Go Low Impact

Written by Matthew Martz

Not everyone can run the Boston Marathon or swim the English Channel, but you don’t need to be a top-notch athlete to reap impressive health benefits from low impact aerobic exercise.

The truth is, if the average adult walked just six and a half hours a month, or participated in some type of exercise for as little as 30 minutes a day, they could add years to their life.

A study published by the American Heart Association in August 2011 found that people who exercised half an hour a day, five days a week, had a 14 percent lower risk of heart disease than those who did not exercise at all.

“It doesn’t take a lot,” said Dr. Brij Bhambi, a Bakersfield cardiologist. “Twenty to thirty minutes of aerobic activity a day is good, and it doesn’t even have to be continuous. It could even be in segments of fifteen minutes. There are many ways you can overcome the excuses of a busy life.”

According to Bhambi, Kern County is the second largest California community with people suffering from some form of cardiovascular disease.

“We have a whole spectrum of patients,” he said, “some who have had heart attacks, strokes, blocked arteries, peripheral artery disease [a common circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to your limbs], high blood pressure, and irregular heartbeats.”

But Bhambi and other physicians have been gaining ground against the tide of Bakersfield’s unhealthy people, and low impact aerobic exercise is a key ingredient in combating cardiovascular disease, which is an indiscriminate killer in men and women of all ages.

Only about 35 percent of adults in the United States exercise regularly, defined as three to five times a week of moderate or vigorous physical activity, a National Health Interview Survey conducted in 2009 showed. Another third of adults get no exercise at all.

“That’s a shame,” added Bhambi. “Even brisk walking can lower blood pressure, slow the heart, increase the good cholesterol while decreasing bad cholesterol, and lower stress levels.

“A lot of things that cause heart disease are favorably impacted by exercise, and those walks could even help people stop smoking and eat better.”

What about those who don’t want to walk or run?

Swimming is a great alternative, and can be a good workout for people of all ages since it’s a low impact sport that protects your joints from damage. Taking a dip in the pool, especially on a Bakersfield summer day, is also an excellent way to reduce stress, improve cardiovascular health, and strengthen your lungs.

No pool. No problem.

One organization in Bakersfield that is helping to bring change to Kern County’s fitness image is the City of Bakersfield Recreation and Parks 100-Mile Swimming Club.

Established in 2006 with just a handful of members, the 100-Mile Club now has 396 active members, and in 2010, they swam a total of 67,352 miles. That’s equal to nearly three times around the world.

One of those amazing swimmers is 59-year-old former Wasco High swimmer, Richard Meyer.

After graduating high school, Meyer did not take up swimming again until the age of 36, but has been involved in the 100-Mile Club since its inception, and is rapidly approaching the 1,100 mile mark, while showing no signs of slowing.

“I just feel like it improves my overall health,” he said. “Swimming helps with good overall weight control, and my strength and stamina are improved.

“I really haven’t slowed down much, and it helps me maintain a very active lifestyle.” That’s something Meyer thought he may not ever be able to do after sustaining multiple injuries in a motorcycle accident in 2007, which included crushing his left tibial plateau, one of the most critical load-bearing areas in the human body located just below the knee joint.

Four operations later, and after a lengthy recovery period, the longtime civil engineer is currently training to compete in the Olympic World Triathlon for his age group in Auckland, New Zealand, next October.

This is not the first time Meyer will participate at this level. He has competed in numerous Olympic and Half Ironman triathlons, which includes a 1,500-meter swim, 4-kilometer bike ride, and a 10-kilometer run, finishing with a personal best time of 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Meyer believes that swimming has changed his life, and claims that it is only by the grace of God and his good health that he is able to not only walk, but compete again.

Endurance swimming is best for cardiovascular fitness; 20 to 30 minutes, four to five times a week.

Swimming is also a great exercise for those with arthritis because swimming can help make your joints more limber without heavy weight bearing exercise.

“You can work really hard at it, and won’t feel the stress on your skeleton,” added Meyer, who swims 2,000 yards a day, five days a week. “It also helps me with my work, keeping my thoughts clearer, and keeping me energized throughout the day.”

But swimming is not the only sport that can help reduce the risk of heart disease and maintain weight control and overall fitness.

The popularity of cycling in the United States as a form of exercise or as a recreational activity has exploded, thanks to Americans like Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis who have been immensely successful at major cycling events including the Tour de France.

However, bicycling is not exactly a new invention when it comes to encouraging people to exercise.

Overall, cycling offers numerous benefits. It gives the body a fast and energetic workout and helps the environment at the same time.

Cycling also makes the heart beat in a stable manner, and research reveals that routine cycling enhances cardiovascular functioning by three to seven percent. Cycling also uses the largest muscle group (the legs), raising the heart rate to benefit stamina and fitness.

However, any regular exercise can reduce stress and depression and improve well-being and self esteem. But cycling outdoors is probably one of the best ways to be one with nature and to feel the breath of the earth. It takes one’s mind out of everyday life stress and rejuvenates one’s soul according to many avid bikers, including Klaus Benamy-Hackell of the Kern Wheelmen Club, who after retiring from the airline industry in 2006, reflected on things that could better his life.

Exercise was at the top of his list.

“If you don’t have good health, you won’t be able to do very many things,” he said. “After years working behind a desk, I needed to get back into shape.”

Benamy-Hackell first focused on running for exercise. He began by walk-running, and after just a few weeks found himself walking less, and running more, while increasing his distances.

Just a few months later he was approached by some fellow runners who suggested that he compete in an upcoming triathlon. He borrowed a bike from a friend, and two months later competed in his first sprint triathlon in Santa Barbara.

He liked it so much he was hooked. Especially on the cycling.

“No matter how old, or how well you are, biking is something almost anyone can do,” he explained. “In today’s world, it is also considered green and can be a mode of transportation, while at the same time you invest in your body, which is your health.”

But this 61-year-old retiree isn’t just your average recreational cyclist. Benamy-Hackell bikes three times a week for distances of 100-150 miles.

Since competing in his first full triathlon in Florida last year, placing 13th out of 43 in the age group of 60-64 in a time of 13 hours and 31 minutes, Benamy-Hackell has nearly fulfilled his goal of competing in five marathons in five different continents in 2011.

With one month to go in the year, he has circumnavigated the globe; running, riding, and swimming in Japan, Europe, South America, and Africa, and will culminate his efforts in the Arizona Ironman later this month in Phoenix.

“Being an Ironman, you can do anything,” he added, proudly showing off his new traditional M-dot Ironman tattoo on his right calf. “I have lost twenty-five pounds since I started bicycling, and I feel twenty-five years younger.

“I have developed muscles where I never had them before; my legs especially.”

Founding Father of the United States, and noted polymath, Benjamin Franklin, once said that the only constants in this world were death and taxes. The negative effects of aging and the decline of physical performance should probably be added to this list. However, numerous studies have demonstrated the dramatic effect a regular exercise program, and participating in some form of exercise three to four times a week, can have a blunting effect on the inevitable changes that occur in our bodies.

Because cycling is a low-impact, non-weight-bearing activity, it is forgiving on the joints and can become or remain a fitness mainstay well after middle age, when aerobic exercise is known to delay or reverse the physiological effects of aging.

“I have never had an athlete’s body in life,” said a beaming Benamy-Hackell. “I feel so strong, and it makes my head younger, too.”

Article appeared in our 28-5 Issue - December 2011