom Economics by Ann Stewart Post Date: 10/03/2008 The Power of A.C. by Mike Robinson Post Date: 09/22/2008 Every Failure Is An Opportunity In Disguise by Richard Saldan Post Date: 06/30/2008 "True Customer Service in your ML*M - Are You Providing It or Thinking You Are?" by Carol Ann Wagner Post Date: 06/30/2008 Positive Expectancy - A Must-Have Ingredient for Success by David Schaefer Post Date: 06/27/2008 Special Concerns That Hamper Senior Living Brain Health - Mental Health - Your brain is a terrible thing to lose - its health is priority-one! Alzheimer's Disease and Brain Function - 3 Things You Should Know by Susan Nickerson Post Date: 10/07/2008 Conventional Medicine is a Hoax by Sonny Julius Post Date: 10/02/2008 Train Accidents Can Cause Brain Injuries, Fatalities by Peter Kent Post Date: 10/02/2008 Music Helps with Neurological Development for Brain Injury Patients by Peter Kent Post Date: 10/02/2008 Skin's Formula - Smart Nutrients for Beauty and Young Active Brain by Francis Adam Post Date: 09/30/2008 Dental Health - Poor health of teeth and gums invite ills that may be killing you invisibly. Individual Dental Insurance Plan - Reduce Fee Dental Insurance by Paul Smith Post Date: 10/07/2008 Individual Dental Insurance Plan - Insurance for Dental Braces by Paul Smith Post Date: 10/07/2008 Affordable Health Dental Insurance - Insurance for Dental Implants by Paul Smith Post Date: 10/07/2008 The Advantages of Dental Whitening Gel by Nupur Das Post Date: 10/07/2008 Family Dental Plan Insurance - Proper Dental Coverage for Kids by Paul Smith Post Date: 10/07/2008 Disease and Healing Protocols - Life Extension Foundation's comprehensive review of common diseases and their alternative protocols for healing and resolving the root causes. Spinal Fusion For Back Pain Relief - Is It The Final Option for Treating My Back Pain? by Dan Raymond Post Date: 10/07/2008 U.S. working to give researchers access to mesothelioma information online by Scott Hendler Post Date: 10/03/2008 Bladder Infections by Susun Weed Post Date: 10/01/2008 Information on Legionnaire's Disease by Juliet Cohen Post Date: 09/29/2008 Information on Ledderhose Disease by Juliet Cohen Post Date: 09/27/2008 Hormone Management - Hormones drive most bodily functions; learn how to manipulate your hormones to stimulate the fat-burning, anti-aging hormones while suppressing those that make you fat, sick, tired and old before your time. How to Overcome Your Aging Symptoms Using HGH Supplement For Maximum Results! by Chaves Angles Post Date: 09/25/2008 Managing the Initial Manifestations of Menopause by Trevor Price Post Date: 09/17/2008 Benefits of HGH — How Human Growth Hormone Puts the Brakes on Aging by Susan Nickerson Post Date: 07/24/2008 Anti-Aging Pills by Carson Danfield by Carson Danfield Post Date: 07/17/2008 Anti-Aging and Human Growth Hormone by Carson Danfield by Carson Danfield Post Date: 07/17/2008 Immune Power - Empower your Immune System; it stands between you and certain death Is your immune system ready for the flu season? by Dave Tishendorf Post Date: 10/07/2008 Importance of Immune System Supplements for Children by Francis Adam Post Date: 09/26/2008 Fighting Fatigue by Sandra Powers Post Date: 08/11/2008 Create a Healthy Immune System Naturally by Joe Peters Post Date: 07/14/2008 Immune System Builder with Interferon Builds Better Health by Vicki Zerbee Post Date: 06/30/2008 Joint Health - Nothing works to make you fit if your joints give out; you can keep them healthy if you feed them the right nutrients and prevent needless damage. Arthritis Pain Relief - Joint Pain Relief by herbal remedies Post Date: 09/29/2008 Flexibone Capsules - Relief from Joint Pain by Keith Andersonn Post Date: 09/28/2008 Xin Huang Pian for getting rid of arthritis and joint pain by Jingyu bai Post Date: 09/22/2008 Arthritis - A Look At Joint Replacement by Francis Adam Post Date: 09/19/2008 Arthritis Drugs - Be Careful With Dangerous Medicines by BB PUBLICATIONS Post Date: 09/19/2008 Personal Deportment and Hygiene - Staying fit to be around as we age. Hearing - A critical social sense, an important personal skill Prevent Acne by Jason Coombs Post Date: 10/07/2008 Personal Hygiene Care For Your Children's Health by Joe L Golson Post Date: 10/02/2008 How to clean and care for your sex toys... by bella wright Post Date: 09/29/2008 Practice Good Oral Hygiene for Whiter Teeth by Matt Wittchow Post Date: 09/29/2008 The Influence of Colour on Human Development and Emotions by John Kaduwanema Post Date: 09/28/2008 Sexual Fitness - A broad look at sexual fitness - for both women and men. (Nothing erotic, sordid or graphic - just technology and strategies for staying sexually alive and youthful.) Sexual Fitness for Aging Men - Strategies for delaying, minimizing and even reversing andropause. Sexual Fitness for Aging Women - Staying vibrant through and post-menopause; keeping the fire alive. How To Slash Your Healthcare Costs by Michael Coleman Post Date: 08/22/2008 How many people in the US have herpes? by Joseph Phillips Post Date: 08/20/2008 What is the difference between shingles and cold sores? by Joseph Phillips Post Date: 08/20/2008 Who should not take Valtrex? by Joseph Phillips Post Date: 08/20/2008 What is Valtrex and how can it help? by Joseph Phillips Post Date: 08/20/2008 Skin Health and Care - So much more than beauty! AdorageMD- The Serious Skincare For Those Who Care About Their Skin by Francis Adam Post Date: 10/07/2008 Acne Treatment by emarald build Post Date: 10/07/2008 How To Understand, Access and Use Skin Care for Men by Therese Higgins Post Date: 10/07/2008 French Chic, it's easy, n'est-pas? by Isla Campbell Post Date: 10/06/2008 Herbal Hair Loss Remedies That Offer Hope by beautyonline violica Post Date: 10/07/2008 Weight Loss - Weight Management - The real issue is fat loss and fat management; your health, longevity and self esteem are dependent on managing the fat content of your body - the mirror, not the scale, tells the truth! Master Cleanse Directions - Do you know the necessary steps for a successful master cleanse? by Emma Deangela Post Date: 10/07/2008 How To Break A Bad Habit And Learn Habits To Lose Weight by Henry John Post Date: 10/07/2008 Duodenal Switch surgery in India: less cost options for weight loss. by Dr.Dheeraj Bojwani Post Date: 10/07/2008 Eating More for Weight Loss by Ascis Pecunia Post Date: 10/07/2008 Accelerated Weight Loss by Ascis Pecunia Post Date: 10/07/2008 Making it Happen - Taking Action to Change Your Life Fitness Courses - Age-specific training courses teach you how to stay at your peak for the long term. Will Brink - Solid wisdom on staying lean and strong as you age. Marc David - A course for beginners of any age. Weight Loss Food Tips by Robert Hemken Jr. Post Date: 10/07/2008 Four Tips For Choosing A Flat Fee MLS Real Estate Company by Robert Bell Post Date: 10/04/2008 Did you know the Top Secret Fat Loss Secret? by islam khalil Post Date: 10/07/2008 Why Aren't You Using a Wrinkle Mask? by Al Bracher Post Date: 10/07/2008 Tips To Help Motivate You To Attend A Fitness Center by Mike Selvon Post Date: 10/03/2008 Inspirational Gallery - A Photo and Video Gallery of Seniors in Great Shape and Living Very Well Frank Wilhelmi - Simi Valley CA: Striving to improve with age, with fairly consistent success. Stressed Out? by Melissa Allen Post Date: 09/28/2008 Getting unstoppable motivation for weight loss by Mike Lombardy Post Date: 09/19/2008 Weight Loss Mind Power by chelsi woolz Post Date: 09/19/2008 What Is Your Weight Loss Motivation by LA Ziegler Post Date: 09/08/2008 Creating the Space of Having by Sheevaun Moran Post Date: 08/29/2008 Sport-Specific Fitness - If sport comes first...you have to stay fit to stay in the game! Golf - A Passion for millions - a great blending of sun, sport and things social. Tennis - A glamorous sport, very gratifying when you win, very taxing on the aging body - train right to stay in the game. Shiatsu Massage Chair Buying Guide by James Knolan Post Date: 09/19/2008 The Importance of Touching Your Toes by Mark Bengtson Post Date: 09/08/2008 3 Simple Tricks to Lose Weight Healthy and Effectively by Tina Yord Post Date: 09/08/2008 Outdoor Sports And Your Health by Steven Lancey Post Date: 09/08/2008 Train Better with Friends by daniel zoleta Post Date: 08/26/2008 Trainers Registry - Find Fitness Trainers in your area who specialize in training Seniors. Fitness Professionals Need to Diversify by Dr. Kareem Samhouri Post Date: 09/23/2007 Why use a Personal Trainer for Weight Lifting Training by Richard Train Post Date: 09/07/2007 Fitness Myth Busting by jeannie callen barat Post Date: 08/23/2007 How To: Find the Right Personal Trainer for You! by Tim VanRavenswaay Post Date: 08/23/2007 The Top 10 Leg Exercises by Terri Walsh Post Date: 08/21/2007

Frank's Column Optimizing Senior Fitness (09/26/2008) NEW! See the video illustrating form, intensity, start and finish for a power set of barbell shrugs. (Video 1) and incline dumbell press. (Video 2) Heavy Set of Pseudosquats. (Video 3) A set of medium intensity Lat Pulls. (Video 4) A set of medium intensity, narrow-grip Cable Rows. (Video 5) Frank Playing in the Gym - A personal best at 66; 720lb on the incline leg press (Video 6) I’ve been pondering lately our strategies for optimizing fitness, and what that really entails. I think I have pretty well nailed the primary emphasis in our “6 Keys to Senior Fitness” categories. More and more though, I am troubled with the issue of measuring “optimization”. How do we really know if we are creating real optimization of all the body’s systems? Feeling good is certainly a reasonable indicator, as is freedom from pain (at least chronic pain), and a sense of having sufficient energy to engage in the activities one most enjoys. But how do you know what you could be feeling like if everything was optimized; if your health was “maximized”? One strategy that I have not pursued has to do with neurotransmitter balance or optimization of neurotransmitter production. These tiny amounts of brain chemicals control virtually all of the mind and bodily functions, and yet we pay very little attention to how they measure up to some ideal state of health. I made a start at this in our Brain Health – Mental Health Category (click on the Category at the left of the Home page and read the basics), but I haven’t actually acted on my own advise and taken the step to seek out a Dr who has the skill and ability to measure how my own brain chemicals are doing. One reason is that I suspect that the expenses for such testing will not be covered by my so-called “health insurance”. I have read several articles by a local MD, Dr Sharon Norling, and have used her information to enrich the Brain Health – Mental Health category article, but knowing that she is essentially an OB/GYN, and primarily deals with woman’s physiology, I have been reluctant to seek her services. Still, she seems to be the most knowledgeable MD around, and I’m considering making an appointment. In recent months I have noticed a increasing sense of fatigue pervading my days. I have noticed that my workouts are leaving me more hammered than in the past as well. I also notice that I like more alcohol in the evenings – I think from an underlying sense that it helps me fall asleep faster. I could put it down to turning 69 earlier this month, but I think I would like to determine if there is a measurable medical reason for these changes. If I manage to find an MD who works with Blue Cross in this specialization, I will keep you posted as to the specifics of my measured neurotransmitter and hormonal health. I hope to enrich your strategic bag of tricks for lifetime fitness in the process. Good Living - Frank (626251) Past "Frank's Column" Articles Dad Made it to 95 - Good Genes Realy Helps! (08/24/2008) Energy production, Thyroid Function and Iodine (06/22/2008) Progress with Training and More on the Lipitor/Thumb Pain Story (04/20/2008) Depression – A Serious Threat to Senior Fitness – Tied to Chronic Inflammation (04/06/2008) Frank in a Contest and More on Muscle Damage by Statins (02/22/2008) The Case for Losing Faith in Cholesterol Drugs (02/09/2008) Gardening - Recreation, Meditation, Exercise (01/13/2008) The power of bio-identical hormones in medicine (01/02/2008) Surrender the things of youth(?) - more injury and healing. (11/25/2007) Let’s talk about aging and attitude. (11/18/2007) More changes coming to the SeniorFitness website (11/10/2007) An Invasive, Disturbing Thought Eliminated with EFT – A First Hand Experience (10/17/2007) Brain Health - Mental Health: a new Category added to the site (09/09/2007) Critcal Thinking and Risk Taking (08/29/2007) An ISSA Seminar at Total Woman Gym and Day Spa (08/12/2007) Another Bodybuilding Supplement of Great Interest (07/01/2007) Want to See Real Reverse Aging? Try this Combination of Supplements. (05/28/2007) I'll Have the Chicken, With traces of Arsenic Please (04/29/2007) More on Vitamin D3 and Some Websites to Bookmark (04/18/2007) Too Much Of A Good Thing Drug and Vitamin Overdose (04/18/2007) Resveratrol – A Promising Strategy for Health and Life Extension (03/31/2007) Vitamin K2 - Crtitical Factor in Heart Disease and Osteoporosis (03/11/2007) The Very Best Ways to Start Changing Your Health for the Better (02/11/2007) A New Beginning in a New Year, and Some Words About Synergy (01/17/2007) Year-end Lapses of Fitness and the Promise of a New Year (12/15/2006) Winter Approaches and Flu Season is Bearing Down Upon Us; Time to Think of Boosting Immune Function. (11/28/2006) More on the ability to heal from surgeries and a very informative site I ran across (11/05/2006) Shoulder Surgery Outcome and A Three Day/Week Workout Plan (10/15/2006) Frank’s Arthroscopic Surgery of 9/5/06 and breasts for men? (09/07/2006) Update on Digestion, Heartburn, Belching, Reflux and the Impact of Aging on Such. (08/16/2006) New Features on the Senior Fitness.com Site and Some Exciting News on Heavy Metal Chelation (07/17/2006) A New Personal-Best Lift, and a New Supplement that Rocks! (06/19/2006) Life Extension Foundation - Your Top Resourse In Health Information (04/23/2006) Women, Fitness and Weight Training (03/15/2006) Wobenzyme to the Rescue? (02/26/2006) More Joint Healing Mysteries (02/15/2006) Joint Health and Joint Healing (02/05/2006) Immune Power and an Update on Shoulder Healing (01/29/2006) An Aging Mechanism you can minimize easily - Glycation! (01/15/2006) Start Again; Goals, Resolutions - Focus on Fitness (01/02/2006) More on Injury and Healing (mine, unfortunately). (12/18/2005) Making Incremental Progress in Becoming Stronger (11/27/2005) Injuries and Healing for Seniors (11/20/2005) Hormones, hormone levels and hormone balance - a very complex topic that impacts how well we age in very big ways. (11/08/2005) Strength Training and Physical capability (10/31/2005) My Rant on Hydrogenation (10/24/2005) Frank's Column (10/10/2005)

Topic of the Day: Vitamin

A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism.^[1] A compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on the circumstances and the particular organism. For example, ascorbic acid functions as vitamin C for some animals but not others, and vitamins D and K are required in the human diet only in certain circumstances.^[2]

Vitamins are classified by their biological and chemical activity, not their structure. Thus, each "vitamin" actually refers to a number of vitamer compounds, which form a set of distinct chemical compounds that show the biological activity of a particular vitamin. Such a set of chemicals are grouped under an alphabetized vitamin "generic descriptor" title, such as "vitamin A," which (for example) includes retinal, retinol, and many carotenoids.^[3] Vitamers are often inter-convertible in the body. The term vitamin does not include other essential nutrients such as dietary minerals, essential fatty acids, or essential amino acids, nor does it encompass the large number of other nutrients that promote health but are otherwise required less often.^[4]

Vitamins have diverse biochemical functions, including function as hormones (e.g. vitamin D), antioxidants (e.g. vitamin E), and mediators of cell signaling and regulators of cell and tissue growth and differentiation (e.g. vitamin A).^[5] The largest number of vitamins (e.g. B complex vitamins) function as precursors for enzyme cofactor bio-molecules (coenzymes), that help act as catalysts and substrates in metabolism. When acting as part of a catalyst, vitamins are bound to enzymes and are called prosthetic groups. For example, biotin is part of enzymes involved in making fatty acids. Vitamins also act as coenzymes to carry chemical groups between enzymes. For example, folic acid carries various forms of carbon group – methyl, formyl and methylene - in the cell. Although these roles in assisting enzyme reactions are vitamins' best-known function, the other vitamin functions are equally important.^[6]

Until the 1900s, vitamins were obtained solely through food intake, and changes in diet (which, for example, could occur during a particular growing season) can alter the types and amounts of vitamins ingested. Vitamins have been produced as commodity chemicals and made widely available as inexpensive pills for several decades,^[7] allowing supplementation of the dietary intake.