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<\/a><\/p>\nImage Credit: JackF \/ iStock.<\/p>\n
Cardio-only workout routines<\/p>\n
Walking and swimming matter, but muscle loss accelerates with age, no matter how much you walk. Stanford physical medicine professor Michael Fredericson hasspecifically pushed<\/a> older adults, women in particular, toward lifting heavier weights than conventional wisdom used to recommend, since strength training protects bone density in ways cardio alone doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Image Credit: Sherman Oaks Antique Mall \/ Getty Images.<\/p>\n Zero unprotected sun exposure, year-round<\/p>\n The instinct to avoid skin cancer risk can overcorrect fast. Five to 30 minutes of unprotected sun on most dayshelps the body produce vitamin D<\/a> naturally, according to guidance published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, and total avoidance can leave older adults deficient, which doctors then have to correct in a different, less efficient way.<\/p>\n Image credit: jacoblund \/ iStock<\/p>\n Skipping balance work entirely<\/p>\n Ten seconds. That\u2019s how long a person between 51 and 75 needs to hold a single-leg stand for researchers to find a measurable link to improved mortality outcomes. Physical medicine specialists nowtreat balance training<\/a> as its own category, separate from strength or cardio work, since falls remain a leading cause of injury and loss of independence in this age group.<\/p>\n Image Credit: innovatedcaptures\/istockphoto.<\/p>\n Treating a daily supplement as a substitute for the actual sunlight<\/p>\n A draft recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reviewed all existing evidence and foundthat vitamin D and calcium supplements<\/a> offer no measurable net benefit for preventing falls or fractures, even though vitamin D\u00a0still matters for other functions in the body.<\/p>\n Image Credit: Jacob Wackerhausen\/iStock<\/p>\n One-size-fits-all annual checkups<\/p>\n More frequent doesn\u2019t automatically mean better care. Guidance from the Society of General Internal Medicine now recommendscustomizing checkup frequency<\/a> based on individual risk factors rather than defaulting every patient to the same annual visit, since comprehensive physical exams and routine lab work add little value for people outside a high-risk category.<\/p>\n Image Credit: solarseven \/ iStock<\/p>\n The bottom line<\/p>\n None of these habits are wrong exactly. They\u2019re just outdated versions of good advice, and the updated version usually asks for something slightly different, not harder.<\/p>\n Ask us! What questions do you have about content, strategy, pop culture, lifestyle, wellness, history or more? We may use your question in an upcoming article!\u00a0<\/p>\n Ask us a question<\/a><\/p>\n Related:<\/p>\n Like MediaFeed\u2019s content?Be sure to follow us<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n