'The Big Four' Workout

There are four areas in a fitness routine to include in good training design. When working with a fitness professional, chances are you are already reaping the benefits of this four-pronged approach.

If working out "on your own," be sure to incorporate these principles into your fitness plan.

BALANCE
This area is key to long-term health, because as we age, our inner ear function degrades. Combined with the associated muscle atrophy from a more sedentary existence, the chances of debilitating falls become much greater. To fend off such risks, try routines balanced on one leg as a challenge.

Balancing body weight, along with a dumb bell or two, as you balance on one leg, forces your target muscle and core to work harder, while challenging your inner ear function. To condition even more, try standing on balance discs like the Bosu Ball. Place it on the floor flat side up and then reverse it to round side up. Creating instability as you work will go a long way toward improving balance and steadiness.

STRENGTH
When we reach our mid-forties, time has a way of deconditioning the body, because we tend to be in situations that require less strenuous activity. Our pick up basketball career has ended, league play has stopped, our running pace slowed, we've had a sidelining injury, or more than likely, just flat out stopped resistance training. Men lose an average of one percent of lean body mass annually in their 40s and if female, add to that bone density loss, at a rate of .3 to .5 percent.

To maintain lean weight and stave off fat gain, keep up a resistance-training regime. Start using your body weight and do step-ups, squats and lunges; anything aimed at those larger muscle groups requires more fuel. Once you master the basics, add reasonably-scaled weights to bring variety of movement and added stress to your body's system.

FLEXIBILITY
Muscles are attached to bone by tendons; the less flexible the muscle, the harder it pulls on the bone attachment site via your tendons. Overly tight muscles can create higher loading on attachment sites and can alter the nature of how a bone is normally seated. People with overly tight hamstrings, usually from lack of movement, like sitting all day at a desk, tend to have lower back pain, because their hamstrings are in a contracted state most of their lives. Combine tight hamstrings with weak abs and the problem becomes exacerbated. The hams pull on the pelvis, and the abs cannot maintain proper alignment.

Start simple. Stand up tall, lock your knees and slowly, with your back arched slightly at the belt line, bend forward as if reaching for your toes. When you feel the stretch in your hams, buns and lower back - stop there - inhale and then exhale deeply six times. Slowly stand, as you move your arms to a Y "touchdown" position and then slowly press your arms back as if reaching for a wall behind you. More flexibility equals less pain, better posture and less injuries.

ENDURANCE
Are you winded walking up stairs or carrying in groceries? If so, your body is asking you to condition it. To endure means to hold out against, sustain with- out impairment or yielding. Endurance, on the other hand, is the ability or strength to continue, especially despite fatigue or other adverse conditions.

Take your rep counts up to 15, 18 or 20 per set and increase pacing between each by reducing your rest periods. If you are already a high-rep master, introduce complementary routines in conjunction with your normal sets. Rather than rest in between each, hit the treadmill all out for 45 seconds or do 20 air squats, high knee marches in place, jumping jacks or sprint in place. Your heart rate will soar and perspiration will flow with healthfulness, as you will build... endurance.