Fitness After Fifty

Exercise: FindTime To Exercise

“I don’t have time to exercise.”  How many times have you said that?  “Time” is the number one reason that people give as an excuse for not wanting to run, walk or workout. 

All experts tend to agree that exercise is good for you.  Exercise can even lengthen your lifespan, a little thing like “no time” is a pretty lame excuse, don’t you think?  If it were something that you wanted to, like shopping or meeting a friend for lunch, you would figure out something.

Denise Malan (Corpus Christi Caller-Times: Corpus Christi: March 26, 2010) writes that you need to make exercise a priority.  I know, you have heard all this before but as get a little older the need becomes a little more urgent. Think of exercising as a daily task like brushing your teeth or eating breakfast.  You wouldn’t forget that would you?  There is no reason why you can’t multi-task here too.  Perhaps you could watch your favorite television show while riding a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill.  Exercise is something that you should enjoy so stop thinking of it as a torture device.  Exercise should be a positive task.  You could tempt yourself with a little reward afterwards, like a session in the hot tub or setting 30 minutes aside to read or meditate.

Most people find that morning workouts are best, by evening you are tired and it is a lot easier to make excuses.  Still some people do better in the evening, so pick the time of day that is best for you, but find time.  It doesn’t have to be a huge chunk out of your day; even 30 minutes will make a difference.

Terrie Henrich Rizzo (Arthritis Today: January/February 2011) gives some suggestions that I would like to share.  Perhaps they will help you rise, shine and get moving first thing in the morning.  Her experiences tells her that working out in the morning works best for many people.  Studies show that working out in the mornings can boost mental acuity and burn up to three times more fat than at other times of the day.

Still, getting up in the morning, when your body is stiff and sore and all you can think about is morning coffee, isn’t always easy.  Let’s look at Terri’s suggestions.

• Plan ahead.  Get your gym clothing and gear together the night before, ready to grab and go.
• Do your workouts as close to home as possible to save precious travel time.
• Workout before showering.  You don’t have to primp for a trip to the gym or a jog around the block.
• Do something that you enjoy. It is not easy to feel joyful at 5-6 in the morning but surely there is some form of exercise that you enjoy.
• Find a workout buddy.  It isn’t easy to find a like minded friend but start putting out some feelers.  There is always the dog.
• Eat a little.  You might not feel like a full breakfast but you do need a little fuel to start your day, even if it is at the gym.
• Get up earlier.  Set your alarm 15-30 minutes earlier and think about how good you will feel and how proud of yourself you will be.

Find time to exercise. Please share ideas and routines that work particularly well for you.

 

 

Fitness: Power Your Workouts With Adequate Nutrition

NW Health, a magazine put out by my local HMO (winter 2011 ghc.org) featured an article by Elizabeth M. Economou about foods to pump you up before, during and after a workout session. I find that eating before a workout makes me quite uncomfortable so I read her article with great interest.  You may think that exercising on an empty stomach is the way to go for optimal calorie burn, but your body needs fuel in order to power you through a successful workout.

Whether you are training for a marathon or just going out for a brisk walk you need to eat something, so why not make it the right thing.  Carbohydrates provide energy for your workout.  Nutritionist recommends combining them with a small amount of lean protein.  If it is too much work to make calculations first thing in the morning, just stick with a whole-wheat bagel with peanut butter, or sprinkle you low fat granola on a cup of yogurt.  If you exercise in the evening you can have a protein such as chicken, with rice as the carbohydrate along with salad and vegetables.  Stay away from fatty foods and carbonated beverages or you will feel like you are exercising with a huge lump in your stomach.  Knowing how much or how soon you can exercise is an individual determination so trial and error is going to be the only way for you to figure this one out.

Nancy Clark (American Fitness: Jan/Feb 2011)) reinforces the idea that each person has a different tolerance for pre-exercise foods.  You don’t necessarily have to wait around for the pre-exercise food to digest.  You might not want to eat very much 5 minutes before a track workout, but you could enjoy a banana on the way out the door for a jog.  Research shows that you could eat an energy bar 15 minutes before moderate exercise with good results.

Whether you should eat during your exercise program will depend on how long you are going to workout, and of course the intensity of your workout.  If you are in a for a long session of an hour or more, you may need to nibble on something  like dried fruits or an energy bar every 60-90 minutes.  If you do much hiking or long distance biking you know that your stomach is not going to let you forget.  If you plan to exercise for longer than 90 minutes you should consume not only a pre-exercise snack but additional carbs to maintain a normal blood sugar.

Hydration is important.   You should be drinking 14-22 ounces of water 2-3 hours before exercising; probably not just your morning coffee.  You probably aren’t going to be doing this if you lace your shoes on as soon as you get up.  Take a water bottle with you.  For modern exercise a sip or two to quench your thirst may be enough but for a more intense outing 6 -12 ounces every 15 minutes is a good plan.

What about after your exercise session?  I am usually starving and my stomach doesn’t buy into the theory that exercise decreases the appetite.  I was happy to read that it is good to eat something to help your body recover.  I like the idea of the recommended chocolate milk, but yogurt, fruit, cheese, lean meat, or an English muffing with peanut butter sounds pretty good too. Your muscles are most receptive to refueling within an hour after a hard workout, so the sooner you refuel the sooner you will be ready to get on with things.  You will feel better, have more energy and curb your appetite for less than ideal temptations. Don’t get too carried away though or you will unravel your good intentions.  To avoid over-indulging in recovery calories, plan to back your training into a meal.  Have a good workout and don’t forget to eat something!

 

 

Exercise And Weight Loss: What Is Your Goal For The New Year?

Is this going to be the year for you to finally get a handle on weight or health issues?  I am really tired of magazine covers talking about six pack abs, and sexy butts when “truth be known”, there is more to the health and fitness story than meets the eye.  The hardest part is facing that same 10-20 pounds that you gain and lose every single year.  Why is this happening to us?

We like to eat, and it seems that exercise can’t entirely offset the damage done by our impromptu dieting and sedentary lifestyles.  Ultimately exercise, according to Rachel Giese. (Flare: Toronto: January 2011), is the smartest way to shed fat but the success of a workout shouldn’t be measured in numbers. 

What about exercise?  Experts tell us that we don’t push ourselves hard enough.   Fitness fads come and go but the need for regular workouts remain a constant.  The discouraging news is that while a moderate amount of exercise is good for you overall, it isn’t enough to actually make you lose weight.  You may have noticed that the number of minutes and the number of recommended times a week to workout are going up instead of down.  In order to shed pounds you have to work out longer and harder than you bargained for.  It all boils down to your bodies desire to conserve energy.  Your body wants you to hold on to a certain amount of fat and it compensates for your efforts by increasing your appetite.

It doesn’t surprise me to read that we overestimate how hard we are working out, and our delightful habit of rewarding ourselves for a hard workout with food puts us back to zero.  A half hour walk can be completely undone by a tall caramel macchiato.  Not fair.  Weight loss still comes down to using up more calories than you take in.

That doesn’t mean that you are genetically doomed to be plump.  There will always be room to change your body and your health, but the success should be measured by something other than numbers.  Improving your fitness is more than the numbers on the scale.  Any kind of movement is better than none at all.  Modest tweaks aren’t going to change your shape overnight but the health benefits kick in with that first step.  If you keep it up the benefits add up.  Your weight may not change but your body composition will.  Your metabolism will be faster and you will burn away that stored fat.  Don’t stop working out because you think you are doomed to failure.  Exercise is the key to being healthy and strong.  If you compare people who lose weight through dieting and those from working out, the exercisers will winds hands down.  The exercisers will lose fat, while the dieters lose muscle.  Forget about a dress size in single digits and focus on living longer and healthier.

You May Be Healthier Than You Think

You may be healthier than you think.  Now that is a novel idea.  Ron Sharp (The Independent. London (UK): January 26, 2010) wrote that despite the daily barrage of articles about new pills and new research studies that predict doom and gloom, that we are healthier than we think we are.

 

He suggests that worrying about our well-being is dominating our lives, and it is bad for us.  We spend so much time reading about new medicine and new studies that we ignore the simple things in life, when we are in fact living healthier lives that we might realize.  The media implies that if we don’t get eight hours of sleep a night, live stress free lives, drink eight glasses of water a day, or exercise every free minute, that we are all doomed to an early demise. 

 

The author picked out some key issues and talked about how you can live with them:

 

• Sleep:  Three quarters of Americans have trouble sleeping.  The experts think that these polls give the wrong impression.  It looks like you need six hours of sleep with seven being the ideal, but if you get less that that for a few days nothing terrible is going to happen.  If you are getting seven hours of sleep at night and you still feel tired, you should sleep more.  There is no hard and fast rule and no conclusive studies that give a cause and effect relationship between sleep deprivation and certain diseases.

 

• Prevention:  Is there a difference between prevention and early detection? For example, studies like mammograms are recommended for all women.  However a mammogram doesn’t prevent cancer, they just catch it at an early stage.  If you detect a problem early enough you can make changes in your lifestyle that may alter it, but getting the mammogram does not mean that you won’t get cancer.  The author is not saying that you should not have mammograms or colonoscopies, but he is saying that it doesn’t help to exceed the recommended frequencies because you think they will keep you healthier.

 

• Nutrition:  A healthy diet should be a given, but a few lapses are not as dire as article write-ups might have you believe.  You know you should eat what is good for you, but if you eat a big steak one night you are not going to drop dead tomorrow.  The rules are a lot looser than you might think.  If you eat a balanced diet for the most part, you are doing your job.

 

• Exercise:  Most people do not achieve the recommended quota of exercise, but any movement at all is going to be beneficial to your over-all well being.  Most active people tend to be fitter than they think they are.  It is good to be active, but don’t let yourself be paralyzed with guilt if you can’t achieve your lofty goals.

 

Eat your five meals a day, take exercise, avoid alcohol, monitor sugar and stress, but otherwise try to relax and enjoy the ride.  Worrying about every study that you read about or wanting to try every new pill advertized is not a good thing. Take good care of yourself and see your health care professional on a regular basis, but don’t worry about your health to the point that it is dominating your life.  What do you think about that?

 

 

 

 

 

Couch Potatoes: Senior Fitness

Exercise is the fountain of youth or so modern medicine would have us believe.  Still, most of us spend more time thinking about exercise than actually doing it so it isn’t surprising that the term couch potato was coined.  Experts all agree though that exercise, in many cases, can be as powerful as medications and without the dastardly side effects.

 

Getting started is the hard part.  It is pretty much a known fact that people who exercise have more energy, manage weight more easily, and sleep better than people who don’t.  I know, deep down, that all of these statements must be true but it is hard to put a finger on the moment when you notice any of this.  I exercise a lot but have never experienced a runners “high,” or woke up in the morning thinking, “wow…I have so much energy today” (compared to what?).  I usually feel good but does that mean that you don’t? From what I have seen, I have more aches and pains than my couch potato friends, but I still manage to feel quite noble as I hobble down the hall.  I wonder if the change is ever as dramatic as they say, but I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt because I know exercise is good for me.  So, how do we get you off of that couch?

 

The experts say that after years of inactivity, you should start by simply moving more.  Take more steps during the day, stand up when you talk on the phone, park further away from the door and take the stairs.  That is a start, but it takes a little more effort when you start thinking about how to mix aerobic exercise, strength training and flexibility training into the picture.  You don’t necessarily need a fancy home gym or a gym membership in order to get your exercise.  You can make vacuuming, sweeping and raking quite aerobic if you work at it, but what fun is that?  I hate vacuuming, sweeping, and yard work, and think a Zumba class, spinning or water aerobics is totally more fun.

 

But whatever your poison, find something that you will enjoy and work at it for 20-30 minutes at least three times a week.  Start slowly and listen to your body.  It took a long time for you to get into your present condition, and you aren’t going to be able to fix yourself overnight.  If you can only tolerate 10 minutes on the treadmill or one block in the neighborhood, that is okay.  In a few weeks you will be surprised at the improvement, one step at a time.

 

Some people say that they don’t have time to exercise or that they don’t need to exercise because they are not fat.  While exercise does require a certain commitment, 20 minutes of aerobic activity three days a week should be manageable.  After all, it takes that long to flip through the 300 channels that you have with your television remote.

 

The idea for the couch potato is to trick your brain into an exercise routine, according to Terry Foster (Detroit News, March 24, 2010).  He went through the same scenario that we all do.  He dreaded climbing on his bike and hated going for a walk.  He just plain didn’t want to it.  I agree.  I feel that way too, but sometimes you have to do it whether you like it or not.  You look at the clock while you are walking and you wonder if you will ever get to the 20-30 minute finish line.  The mental drain is what gets to you, long before you actually get physically tired.  Mr. Foster shared some tricks:

 

·        Listen to music:  You need something fast and upbeat to add some zest to your workout.  You can get audios with favorite tunes of every description and are calibrated to a certain beat.  For hikes or dog walks I like listening to books on tape to keep my mind off from my tired legs or aching feet.

·        Record favorite television shows or schedule your treadmill or bike time to coincide with program timing.  Walking or jogging on a treadmill to the Ellen Show or Dr. Phil is always quite fun.  Time seems to melt away quicker when you are entertained.

·        The third trick is to cover the clock.  It takes for ever if you are walking to the countdown of a clock.  Cover up the clock with a towel and only peak once in awhile.

 

It is often the mental game that dooms us.  At first nobody wants to exercise.  We don’t want to work up a sweat or tweak our muscles until they are sore.  But if you keep at it, and it becomes a habit, you will soon be consumed by guilt if you miss a session.

 

You must conquer the mental game to get your body in tune.  It isn’t just about working the body; you have to work the mind also.  So, let’s hear from the couch potatoes of the world.

 

 

Zumba: Dance Your Way to Fitness At Any Age

Zumba is so new that my spell-check goes berserk every time I use it, but not so new that classes everywhere aren’t filled to overflowing.  Exercise buffs are all abuzz and are willing to try anything that might make exercise fun, and Zumba has caught the imagination of exercisers young and old.

 

Zumba is a high energy fitness program with its music and dance moves drawn from Latin American dance steps.  Zumba is easy for everyone, regardless of age or ability. The wild popularity is in the fact that it makes fitness fun.  When exercise is fun, you are more apt to stick with it.  Zumba has become so popular that you will even notice a Zumba Gold version that is friendlier to people who are getting older, people with limited mobility or simply for people who have never done Zumba before and want to ease into it gradually.

 

Zumba burns a significant number of calories because it is a form of interval training, in which you increase and decrease the intensity of your workout through varied rhythms and dance styles.  If you are arrhythmic and too shy to expose your ineptitude to the world, you can start out with a Zumba DVD that features the basic steps and routines, before putting them into real action in a group setting.

 

There is something very uplifting about dance, and what hooks people is that they have so much fun while moving to the beat of the music.  You do not have to know how to dance, you don’t need to memorize steps (well, I would because I have two left feet), you just relax and let yourself move to the music.

 

According to Beto Perez, who created Zumba and wrote a comprehensive book simply titled “Zumba”, you should be able to enjoy Zumba even if you find dance intimidating.  You can try her routines, using the DVD, in the privacy of your home until you get the hang of it.  After that, I think you will want to join a class because that is where the fun really begins. 

 

Once you get used to the idea that dance/exercise is not a competition to show who the best dancer is, you can loosen up and have a fun time.  There is no right and wrong, it is all about what you can achieve personally that counts.

 

Zumba qualifies as an aerobic activity by its prolonged rhythmic nature and because you are using your large muscle groups.  Dancing can raise your heartbeat from 120-160 beats per minute, hence building your hearts strength and endurance.  Zumba also incorporates elements of strength training and flexibility as has you bending and moving in every possible direction.  The music motivates you to do conditioning exercises with more intensity than if you were trying to do them on your own.  Core strength isn’t ignored either.  Zumba works your entire body and naturally works all of the muscles that support your torso and help you stand tall.  Don’t forget fat burning.  The real beauty of Zumba is its high calorie burn.  You can burn 600-1000 calories an hour, depending on if you dance delicately or really work at it until you are drenched.  Zumba, as you can see, is a total body workout.

 

You do not have to struggle to follow combination steps or transitions, but instead can concentrate on naturally moving your body in new and different ways.  Are you still skeptical?  The author suggests studying the book and instructionally DVD.  Simply follow along and you will be able to follow the routines easily.

 

What to wear?  Hmmm, we all want to look good, right?  Half the fun of a new exercise routine is dressing the part.  You can find all kinds of moisture wicking outfits that make you look great, but investing in a good sports bra for gals or non-binding athletic supporters for guys is probably the most important.  The second most important item is a pair of supportive shoes.  You want to wear sturdy, well cushioned exercise shoes that are light but offer good support.  She suggests an aerobic shoe, a court shoe or a jazz sneaker.  Otherwise, just remember that Zumba routines require a lot movement so your clothing needs to be loose and comfortable.  I peaked in at a class the other day and saw everything from long dresses to jeans gracing the exercisers.

 

Pilates Provides Health Benefits for People Over 50

 Physiotherapists, osteopaths, and doctors are recommending the holistic approach of Pilates as one of the safest forms of exercise today.  All of the movements in Pilates are controlled and are considered low impact, which places very little stress on the body.  Earlier versions tended to scare off the senior exerciser but instructors have recognized that a newer version is just what the doctor ordered.  Exercises like these are especially important for older people who are facing loss of mobility and who want to improve their posture, balance, strength, and stamina.

 

Pilates builds on your body’s core strength and improves posture, flexibility and balance through a series of low impact conditioning and strengthening exercises.  Older people with arthritis, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, pelvic floor issues, declining mobility and balance issues have exhibiting outstanding results from these programs.

 

Pilates is an exercise program that focuses on the core muscles and ultimately works the entire body.  The movements are slow and precise and the instructions easy to follow.  It is low impact and geared toward preventing injuries.  The benefits are huge.  Regular mat Pilates leads to better posture, stronger abdominal muscles, better balance and increased bone density.  Disavow yourself of the notion that Pilates is too hard if you are not a hard core fitness geek.   Find a class that you love and consider making Pilates the core of your entire exercise program. Think of Pilates as a holistic approach to exercise.

Senior Fitness: Is The Aging Athlete here To Stay?

 It wasn’t that long ago that getting in shape just means donning a pair or tennis shoes and the rattiest sweat pants in your closet and then just doing your thing.  Nowadays everyone seems to think that they need the best equipment and the perfect outfit in order to make “fitness” happen.

 

We may not be professionals but at least we like to think of ourselves as amateur athletes.  Savvy marketers are taking a second look at the senior market.  Older men and women athletic hopefuls have found their second wind, and now have the time and money to indulge in all of the extras.  Whether it is the specter of bulging waistlines or the comfort of knowing that you have a bottle of Ibuprofen on your night stand, the senior element is ready to rock and roll.  An article about “Athletic Aging,” by Mac Margolis (Newsweek, February 20, 2006) lays it on the line about what is going on now that the fitness generation is growing older.

 

Amateur athletes want it all.  They are bombarded by hundreds of products that keep track of steps, calories and heartbeats.  The “right” clothing breathes, wicks away moisture and filters odors.  Your fancy treadmill may even remember your name, past performances, and other vital statistics to help motivate you to be the best that you can be.

 

Baby Boomers have spent an entire lifetime being in charge and are looking at retirement as just another phase in their development.  The thoughts of slow deterioration accompanied by the high cost of health care is a powerful motivator when it comes to getting people off of their butts and back into the gym.  Doctors preach prevention and the gym scene is following suit.  The focus today is keeping people motivated and injury free.

 

Equipment trends come and go, but the need to exercise is constant.  Our sedentary lifestyles have become our worst enemy.  Lifestyle disorders have lead to all sorts of problems and none of them are conducive to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but it is still difficult to get adults to change their behaviors. The good news is that you don’t have to run a marathon to stay in shape.  Researchers agree that improving balance, coordination and agility are more important than working on six-pack abs and bulging biceps. 

 

Fortunately a modest change in your lifestyle can make a big difference.  A more practical approach to getting people to exercise is taking hold, but if wearing the right outfit makes you feel good and the right shoes make you feel like you can fly, why not go for it?  If pedometers, heart monitors, and computer programs make working out more fun they are worth every penny.  Scientists are hopeful that their message is clear when it comes to motivating an aging world to keep in better shape.

Healthy Lifestyle: Can You Focus on Health Not Weight?

 When did being thin become the be all and end all of our lives?   We are bombarded with books, articles and media concerns every single day about what we should eat and how much exercise we need.

 

Is being a little bit plump really that bad?  Well maybe not.  The guidelines remain pretty much the same but it is hard to keep track of all of the studies that are being done.  Eat fiber. Avoid sugar.  Avoid saturated fat, and keep your sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams a day. I feel like I have to be conscious of every bite that I put into my mouth.  Do you ever feel like you need a PhD to navigate the supermarket?

 

Katherine Rosman wrote an article for The Wall Street Journal (Tuesday, April 27, 2010) that actually presented a case for carrying around a few extra pounds, and that it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  It’s about time. 

 

It is now being suggested that there is little risk to carrying around a few extra pounds, and in some ways may even be good for you.  While experts agree that obesity is a serious health issue; there is a difference between carrying a few extra pounds around and in being obese.  You can be a few pounds overweight and still be healthy.  Eating healthy foods and exercising can matter more than the numbers on your scale.  Those few extra pounds generally manifest as subcutaneous fat and are carried on the hips, thighs and gluteus areas.  It is visceral fat (the fat attaching to your organs and often seen as a fat belly) that will do you in.

 

One study found that people in their 70s who were slightly overweight were less likely to die (over a 10 year study) than those of normal weight.  I suppose the thinking is that a few extra pounds will build you up to the point where you can fight off illness and injury as you age.  A few extra pounds also helps you to increase bone mass and strength your skeleton.

 

Women should not worry if they are 10-15 pounds over weight, particularly if the fat is not in the belly area.  As women age, those who are a little overweight appear younger as fat provides more structure for the skin.  Even gyms are starting to teach people the importance of being healthy over being thin. Trainers are starting to encourage people to accept their bodies and focus on health over thinness.  It is more important to have a sound body and mind rather than the perfect physical body.  Now haven’t you been waiting to hear that for a long time?

Exercise Excuses: Air Pollution

 

One of the major points of exercising is to improve your aerobic capacity.  This means that you are trying to increase the amount of air that you take into your lungs.  This is all well and good, but what about air pollution?  It isn’t unusual to see people walking and jogging on city streets, along highways or even on interurban trails.  I don’t know about you but the thought of inhaling fumes from all of that city traffic makes my lungs cringe.

 

Air pollution can cause problems like chest pain, coughing, wheezing, watery eyes or even respiratory problems.  Well bummer.  Should we even be out there?

 

It isn’t surprising to read that ozone, carbon monoxide, dust, smoke, and pollen get trapped in your upper respiratory tract and can irritate the tissues in your lungs.  Exposure to all of these toxins can cause coughing, airway constriction, and even lead to long term health problems.

 

For non-fitness freaks, I guess this is evidence enough to turn you off fitness altogether.  However, The Mayo Clinic Fitness for Everybody book offered a few timely suggestions on how to keep your lungs healthy no matter where you live.

 

Avoid busy streets and roadways.  Carbon monoxide levels are highest along busy streets.  They recommend staying at least 50 feet away from heavily trafficked areas.

 

Avoid rush hour traffic.  Workout when traffic is the lightest.  Be aware of pollution levels and workout indoors when air pollution or pollen warnings are high.

 

Choose healthy foods.  Antioxidant foods high in Vitamin C, E, and Beta carotene can help protect lungs from irritants.

 

If you are particularly sensitive to pollution you might even consider a dust mask that is designed to filter particles.  Some masks are also able to cut ozone and carbon monoxide exposure.  So, if you think you look goofy already, wait until you don this newfangled garb.  People devoted to exercise will find a way, so no excuses accepted.