Mature Life Features

. . . sked for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday

is cancelled

because Mary Weaver took her family to Disneyland this week.

So enjoy the monthly party

that begins at 3:30 p.m. in the dining room

for folks with birthdays in March.

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Exercise More Than Calorie Burner

As people age, the most significant benefits of regular exercise may have little to do with burning up calories. As you grow older, physical activity not only lowers body weight but it also cuts cardiovascular and blood-pressure perils, has positive effects on the immune system, and can reduce the risk of certain cancers, say medical experts.

Exercise also strengthens the heart, helps the lungs function better, enables the blood to carry more oxygen, makes muscles stronger, and improves motion in the joints. There is evidence that exercise also enhances your mood and counters mild to moderate depression. Active people also have a lower risk of stroke.

If physical activity hasn’t been part of your life for some time, don’t despair. Research has revealed that starting an exercise program at any point in life boosts health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine set the standard for physical activity in 1995, recommending at least 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise on most or all days of the week in increments as short as 10 minutes.

A study of various combinations of high and moderate exercise intensity and duration combined with a 30 percent reduction in calories consumed revealed that the intensity level produced no significant differences in weight loss. What did make a difference was time.

Many older people who want to exercise are discouraged by poor health and the toll of aging.

This doesn’t have to be the case if the person’s physician has given the green light to exercise. Almost any form of physical activity can improve overall health and the cardiovascular system. This includes walking, gardening, pushing a stroller, swimming, jumping rope and riding a bike.

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