Healthy Aging

 What is healthy aging? How does one effectively offset or slow the effects of aging? In other words, how does one age gracefully? Obviously many factors can influence how we age: genetics, environment and lifestyle. In this blog, I would like to look at what the research points to as the biggest determinant of healthy aging, which is lifestyle and physical fitness. Several studies have clearly shown that physical fitness is an important predictor of both cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. In addition it is a good predictor of being able to live an independent life at old age.

 Physical Fitness

However, before we delve into the subject of physical fitness, it is important to differentiate between three different but inter-related concepts: physical activity, physical exercise, and physical fitness. Physical activity refers to any body movement produced by muscle action that increases energy expenditure. Physical exercise refers to planned, structured, repetitive, and purposeful physical activity. Physical fitness is the capacity to perform physical exercise. Physical fitness makes reference to the full range of physical qualities, such as, aerobic capacity, strength, speed, agility, coordination, and flexibility. Thus, daily exercise should be orientated towards increasing daily physical activity and improving physical fitness.

 Aerobic Exercise

One aspect of improving physical fitness is aerobic exercise. The results of aerobic exercise, such as, walking are very positive, especially for cardiovascular health. These improvements are independent of race, sex, age, and body mass index. The research shows that a program of regular aerobic exercise of three to six months duration can improve aerobic capacity by 15%–30%. A training frequency of 3–5 days a week is recommended, and the research indicates that it is preferable to avoid single, hard bouts of exercise once a week. Training intensity should be at some 55%/65%–90% of the maximum heart rate, or of the maximum reserve heart rate (maximum HR –rest HR) (ACSM 1998)

 Strength Training

Strength training or resistance training is another aspect of improving physical fitness. Strength training has been shown to be the most effective method for developing skeletomuscular strength, and it is currently prescribed by many major health organizations for improving health and fitness. Research demonstrates that resistance training reduces the risk factors associated with coronary heart disease, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, and colon cancer; it prevents osteoporosis, promotes weight loss and weight maintenance, and likewise, improves dynamic stability, preserves functional capacity, and fosters psychological welfare. These benefits can be safely obtained when an individualized program is prescribed. In the American College of Sports Medicine’s position stand that, “resistance training should be an integral part of any adult fitness program and should be of sufficient intensity to enhance strength, muscular endurance, and maintain fat-free mass. Resistance training should be progressive in nature, individualized, and provide a stimulus to all the major muscle groups.” In essence, it is imperative that you do what it takes TODAY even eliciting the help of a professional in helping you reach a certain level of age defying physical fitness.

“I want to lose weight.” Nine out of ten times this is what I hear when I ask clients what is their most important goal? When I delve deeper into why they want to lose weight. Here are some of the most revealing reasons – and the best reasons to lose weight!

I hate looking at myself in a mirror.

I want to feel I can do this and to keep it the weight off.

I hate myself in a bathing suit. I don’t even like going to the pool with my kids.

I want to feel good about myself again.

I want to feel better physically.

I want to be happier.

I dread having your picture taken.

I will be healthier.

So I won’t die young like my parent, a relative.

So I will be a good example to my children.

I will eat healthier food; therefore your family will eat healthier.

I will be less winded when walking stairs or long distances

I will live longer, and enjoy my life more.

I will not fear the scales any more.

I will look better, and feel better.

I want to look good at my class reunion; my son/daughter’s wedding.

So my back and feet won’t hurt.

So people won’t think I’m pregnant.

So I won’t have to come up with new excuses for being overweight.

So I won’t feel depressed to just dressed in the morning.

So I can feel comfortable in a car, at the theater, an airplane.

I want to be happy!

I want to be able to run, play and do things with my kids/grandkids.

I want to dance again.

I want to feel better about myself.

I want to wear smaller size clothing.

Short cuts are short lived. So why do we feel we can do something for a short time to get lasting results? We feel all we have to do to lose some weight is to diet or to exercise for a set amount of time. Then presto we get the body, the good health we want. Sadly, we repeat this self-defeating pattern of behavior.

Understandably, we all want to look and feel great. But for this to happen, we need to do the RIGHT THING ALL THE TIME not just some of the time or for a short time. Quick results, do not equate to lasting results!

Likewise, we all want to look and feel good about ourselves. Who wouldn’t want to feel confident with their appearance, and have the stamina, strength and endurance to live a quality life? However, we can’t achieve this level of confidence without a plan, a plan of working towards a lasting goal. This goal should be a healthier you.

What does it take to be healthier and to be more fit? EATING HEALTHY AND DAILY EXERCISE. Help Guide provides some practical and helpful hints http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_diet.htm.

In essence, you have to change your lifestyle. The weight gain, the health issues, the low energy are all because of the way you are living now. So it makes sense to change your lifestyle to a more productive, positive and healthy lifestyle.

Learning what foods and behaviors are healthy and then establishing a healthy routine requires discipline on your part. No one can make you not eat that fried food or to get out and take a walk. You have to decide once and for all that for a happy, healthier you, YOU MUST MAKE THE LIFESTYLE IMPROVING CHANGES! There’s no turning back. No going back to old behaviors. You have full command of your life, your health!

Living healthy. Living Longer. There’s no short cut to taking care of you!

Eating to Lose Weight & Body fat

While it seems harmless — and possibly even beneficial to weight loss — to skip a meal or a snack from time to time, this common scenario may actually be setting your body up to gain weight.

How is it possible to gain weight by NOT eating?

The first goal of eating regularly every 3 to 4 hours is to eliminate cravings. Skipping meals and snacks causes exaggerated swings in blood sugar, which may encourage these cravings to return. This may cause you to splurge on unhealthy foods, thus reversing your weight-loss progress.
Skipping too many meals can prompt your body to go into starvation mode. In order to conserve energy and resources, your metabolism will start to slow down, ultimately causing your weight loss to stall. You will also lose muscle and not recover from your strength training workouts if you are not fueling your body with quality meals. This loss in muscle will also slow down your metabolic rate and stall all progress.

So what should you do if you’re just not hungry?

Don’t fall into the common trap of mistaking your diminished cravings for diminished hunger. If you’re following the eating plan correctly — eating regular meals throughout the day — you will begin to get hungrier but you won’t feel as ravenous as you did in the past as long as you are eating all of your meals on time. By eating regular meals daily, you will increase your lean mass; increase your metabolic rate and look and feel better than ever!

Your wellness journey starts with you. What I mean by this is that the decision to become a healthier you whether it‘s to lose weight, have more energy or become a better athlete resides with you. You and only you can make that decision.

Most people want to start exercising and eating healthy but are completely overwhelmed at where to start even.  So hopefully I can help point you in the right direction.

For starters, you need to write down the biggest reason you want to get healthy. What’s your motivation?  If you find this task overwhelming, perhaps, it’s time to seek a professional who can help you with the process.

Once you’ve decided that this is something you want to do then the time to start is now! No better time than now. Because a decision isn’t truly made until it’s put into action. That’s where an action plan is created. Again, a professional can help you with the process. However, realize that the process will be ongoing. For good health & fitness is not reaching a goal but continuing to do what it takes to remain healthy & fit. In other words, it’s a lifestyle that you must continue for the rest of your life.

Again, just as important as deciding what needs to be done, is knowing that you need to be realistic with your time and goals and make an all-out effort to plan.  Believe me, even the fittest and healthy people you know today at some point where were you are right now.  If it were easy, we’d all be healthy & fit! Just be consistent with the process; stick with it; and realize that yes, things will come up that will throw you off track; however, the most important thing you can do is to get back on track! That’s what your trainer and your support network are there for to help you stay the course.

I am reminded of the wise words of Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper, “Fitness is a journey, not a destination. You must continue for the rest of your life.”

Here is some helpful information, visuals, regarding serving sizes:

• Two cups of mixed greens are two baseballs.
• One cup of raw vegetables is a baseball.
• A half cup of cooked vegetables, rice, cereal, couscous, bulgur wheat, beans, tofu, or low-fat cottage cheese is a cupcake or muffin.
• One medium baked potato or sweet potato is a computer mouse.
• For vegetable or fruit juice, 8-10 ounces is about three-quarters of a soda can.
• One medium piece of raw fruit is a tennis ball.
• One cup of berries or chopped fruit is a baseball.
• A fourth of a cup of dried fruit is a golf ball.
• A half of a whole-grain 3-ounce bagel, a half of a whole-wheat English muffin, or a half of a whole-grain hamburger bun is a hockey puck.
• One whole-wheat pita or one whole-wheat flour or corn tortilla is an average-sized saucer.
• Four whole-grain crackers are four tea bags.
• Two low-fat whole-wheat pancakes are two compact discs.
• One cup of milk (skim, low-fat, 1 percent, soy, rice, and nut milks) or one cup of plain, low-fat, sugar-free, or soy yogurt, is a baseball.
• An ounce of hard cheese is a tube of lipstick.
• One vegetarian burger or patty is a lid to a mayonnaise jar.
• One tablespoon of oil (olive, canola, flaxseed, peanut, sesame, walnut, or other oil), salad dressing, mayonnaise, nut butters, nuts, or seeds is one checker.
• When it comes to meat, I recommend 4 ounces—roughly the same size as your checkbook or a deck of cards—as part of a healthy meal.

You’re at that point where you say…”I can’t do this on my own! I’ve tried again and again to lose this weight; to build more muscle, or just feel better…only to be frustrated time again and again! Would hiring a personal trainer be the answer? And what do I look for in a personal trainer? If I’m going to entrust my physical well – being and my health to a stranger, they better know what they’re doing! ”

Well, let’s look at what makes a good personal trainer. A good trainer has the appropriate certifications. He or she has an excellent repetition in the industry and with his/her clients, and he or she has exceptional communication skills.

So what makes for a qualified personal trainer? A personal trainer should be educated and certified through a reputable fitness organization. Remember this person’s job is to assess your fitness level, set up a program for you and keep you motivated. He or she will push you past your comfort level–something difficult for you to do on your own.

Now where do you go to find a “qualified trainer”, an individual who will educate, motivate and inspire you to reach for the sky … an individual that knows his/her stuff… that will protect, motivate and get the results and lifestyle change you desperately want! I highly recommend doing your research before you make that kind of investment, for it can be costly!

A good place to start is the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. The NCCA accredits programs that meet its standards.NCCA accredited programs was the only place on the Internet where you can compare accredited personal training certification programs. There, you will soon discover that not all trainers are equal when you compare accreditation and standards in the industry.

Learn how to eat properly based on your goals and your personal profile

Learn to turn your body into a “fat burning machine” – Lose up to 2 pounds a week and keep it off for life!

Find out how you can get maximum results based on the best fitness prescription for YOU!

Find out how to burn fat while you sleep, watch tv or sit at your desk at work

Have the body you’ve always wanted; be in the best shape at 40 or 50 then you were at 20

Regain your pre-pregnancy body; better yet, redefine a better YOU!

Get the motivation, inspiration, and accountability you need to stick with a complete health & fitness program

Learn new training techniques and reinforce training habits

Learn to adapt to a lifetime exercise program

Learn how to exercise properly to achieve goals, rehabilitate injuries, and prevent future injuries

Show your family and friends that you have made the choice to be different from the 60% of Americans that choose to live their lives overweight and unhealthy!

The ultimate goal of befitgal.com is to turn you into your own personal trainer!!

1. Go Veg. Think protein-rich plant foods at every meal. It’s possible to get 75 to 105 grams of protein a day by eating a variety of soy products, beans, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. Add a little peanut butter to your whole grain bread, toss some lentils into your pasta sauce, or add chickpeas, or pine nuts to a salad.
2. Go Organic. A handful of fruits and vegetables – including spinach, apples, peaches, and strawberries tend to have particularly high levels of residues, so organic may be your safest bet. If you can’t buy organic, take extra care when washing these foods
3. Good Essential Fats. Your body won’t run well on a totally fat-free diet. We need fat on a daily basis to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, which our bodies can’t process by in isolation. Research further suggests that prostate-boosting lycopene and other antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables are absorbed better when combined with good fats.
4. The Best Carbs. Slow-burning carbs are high in fiber and are slow to digest. They keep your blood sugar energy, and should be a staple of your diet. Where can you find them? In oatmeal and other whole grains, beans, lentils, fruits, and vegetables. Fast-burning carbs are digested quickly, are low in fiber, and have a greater effect on your blood sugar. They provide a quick hit of energy that’s useful to runners right before working out, but you should eat them in moderation. You can find them in pasta, white rice, white flour, potatoes, and cornflakes.
5. Slow Eating. Eat slowly if you want to lose weight. It takes 20 minutes for your body to register that it’s full, so it’s easy to load up on extra calories if you’re speed eating. Take the time to savor each bite and watch the pounds melt away.
6. Nutritious Winter Squash. Winter squash is a nutrition packed food. One cup of winter squash provides 145 percent of your recommended daily intake of beta-carotene and one-third of your daily value of vitamin C. Winter squash also aids in hydration. Most varieties are 89 percent water, and acorn squash boasts 896 milligrams of potassium per cup (nearly double that of a banana). Potassium, an electrolyte lost through sweat, helps regulate fluid levels in the body.
7. Healthy Carbs. Fresh fruits such as berries, melons, peaches, plums, and nectarines are loaded with carbohydrates – about 15 grams for every tennis ball size serving – and packed with vitamins and antioxidants.
8. Protein Power. To repair muscle fibers damaged during strength training, eat lean protein sources. Low-free dairy, soy products, legumes, fish, lean beef and poultry, and eggs all supply needed amino acids. Aim for approximately 80 grams of protein per day.
9. Conscious Indulgences. Indulgences are as necessary as training. If the ice cream cake is for a really special occasion, have a slice, then make a compromise later in the day. Save the nuts and fruit you bought for a snack tomorrow.
10. The Best Chocolate. Need a chocolate fix? Go for dark varieties. Dark chocolate is differentiated by the percentage of cocoa it contains. The higher the percentage, the more cocoa and the less sugar it has. Choose a percentage of 70 or more for the most antioxidants. If the ingredients include hydrogenated oil, or trans-fats, skip it!

We hear it all the time, for good health you must eat healthily and exercise. But what exactly is healthy eating? Healthy eating essentially means consuming the right quantities of foods from all food groups to lead a healthy life. Diet is often referred to as some dietary regimen for losing weight. Diet simply means the food we eat.

A nutritionally sound diet promotes good health. A healthy diet must include several food, groups. The crucial part of healthy eating is a balanced diet. A balanced diet, a healthy diet, means consuming from all the different food groups in the right quantities, so you can have the right amount and mix of the nutrients and minerals your body needs. Nutritionists say there are five main food groups – whole grains, fruit, vegetables, protein, and dairy. I differ in opinion as a vegetarian regarding the food groups, which I have addressed in an earlier blog, but that’s not my emphasis here. My emphasis is a balanced, healthy diet. However, too many in our country do not embrace the guiding principles for good health.

Our country is facing a chronic problem with the increasing rate of obesity in the overall population, which includes adults as well as our children. An abstract from the Journal of American Medicine reads, “ More than one-third (34.9% or 78.6 million) of U.S. adults are obese.” The states of Mississippi and Alabama alone have obesity rates above 30% while 22 other states have obesity rates all over 25%. Moreover, the percentage of overweight children in the United States is growing at an alarming rate, with 1 out of 3 now considered overweight or obese.

The World Health Organization (WHO) makes the following recommendations.

• We should aim for an energy balance and a healthy bodyweight.
• We should limit our energy consumption from total fats.
• We should also aim for more unsaturated fats and less saturated fats.
• We should up our consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts. We should consume, as little simple sugars are possible.
• We should also limit our consumption of salt/sodium.

Isn’t it time, you embrace good health, and a good life?