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The thought of exercising can be daunting for many of us, but it doesn’t have to be.
Sticking to a moderate intensity or within what’s called ‘zone 2 cardio’ can help make exercise more manageable and just as effective, when done consistently and often.
What is zone 2 cardio?
Some examples of zone 2 cardio include walking, running, biking and swimming.
All of these exercises get your heart pumping, but it’s how fast it’s going that makes all the difference because this is how hard your body is working to get oxygen through your bloodstream.
Jefferson Brewer, an Exercise Physiologist at Intermountain Health said, “Your heart doesn’t care what you’re doing. If you’re walking around the neighborhood, pushing the cart around the grocery store, or running up a mountain."
When you’re doing something at a lower intensity, it will be easiest to do that on an indoor bike or a treadmill with a slight incline, depending on your fitness level. It can be quite hard to run in zone 2 though.
“There’s a common misconception in the world of fitness training in that you have to be going all gas, no breaks, pedal to the metal at all times, as hard as possible all the time,” said Brewer.
Zone 2 workouts are going to be more sustained over a longer period, but at a lower intensity, which is different from something like High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) where you’re revving the engine up, going to 8 out of 10 or 9 out of 10, and then cooling off for a matter of seconds.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends healthy adults aged 18-65 do moderate intensity or zone 2 cardio for 30 minutes, five days a week, or a total of 150 minutes per week.
How do I know I’m doing zone 2 cardio right?
Most fitness trackers, like Apple Watches and Fitbits, will track your cardio zones.
They’re set to averages, but you can manually adjust your zones in the workout settings.
For guidance, these are the average cardiac zones used on Apple Watches:
To know your true cardiac zones, it requires quite a bit of math and some knowledge of your resting heart rate and your maximum heart rate.
“When you're looking at zone 2 cardio, it's not quite so challenging that you couldn't talk to someone or carry a conversation. You certainly couldn’t sing to that person, but you’re moving and it’s not at your max,” said Brewer.
The easier and more precise option is to book an appointment with one of our Exercise Physiologists or Sports Medicine Providers who can do a VO2 Max test on you to figure out your heart rate zones.
Dignity Care is a homegrown business in Boulder.In the 1990s, Mary Kirk, a registered dietitian, began caregiving for family and relatives. Her husband, Ged, offered a companion travel service for the elderly and disabled. Together they established Dignity Care, LLC in 1997 as a home care business with just two caregivers and a home office.As demand for home care service increased, Mary recruited additional caregivers, but always with an emphasis on the compassionate, respectful, personalized care that was Dignity Cares trademark. Mary created her own approach to senior home care, unique in this area.With this dedication and passion to provide the best caregivers in the Boulder County region, Dignity Care has continued to grow and in 2009 became licensed as a Class A home care provider. We specialize in using Certified Nursing Assistants on our teams so we can bring you the skill and experience you deserve, if you have any questions, please call us at 303-444-4040.
Too many seniors grapple with isolation and depression, but these are not a normal part of growing older. They are treatable medical illnesses, much like heart disease or diabetes. Depression is a serious illness affecting approximately 15 out of every 100 adults over age 65 in the United States.Seniors experiencing feelings of depression and isolation have a higher risk of hospital admissions, as well as a higher risk for being scammed. Not to mention it makes for a miserable life.So, what can you do? Helping seniors stay healthy means more than ensuring they get good physical care. Individuals living alone miss out on the stimulation of interactions with others on a regular basis. Our caregivers serve that dual purpose of providing physical care and social connection. We enjoy our clients, building a relationship with them, and sharing the highs and lows of their days. Caregivers can laugh with their clients and be an empathetic ear. We make sure our clients are getting out of the house and attending events and activities that interest them.Hiring a caregiver to help out, even for a couple of hours each week, brings conversation and spark along with the physical help. Caregivers are a good antidote for depression. If you have any questions, please call us at 303-444-4040.
Hot summer days are a good time for everyone to think about staying hydrated. For older adults the topic of hydration is a year-round discussion that never goes away. Its a serious issue for most seniors but doesnt get resolved because it needs to be addressed every day and cant be solved with a pill.Seniors have a very high risk for dehydration, which is one of the most frequent causes of hospitalization after the age of 65. They have a greater risk of dehydration for many reasons, including the fact that as we age, our kidneys become less efficient at conserving fluids, our sense of thirst weakens, and we are less able to adjust to changes in temperature. Some medications like diuretics, sedatives, and laxatives can also cause increased fluid loss.Dehydration can cause temporary symptoms that mimic symptoms of Alzheimers. If dementia-like symptoms seem to appear suddenly, it could be dehydration which is easily curable.Symptoms of dehydration range from minor to severe and include persistent fatigue, muscle weakness, headaches, dizziness, nausea, forgetfulness, confusion, lethargy, increased heart rate, sunken eyes, dry mouth, dark colored urine. Urine should be clear to pale yellow. I tell my clients that if their urine is darker than pale yellow, they should head straight to the kitchen from the bathroom and drink a full glass of water. Keeping a glass of water beside you all day to sip on rarely results in someone drinking enough fluids. Its more effective to drink the entire glass, even if its a small glass. Seniors cant rely on their sense of thirst to tell them when to drink water. Scheduling a glass at each meal and/or after a bathroom visit, making sure to drink the full glass, is the best way to make sure youve gotten your full daily amount.If you have any questions, please call us at 303-444-4040.
Intermountain Health Good Samaritan Hospital is a community-based, acute-care hospital in Lafayette, Colorado. Intermountain Health is a nonprofit faith-based health system with hospitals in two states. At Intermountain Health Good Samaritan Hospital, we are happy to tell you about us: our compassionate caregivers, our clinical excellence, our award-winning care and even our beautiful campus. But its really all about you. Our patients and families are the center of every thought, communication and action that takes place in this healing space.
Intermountain Health Good Samaritan Hospital senior E.R. is Colorado's first E.R. facility constructed with seniors needs in mind. By implementing a philosophy of care for the geriatric patient and implementing a variety of screenings designed for the senior population, physicians hope that their senior E.R. will help lower readmission rates and reduce the risk of harmful drug interactions. In order to give excellent emergency care to seniors in our community including specialized screening and care, physicians and nurses have taken workshops in sensory appreciation and ageism to learn how to better communicate with older adults and their caregivers. The Senior ER provides a less chaotic and stressful environment for senior patients while optimizing their discharge to the most appropriate and safe environment.