Well Past 50: The Weblog of Boomerful.com

Never Too Late to Start Exercising

Here's another article by our Well Past 50 fitness guru Angela about late-in-life exercising. Even if you haven't been that active in the past, the good news is that even if you start exercising in your late 40's or 50's, your heart will benefit by the increase in activity.

It's Not Too Late to Start Exercising
Even if you don't start exercising until later in life, you can reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 90 percent by exercising regularly. This was an unexpected learning from a study that compared healthy individuals and those with heart disease to determine how different exercise regimes impact heart disease risk. As expected, lifetime exercisers had the lowest risk, but even those who didn’t start exercising until later in life achieved surprising reductions in risk.

The German study, which was published in the journal Heart, compared data collected from 312 people with heart disease and more than 450 healthy, age-matched blood donors who were all older than 40.This study looked back in time at the subjects exercise history in each decade of their life. The subjects reported whether they were "rarely active", a "little active", "somewhat active", or "very active" for different age ranges. The researchers found that the group that achieved the most risk-reducing benefit from exercise included those people who went from "rarely active" to being "very active" in later adulthood. That group of very active people over 40 years of age had 90 percent less heart disease than their sedentary counterparts.

Of course researchers were not surprised to find that those who were active throughout adulthood (age 20-40) had a much lower (62% less) risk of heart disease than those who didn't exercise at all. In fact, this group had the lowest risk of heart disease. But, those people who were active at a young age and then became inactive over time had a risk for heart disease that was similar to someone who had never exercised at all.

The key messages that you can take away to reduce your risk of heart disease:

• If you are a younger adult who is already exercising regularly, then you should maintain an active lifestyle throughout adulthood.
• Adults over 40 who are only "somewhat active" will benefit from increasing their activity.
• Even if you have been sedentary and you're over 40, beginning an exercise program will protect your heart health. You will achieve the most benefit by making it a goal to be very active, but even slight increases in activity are worthwhile.

Five Tips for Planning and Losing Weight

As the holidays approach we are already trying to be mindful of not gorging ourselves to the hilt once we hit those ever-so-scrumptious parties that consist of piles of rum balls and endless slices of pumpkin pecan cheesecake.

One of our Well Past 50 Advisory Board members, Angela  is the owner of a women's health club in Bettendorf, IA, who also serves as that little angel on our shoulder whispering to us about being sensible and staying healthy for the long haul. Below are her words of wisdom that we should keep in mind as the season of gluttony approaches:

Five Tips For Planning And Losing Weight

If motivation is the spark that lights the weight-loss fire, then smart planning is the timber that will keep your desire burning. Lots of folks jump into a new diet or weight-loss plan without giving it much thought. This can lead to disappointment later when results aren't as stellar as had been hoped and people don't understand what went wrong. Here's a rundown of the factors that most weight-loss experts agree will help you succeed.

• PREPARATION

1. Draw On Internal Motivation - Write down your reasons for wanting to lose weight. An honest assessment can go a long way toward predicting whether you will succeed. Knowing why you want to lose weight can also help you focus your efforts more definitively. Play to your strongest internal motivation. In general, internal motivators (getting healthy, feeling better) lead to long-term success. External motivators (fitting into new clothes in time for a friend's wedding) tend to be powerful but short-lived. Aim for something like climbing stairs without becoming winded rather than trying to fit into that old dress or suit. Specific motivators make powerful inducements.
2. Elicit Support - You could go it alone, but support makes the job easier and more pleasant. Telling the people closest to you about your intentions announces that you're serious and committed to your new lifestyle. This doesn't have to be a media event. Just tell your family and friends that you plan to change some important aspects of your life and that you'd appreciate their support. A caveat: Don't proclaim, "I'm starting a new diet." Diets are temporary. You're making changes for the long haul. Having a support partner works for many people. Together, you can bolster one another's sagging spirits by offering encouragement. Promising to meet a partner for regularly scheduled gym time is a great way to stick to a workout routine.

• ACTION

1. Make Gradual Changes- Dramatic changes tend to disappear dramatically; gradual changes stay with you for a lifetime. Make a list of your long-term goals. They may include reaching and maintaining a certain weight, feeling more energetic or reclaiming a sense of control over your life. Break this list into manageable chunks. Perhaps you'll say, "Over the course of the next year, I want to lose X pounds." Divide that number by months or weeks, then plan how you can meet that goal through decreased caloric intake and increased activity. If you've been inactive for a long time, don't start by exercising 30 minutes per session. Ease into it. And when planning your new menu, don't eliminate all "bad" foods in one sweep.
2. Schedule Regular Activity - Exercise burns calories and makes you feel better. Make exercise an automatic part of your day and pretty soon you won't remember a time when you weren't active. On days when a full workout is impossible, you can accumulate activity by squeezing in short bouts of action throughout the day. Park your car far from a building's entrance and walk. Take a brisk stroll after lunch. Perform desk exercises while you work. Tap your foot to music. Use the stairs. These all can add up to more calories burned than are burned during a workout at the gym, and are a lot more convenient.
3. Eat Smaller, More Frequent Meals - Smaller meals help stave off feelings of starvation, which can lead to binge eating. It's also an easy way to get fruits and vegetables into your diet. Keep healthful foods handy so "calorie-dispensing" vending machines or fast food joints won't tempt you. Aim for snack-like portions of about 100 to 150 calories. By choosing fruit and vegetable snacks, you can easily satisfy your hunger without the extra calories. A quarter cup of raisins, for example, has about 130 calories.

You can eat as often as you feel genuinely hungry. This means not eating out of habit or boredom. Drink a glass of water before you eat anything. You need water anyway, plus it helps you fill up without adding calories.

Sailing Away

Do any of you sail? My husband and I were walking along the river after a Sunday lunch when suddenly the river was filled with the beautiful sight of billowing white sails from one side of the river to the other. We stopped walking and stared at the awesome sight of two dozen or so sailboats being expertly maneuvered in and around each other, sails almost skimming each other as they passed.

We sat mesmerized on the riverbank for over an hour watching wind, water, sailcloth and human strength combine to create a beautiful ballet of skill and nature. The best part of this magnificent choreography was that it was being carried out by people who were mostly in my age group. They were not buff 20-somethings. They were mature people, gray haired and waistless, having the time of their lives. 

As always when I see people doing something that looks like fun, I decided I must learn how to do this. I marched myself into the Sailing Club and asked for an application form. “Oh, I’m sorry,” the little old sailor who runs the place told me, “our last class ended today.  Please join us next year.”

NEXT YEAR!!  I may not be here NEXT YEAR!  I want to learn now!

I haven’t figured out how to do that yet, but I’m dying to know if any of you sail and whether I’m too old to learn, too decrepit to do it safely, and if it’s too expensive to even think about taking up as a hobby.

I have the river. I have the love of everything aquatic. I just need to know if I have the money and the necessary strength at 57 to take up this new hobby. If you’re a sailor who knows the ropes, post your comments or email me, Matey!   

Not Another Shoe! Here's the MBT...

One of my employees has heard of this shoe: the MBT Masai Barefoot Technology trainer.

Aesthetically, these shoes look REALLY orthopedic (although with the popularity of things like CROCS and UGS, who am I to say?) but they promise to turn shuffling into a core workout. Based on the erect barefoot stride of Africa's Masai tribe, these chunky-soled shoes create a rocking motion that improves posture and balance with every step.

The MBT Website says "The result of ten years of research and development, MBT is not just a shoe; it is an innovative health and fitness aid that literally works from the ground up."

Unfortunately I'm going to have to drive about 150 miles to find a store that has them in stock - so as soon as I get a pair I'll post a review. Has anyone tried these?

Fitness Advice for Over Fifty

I like the Website Firstpath.com and it's take on exercise for those of us who are past the fifty mark. Fitness is much more than just moving your body around. Being fit has to encompass your mind and your soul for it to be beneficial to the whole of YOU.

The site also has age-appropriate exercise tips for people in their 40's and 50's. Worth a look.

Salsa Dancing and Tai Chi

I did my first lunge with Jack LaLanne. I sweated through four Jane Fonda tapes, did Tai  Bo until I had pulled both hamstrings, wrenched my neck on my Pilates trainer, and suffered through more strained muscles from lifting weights than I can count. I’m 57 years old. I’m tired. I’m giving up the hope that one more workout with Gilad will have me competing with Cameron Diaz for the next incarnation of Charlie’s Angels.

I want to look good, but I don’t want to hurt anymore for the sake of beauty. That doesn’t mean I’m giving up. I’m determined to take a lesson from some of my most glamorous and well-toned, past-50 friends. 

My friends Sue and Lynne both take Salsa dancing lessons and love it. They both also have perfectly shaped calves and toned bodies. Vivian rides horses three times a week and is absolutely stunning. My friend Jan snow skis all winter and water skis all summer. She is thin, muscular and beautiful.  Susan does Tai Chi. Not only is she in great shape – she moves through life with an aura of peace and tranquility.

Each of these women have found an activity that brings joy and satisfaction to their lives, while keeping their bodies fit and healthy. They don’t spot train in order to have six-pack abs. They don’t do squats to the point of muscle fatigue in order to sculpt the perfect bottom. They use their bodies to enhance their lives and keep fit as a side benefit. Isn’t that really what we should all be aiming for – fitness and well-being, rather than someone else’s perfect body?

Walking is one of the best exercises for people “our age." And who doesn’t like to walk? In the woods, along the bike path, at the mall – it’s all good. I can definitely walk three times a week and strengthen my marriage by dragging my husband along for conversations we’ve ignored too long.

Because core conditioning is important for our posture and flexibility, I’ll continue to work the mid-section. I really enjoy the exercise ball for core strengthening. I find ab work on the exercise ball fun, and less strenuous than crunches on the floor, so that will take care of core conditioning.

I won’t totally give up weight training, but I’ll switch to lighter weights with more repetitions. I’m also going to find a racquetball partner since I enjoyed the game tremendously when I was younger.

So, bottom line for me right now is – I’ll take walks with my husband, bounce on the ball while I watch the 6 PM news, do some light weight training and get back into racquetball. In other words…I‘m going to keep moving in ways that make me happy and healthy, without the need for muscle rubs and heating pads. How about you?