Staying physically active is one of the best things we can do for our health, which can also help lower term life insurance rates. You can easily get term life quotes online to see if you need a medical exam to determine your term life insurance rates.
Having a good exercise and fitness routine has several health benefits, regardless if a medical exam is needed for term life insurance coverage.
One major benefit of physical activity and exercise is to keep our bones and muscles strong and healthy. This is important no matter our age. Some exercises are better for our bones, some exercises target specific muscles, and some exercises are good for both bones and muscles.
All About Bones and Muscles
Bones and muscles make up our musculoskeletal system, which is important for movement as well as the support and structure of the body. Other important structures that are related to muscles and bones are joints, which are the articulations between the bones, and connective tissues such as ligaments and tendons.
Being active strengthens bones, muscles, joints, and connective tissue, and being inactive makes all of those structures weaker. The musculoskeletal system responds to the stressors (like exercise) that we place on it and gets stronger as a result of those stressors.
Nutrition is also important for bone health, so getting enough calcium and vitamin D helps keep bones strong. Dietary sources of calcium and vitamin D include dairy products, leafy greens, tofu, and fortified foods. These foods are a vital part of healthy eating to keep bones healthy.
During our teenage years, we are building our bone mass and in our late teens and early 20s, we reach our peak bone mass. Exercise and staying active are important during these years because it helps build and strengthen bones.
In our 30s and 40s, our bone mass remains relatively stable, but physical activity is going to help prevent any bone loss. As we reach middle age, we start to lose bone mass over time. This can lead to osteoporosis and make older adults more likely to fracture a bone if they fall.
Muscle mass also tends to decrease as we age. This is a result of the normal aging process but also happens because older adults tend to be less active than younger adults. Eating enough protein and a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables as well as drinking plenty of water are also important nutritional strategies for building muscles.
It is vital for middle-aged and older adults to participate in weight-bearing activities and muscle-strengthening activities. The goals should be around improving mobility and making daily activities easier to do.
Good muscle and bone strength helps with daily activities like carrying groceries, playing with grandchildren, going up steps, and getting up off the toilet.
Exercises for Bones and Muscles
Weight-bearing exercises are the best exercises for strengthening the bones. Weight-bearing exercises include walking, running, dancing, resistance or strength training, yoga, or sports.
Exercises like swimming, cycling, and rowing are great for the muscles, but they are not weight-bearing so they are not as beneficial for the bones. Those types of exercises are cardio, which can help with weight loss and BMI (which impacts life insurance) but not muscle mass.
Your muscles get bigger and stronger when you take part in muscular fitness activities and many cardiorespiratory activities. Muscular fitness activities include resistance or strength training. Cardiorespiratory activities improve the heart, lungs, and blood vessels but can also use lower body muscles. Activities like running, walking, and biking are great for lower body muscles. Swimming and rowing work muscles in the upper and lower body.
Exercises that use body weight for resistance and exercises that use an external resistance like barbells or dumbbells are both good for muscles and bones. You can break the muscles into three different major muscle groups: upper body, lower body, and core muscles.
Exercises for the Upper Body Muscles
The upper body muscles include muscles in the back, chest, and arms. Great exercises for the upper body muscles include push-ups, pull-ups, biceps curls, lateral raises, shoulder press, lat pulldowns, rows, and triceps extensions. An effective upper body routine should include at least one exercise for each of the major muscle groups — the back, chest, shoulders, arms and neck. When you are exercising with your neck you must have the right tool such as a head harness that attaches to your head and allows you to perform exercises to rehab, stretch, or strengthen your neck.
Exercises for the Lower Body Muscles
The lower body muscles include the hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, and many other muscles that surround the hips, knees, ankles, and feet. Great exercises for the lower body muscles include different types of squats, different types of lunges, deadlifts, hip bridges, toe raises, step-ups, hip lateral raises, or hamstring curls.
Running, walking, dancing, cycling, and swimming are cardiorespiratory exercises that also work the lower body muscles. An effective lower body routine should include exercises for muscles in the hips, knees, and ankles.
Exercises for the Core Muscles
The core muscles include the front abdominal muscles, muscles on the sides, and muscles in the back. Exercises for the front abdominal muscles include planks, crunches, sit-ups, or leg lifts. Exercises for the side oblique abdominal muscles include Russian twists, bicycles, side bends, and supine alternating heel touches.
It is common for exercisers to focus on the front abdominal muscles but ignore the back muscles. Bird dogs, Supermans, and back extension are great for those back core muscles.
Combination or Compound Exercises
Compound exercises are those that use multiple joints and muscle groups or may work the upper body, lower body, and core muscles in one. Combination exercises typically combine two or more exercises into one movement.
Combination exercises that are great for muscles and bones include burpees, jumping jacks, planks with a row, neutral thrusters, clean and press, or a squat with a shoulder press.
Compound movements include squats, lunges, and deadlifts. Compound exercises have other benefits for health and fitness like increasing calorie burn and enhancing balance.
A Sample Exercise Routine to Strengthen Bones and Muscles
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines recommend 150 minutes of cardiorespiratory activities and two sessions of muscular fitness activities each week. A sample routine that would meet these guidelines as well as strengthen muscles and bones could be:
Monday: Walking or running at a moderate intensity for 45 minutes
Tuesday: One session of upper and lower body resistance training, plus core strengthening. (45 minutes to an hour including 10-15 total exercises)
Wednesday: Walking/running at a moderate intensity for 45 minutes
Thursday: One session of upper- and lower-body resistance training, plus core strengthening. (45 minutes to an hour including 10-15 total exercises)
Friday: Walking/running at a moderate intensity for 30 minutes
Saturday: Group exercise class, like Zumba or boot camp, for 30 minutes
Sunday: Rest, light yoga, or light stretching
Keeping Bones and Muscles Strong
It is not difficult to keep our bones and muscles strong throughout our life. Regular participation in weight-bearing activities and resistance or strength training are the best activities to keep our bones and muscles in good physical condition.
We will be able to move easier, keep up with our daily activities, and ensure that our muscles and bones are healthy and strong. If you’re over 40 testosterone levels may be low, you can learn more about it at Rise Men’s Health Website.
Melissa Morris writes for the life insurance comparison site, QuickQuote.com. She has an MS in exercise science, is an ACSM certified exercise physiologist, and an ISSN certified sports nutritionist.
