It's Never Too Late To Get Healthy

As we get older we become so set in our ways, the most popular mindset is "it's too late for me to start now; what ever damage is done cannot be reversed". This could not be further from the truth. Once again, I refer to myself, and the lifestyle changes I have made since turning 50. I made up my mind that I could not go up another size, and I was determined to make the necessary changes in diet and exercise to make that happen in the healthiest way possible, without killing myself with exercise, and continuing to eat the foods I really enjoyed. It is never too late.

The American Heart Association has a physical activity readiness questionnaire that should be used as a guide before adding any additional physical activity to your routine. They ask questions and address issues such as; heart conditions and medically supervised physical activity, chest pain, dizziness and loss of consciousness, breathlessness after mild exertion, high blood pressure and associated medication, bone or joint problems, or any other physical limitations. Once you have addressed any or all of these issues with your healthcare professional, you can start to add more physical activity to your life. For more information on adult fitness, and it's importance please go to adultfitnesstest.org . The AHA also recommends exercising at least 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week. This was my initial goal when starting my plan, and it has been a great guide to go by. Walking is of course the most popular, and easiest to maintain consistently. You can break it up during the day into 10 minutes, 3 times a day, or 15 minutes, twice a day. Whatever suits you and your schedule. I usually walk the dog a couple of times a day, in addition to parking farther away to get more walking in. If you have read my previous articles, I have always tried to stress the importance of finding the exercise you enjoy in an effort to develop a consistent exercise routine. Everything counts; golf, racquetball, baseball, softball, soccer, etc.

Now for some fun facts about how exercise generally affects your overall health in our later years. First realize that physical activity is anything that makes you move your body, and burns calories, and aerobic activity such as walking, jogging, biking, zumba, racquetball, etc, .is beneficial for your heart. Exercise and physical activity boosts your mental health, and relieves anger, tension and depression. In other words, it makes you feel good. It also increases your immunities, reducing your risk of cancer and heart disease.  Physical activity also lowers your blood pressure which can ultimately help you reduce or stop any medications you may be taking, in addition to boosting good cholesterol. For each hour of exercise you gain 2 hours of life expectancy, even if you don't start until middle age, according to the AHA. How great is that!! Other advantages of exercise after the age of 55 are prevention of bone loss, which reduces the risk of fractures, and increase in muscle strength, which contributes to balance and coordination and ultimately reduces the risk of falling.

Basically, physical activity increases your quality of life for much longer than you could have ever imagined, and will ultimately continue your independence, without having to depend on others later in life.We have one life to live and one body to live in. Life is precious and should not be taken advantage of. It's up to you to make that difference and take that next step to the best you can be.

Make it count and live for today in order to have a better future tomorrow!!

The Weight Gain Dilemma

So now that my hormones were somewhat on track it was time to get rid of this extra 30 pounds or so.  I really thought I was doing everything right; playing racquetball 2-3 times a week, and eating what I considered to be healthy. I had heard a couple of people talking at the Y about a new computerized system called Activtrax. Apparently you could log your food in and it would calculate how many calories, fat, carbs, and protein grams you ate. You could also get set up on the computer based on your goals for weightloss, and exercise. I had been searching for something to help me lose this god awful extra weight. I was getting ready to go up another size and I was not willing to let that happen. It was enough!!

I decided to take the plunge. What did I have to lose? Some weight, maybe? I got setup on Activtrax with a goal of exercising at least 30 minutes a day, and losing at least 30 pounds. My workout included all the weight machines, a few exercises on the mat with the ball, and the other exercise bars, belts, etc. I also warmed up on the treadmill and finished on the eliptical.  I decided that I would go to the gym on the nights that I was not playing racquetball. The computer spit out my workout everytime I came. It was great. I also started doing the 8 minute Ab workout every morning. I have been using this for many years off and on. I have to be really motivated. Anyway, there are about 12 different ab positions and with 20 reps each that comes to about 240 total crunches. I also do 20 leg lifts on each side, as well as some knee and lower back stretches. I know this sounds like alot but you can knock it out in 15 minutes or less. I do breath in between, so I am not doing the crunches continuously. Believe me, I am no great exerciser, so if I can do this, I know you can. I was really challenged by the logging in of the food. They have alot of choices with breakdowns of each item. I had my breakdown of 20% fat, 50% carbs, and 30% protein. It was very interesting seeing what I thought would fit into these categories and what I actually ended up with. This taught me alot about looking at the labels for these breakdowns. I also found out that it takes about 3-5 times more protein to get to 30%. In the beginning I measured everything to make sure I was only eating a serving size. Its important to do this. You think you are only eating a certain amount of butter, or mayo, or peanut butter until you start to measure. I became very aware of how much fat was in everything. I starting buying lite and lowfat dressings that I thought I would like as well as some bags of frozen fish, shrimp, and chicken breasts.  I like fresh vegetables, so I only bought what I thought I would eat for about a week at a time so as not to waste the food and have to throw it away. I hate throwing away food because it went bad. I was on my way and it felt good to start this new journey. I was very motivated and determined. Please continue to “The Weight Loss Success”.