Fitness After 50: Keep It Movin’

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Are you over 50 and thinking of changing your lifestyle? Now is the time because as we age, our body begins to change. Fat deposits show up where there were none before, muscles become droopy and processes stop working, all without ever asking for your permission.

However, there is something which comes as close to an anti-aging antidote as possible. Fitness can play a key role in maintaining optimum health, feeling good, and looking great. A lot of the severe problems we used to think of as being related to aging are actually connected to disuse of the body.

But hey, we can do something about that. Research published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society found that inactivity doubles the risk of mobility limitations as we age, while vigorous activity has the opposite effect. In another study, published in the journal Neurology, doctors found that exercise can slow cognitive declines. That means the mind stays sharper longer, and we find those glasses on top of our cranium faster.

No matter what area you look at, be it heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, or osteoporosis, research shows that being physically fit into senior years will keep you healthier. Not only that, but exercising regularly more than halves your chance of dying prematurely, (Archives of Internal Medicine, December 2007), which is always a good thing. Another Swedish study also revealed that those who raised their level of physical activity between the ages of 50 and 60 experienced the same mortality rates as those who had always been physically active. How’s that for fair? The results were so pronounced that the study team compared the reduction in mortality to people who stop smoking.

That’s good news for the estimated 90% of retirees who get virtually no meaningful exercise, and even more so for the 50% who are totally sedentary. Instead of simply hoping to hang around long enough to collect retirement benefits like their grandparents, this generation has the ability after 60 to be doing the same things they did at age 45, though hopefully in a wiser fashion.

Psychological well-being improves, while depression and anxiety seem to melt away. Balance, strength, range of motion, and energy levels also get better, along with reduced body fat, and improved weight control. It’s not the ‘perfect body’ dream anymore, but a realistic ‘lifestyle and better health’ outlook starts to look mighty good at this point.

By now you should be more than a little interested in what I speak of here. But before you run out and throw yourself into the next exercise class, there are a few cautions to consider. The spirit may be willing, but a 50 or 60 year old person who hasn’t moved properly for about two decades will require a little extra attention to benefit in both the short and the long run.

Any change you make to your exercise regimen should be incorporated in a gradual, systematic way, to allow your body to get used to it, and to make sure your muscles are “conditioned” properly. Make sure you also have a thorough physical and get the go-ahead from your physician before starting your exercise protocol.

So where to begin? Numerous studies show that vigorous muscle strengthening exercises are superior to aerobic counterparts, especially when it comes to fat loss. Why? Because that added muscle causes the body to burn calories even while at rest, as it expends more energy. If you happen to add five pounds of muscle to your body, you could burn up an additional 200 calories per day, or 72,800 calories a year, which equals a weight loss of 20 pounds. That’s not bad for making the right exercise decision. Just don’t blow it with a nacho chip and diet coke habit.

So whether you pick up dumbbells, use a medicine ball, give the heavy bag a thumping, climb stairs or even do bodyweight exercises, after two months you can expect to reverse the effects of two decades of muscle loss, increasing your strength by a whopping 40%. Mull that one over before your next arm wrestling contest.

By now it should be evident that it’s never too late to start exercising, even after reaching or passing middle age. Unfortunately, most people embrace age-related decline as inevitable, or are unlikely to change bad habits through excuses. The former is a lack of information, while the latter is a poor widow to potential health consequences.

Rekindle The Romance With Your Waistline

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How’s your waistline? Do you have a strained relationship with yours, or worse, has it left you? The signs can be subtle – one belt notch at a time.

So who did you cheat with? Was it those rich and gooey maple-fudge brownies, the elegant chocolate carmelicious shortbread bars, or that curvaceous tramp of a late night pizza? Which delicate pleasure gave a flirtatious twirl to that last bastion of defense, your willpower?

Relationships can be so transient and shallow, because we take them for granted don’t we? But now your waistline has gone AWOL, and has been replaced by a hostile entity which makes even loose clothing take on the look of mummifying garments. Don’t get used to it though. Not only is it unfriendly, it can lead to a big risk of stroke. That’s the conclusion of a 2006 Interheart study of almost 30,000 people from different countries showing that well-toned hips and a trim waist — not just the overall pounds you carry — may be your best protections against heart disease.

Researchers reported that a good waist-to-hip ratio (a measurement tool that looks at the proportion of fat stored on your waist, hips and buttocks – as if a second opinion is needed), is actually a better predictor of heart attack risk than the body-mass index, the current standard. Weight concentrated around the middle is often referred to as an “apple” shape; whereas, weight concentrated around your hips is referred to as a “pear” shape. The apple people are said to be at higher risk for heart disease and diabetes than their pear counterparts.

While we don’t need a degree in rocket science to figure out what food chain perpetrators were involved in the kidnapping of your waist, let me throw another twist into the plot – inactivity. A little bit of hard work and dedication will actually work wonders where faulty diets and spot-reduction machines fail miserably. I mean, how many actually know that 15 reps on the popular thigh master can’t undo the damage of a bag of chips and an early snorefest on the couch?

So contrary to everything that is anathema in some people’s lives, I am indeed suggesting a paragon of exercise and food discipline. Yes – gasp – there is willpower involved. Being a quitter no longer means getting satisfaction at turning away the dessert cart on the third trip around. It actually involves some sort of – dare I say it – denial. But if you want to rekindle the passion with your former waistline, you have to show it you can be trusted. Go on, let out some of that frustration on the elliptical trainer or treadmill, as you rehash your abandonment issues.

The good news is that you don’t have to spend eternity rekindling the flame. Yes, recklessness drove your waist into hiding, but some faithful diligence to a balanced lifestyle of good nutrition and basic exercise three to four days weekly can do wonders for your relationship. The overt matchmaker in this case is the ever present exercise. Sure, it can seem overly willing in getting involved in your business, but in the end it can unite you with your waist once again. And that – big sob – is just a beautiful thing.

Natural And Organic Products Swallowed Up By Multi-National Companies

Found this interesting article on Alternet which highlights the fact that many of the natural and organic products we enjoy and believe are good for us are now produced by large, multi-national corporations which have bought out the original companies. Correct me if I’m wrong, but are not these the same mega-corporations that produce toxic chemicals with little to no regard for environmental or societal issues? It’s an eye opener for sure.

After some more research, I found a list the following companies that have been purchased by their larger, mainbrand competitors on a blog titled withonebreath:

• Burt’s Bees is owned by Clorox
• Tom’s of Maine is owned by Colgate-Palmolive
• Stonyfield Yogurt is owned by Danone (Brown Cow); the CEO also sits on the board of Dannon U.S.A.
• Horizon is owned by Dean Foods (the largest dairy company in the U.S.)
• Odwalla is owned by Coca-Cola
• Naked Juice is owned by Pepsi-Cola
• After the Fall is owned by Smucker’s
• R.W. Knudsen is owned by Smucker’s
• Santa Cruz Organic is owned by Smucker’s
• Smart Water/Vitamin Water is owned by Coca-Cola
• Kashi is owned by Kellogg’s
• Back to Nature is owned by Kraft Foods (whose parent company also owns Phillip Morris USA)
• Cascadian Farms is owned by General Mills
• Barbara’s Bakery is owned by Weetabix
• Mother’s is owned by Quaker, which is owned by PepsiCo
• Health Valley/Arrowhead Mills is owned by Hain Celestial Group, of which 16% is owned by H.J. Heinz
• Green & Black Organic chocolate is owned by Schweppe’s.
• Dagoba Chocolate is owned by Hershey’s.
• The Body Shop is owned by L’Oreal/Nestle

It seems these large corporations are in a race to get a piece of the lucrative organic pie. Yes, the same pie that was ridiculed a few decades back has now become almost mainstream. Yet, even though some of these products are now available to a larger audience, I wonder what type of quality will remain with them, as many steps in the process will be discarded in favour of profit for investors. And as the “withonebreath” writer pointed out, “many of these mega-corporations utilize the same poor agricultural and manufacturing practices that prompted organic farming and consuming in this country” in the first place.

Do we really think they will change their habits for the sake of the organic consumer, or will they continue on the road to deceiving them? My vote is for the latter, even though there are third party oversight groups involved. There is far too much of the organic market farmed out to countries such as China with little or no oversight. I’m simply not convinced in light of the fact that many of these companies are lobbying the USDA to lessen the standards for organic products, and the FDA to loosen up on labeling requirements.

Oil Energy Crisis Solved: Human Fat Can Be Used For Diesel Fuel

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File this one under humour. Found this little article in a small Canadian newspaper under the “comments” section and thought I would share it with you. A lot of it is tongue in cheek, yet razor sharp, so please don’t let anything offend you.

Apparently Forbes Magazine reported that a Beverly Hills, California plastic surgeon was being investigated for using the fat he extracted from patients during liposuction to create diesel fuel for his SUV.

Amazing. Here is a person that has the answer to America’s fuel problems and he is being sued by a few of his patients because of his ingenuity.  We should all be shouting “Eureka!” and congratulating the fellow instead of taking him to a court of law.

Those of you who have watched American TV channels over the years have probably been appalled at the growing obesity of people South of the border with over 50% of them now considered obese. Not that most Canadians have not seen the same thing happening here. Blame it on fast foods, lack of exercise, or whatever, but it is happening.

The thing is, we should be taking advantage of it. Esso, Shell and all the big oil companies are obviously missing the boat here in search for petroleum. Instead of expensive underground searches, they should be offering free liposuction operations to the overweight.

I firmly believe our oil energy crisis is solved. And as for those too lean in body fat, they could help out by generating electricity while running on their treadmills, an idea that has been suggested before, but which also has significant possibilities.