You Say You Want a Resolution

It’s that time of year again to make New Year’s resolutions. If you’re like many, you’ve come up with a list a mile long to fix every possible flaw in your life.

What happens within a few weeks? That list of possible improvements is crumpled up and tossed aside like holiday wrapping paper.

Experts say that resolutions should be manageable and things you can gradually work on throughout the year – not major life-altering changes that should take years to accomplish.

Here are 5 tips to keep in mind when you start planning what you’d like to work on throughout 2014.

Start small – Make resolutions you think you can keep. Don’t say you’re going to work out 7 days a week. That’s unrealistic. Try for 3 or maybe even 4 days. If you say you’re going to eat healthy this year, think about how you would do that. Maybe eat dessert only one day per week and have fruit the other days instead. If your goals are more realistic, you have a better chance of being successful.

Work on one thing at a time – You didn’t develop all of your bad habits overnight. So, fixing them all won’t happen that fast either. Pick a few things to work on during the year and set time limits for each. Work on one goal in January, then maybe another will span February through April – and so on.

Talk it out – If you share what you’re working on, chances are someone else you know may be working on the same goal. Ask around among your family and friends. If one of your resolutions has a support group, consider joining it. By including others in your goals, you’ll increase your chances of being successful.

Relax – Remember, you’re not perfect. Maybe you’ll miss a week at the gym because you’re not feeling well. Maybe you’ll splurge on an extra big bowl of ice cream. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Commit to moving past your slip up and keep on with your long-term goal.

Reach out – Some resolutions are more involved than just working out or shedding a few pounds. They may be deep-seeded issues that need more than just a friend’s support. If you’ve acknowledged a situation that needs to be changed, but it is a major issue, consider seeking professional counseling from a mental health specialist.

No matter what your resolutions are for 2014, remember to be realistic and gradually work on improving your situation. Writing down your resolutions, setting timelines and being practical will increase your chances of crossing them all off your list by the time 2015 rolls around.

Sources:

http://www.resolve.org/support-and-services/what-are-resolve-support-groups.html\

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1595

http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

Midlife Exercising Builds a Stronger You

Your knees may creak and your back may ache, but you still want to exercise. You know it’s good for your health, but your body just doesn’t respond the way it used to.

But exercising after you hit the big 5-0 is even more important than you might think. Regular exercise boosts your energy and can even reverse some signs of aging. It’s good for your mood, mind and memory.

Regular exercise also helps reduce heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, high blood pressure and obesity. For those over 50, it also increases mobility, flexibility and balance.

With regular exercise benefitting basically every aspect of your health, there are special considerations if you can claim you’re a member of the baby boom generation. All you need to do is opt out of the extremes and exercise in a smarter way. And have fun doing it.

Here are 10 forms of exercise perfect for those who were born before the Beatles came to the USA.

Yoga – Yoga increases flexibility, balance, strength and mindfulness. With its postures and poses ranging from gentle to intense, you have better control over your workout. To get a more in-depth look, read our previous article featuring yoga.

Stretching – While stretching is important before any exercise, it’s a valuable activity on its own. Stretching can help relieve back pain, while boosting energy, and promoting flexibility and overall health.

Biking – Whether you’re taking in a scenic view outdoors or riding a stationery bike, biking is an all-around beneficial workout. Biking is a great low-impact cardiovascular exercise that also helps maintain muscle mass and bone strength.

Walking – Just going for a simple walk has a load of benefits. It elevates mood and builds a stronger heart. Simple ways to walk more – park farther away from your destination or stroll around the mall. For more reasons why walking is good, read our recent article featuring walking.

Pilates – This is another great low-impact, strength-building exercise that’s perfect for those in their middle years. Although similar to yoga, pilates focuses on the core muscles of the abdomen and lower back. Here’s a link to our recent article about the benefits of pilates.

Tennis – The all-around classic sport is not only fun, it’s great for your body and your mind. It helps keep you agile and alert while you quickly respond to the position of the tennis ball. It’s enjoyable to play indoors or out, on teams or with a friend.

Swimming – Swimming boasts countless benefits – from being low impact, to boosting your mood, to offering a great cardio workout. Water’s natural buoyancy allows you to target every major muscle group – back, shoulders, abdominals, legs, hips and glutes. Discover more benefits of swimming by reading our recent article.

Dance – Hard to believe that something so fun can actually be considered a workout. No matter if you like country or disco, salsa or hip hop, dancing is an enjoyable exercise that offers great aerobic benefits, along with elevating your mood.

Elliptical – Although it’s similar to running, an elliptical machine is a wonderful cross-training exercise that’s much lower impact than a treadmill. Most gyms have rows of them or consider investing in your own to use at home.

Strength Training – This is one of the most versatile ways to stay in shape. You can either use small free weights or barbells to perform a variety of lifts. Plus, small weights that can either be held or worn during any of these other activities helps build even stronger muscles.

No matter what you like doing to stay in shape, remember that any type of low-impact exercise that you enjoy will keep you staying healthy and happy for many years to come.

Source

http://www.helpguide.org/life/senior_fitness_sports.htm

Splashing Away the Holiday Stress

Too many things on your mind? Presents to wrap? Food to buy? Cookies to bake? Trees to decorate? Time is running out fast! And you feel it. The pressure is pushing down on you like an elephant dancing on your shoulders.

But there’s just no time to get to the gym. You know what – take time. But consider switching it up a bit today. Unplug your Stairmaster and delay your trek to the top of Mt. Nowhere. Instead, dive into a pool and swim away your stress.

Swimming has long been touted for being one of the most exhilarating and beneficial exercises. All of that cool water rushing by, as you speed back and forth, bouncing from wall to wall, like you’re the shiny chrome orb bouncing around in a pinball game.

Besides its obvious cardiovascular and muscular benefits, water’s natural buoyancy helps reduce stress on joints and potential damage to your bones. And with water’s natural cooling properties, you’ll be reducing the possibility of overheating as your muscles heat up.

As an added benefit, you’ll be burning calories faster from all of that continuous rhythmic motion. People who integrate swimming into their exercise routine find that swimming helps them lose more weight than other physical activities.

So, no matter if you’re looking for a distraction to relieve a little holiday stress, a low-impact exercise to avoid injury or need to lose a little weight, dive in and splash your stress away today.

Monthly Series – All About Arthritis Part 4 – Keeping Joints Healthy

Throughout the month, we have featured an illuminating series on the common types, causes and symptoms of arthritis. Currently, there are more than 100 types of arthritis that affect more than 50 million Americans.

Highlighting what we shared the past several weeks, 2 of the most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis affecting 33 million Americans and rheumatic arthritis which impacts 1.5 million.

Osteoarthritis is mainly caused by damage to joint cartilage either from injury, wear or from being overweight, while rheumatic arthritis is an autoimmune disease caused by the body turning on itself after dealing with an infection.

Now that you’ve learned about what arthritis is, what causes it and some of the symptoms, we’ll finish off the series with tips to keep joints healthy.

Here are 10 ways to keep your joints as healthy as possible, for as long as possible.

Keep Moving – The more you remain active, the less stiff your joints will be. Physical activity has been shown to keep joints limber.

Protect Yourself – Even minor joint damage can hasten arthritis, so be careful when engaging in physical activity. Wear protective gear or braces to guard against damage.

Lose Weight – If your joints are hurting, it may be from the added strain of excess weight. Even minor weight loss – each pound lost takes 4 pounds of pressure off your knees – can have a major effect on keeping joints healthy.

Exercise – Avoid exercises that cause pounding and jarring on the joints. Opt for low-impact activities like walking and swimming, and make sure to lift light weights to keep joints strong.

Build Muscle – Building stronger muscles around joints has been shown to put less stress on those surrounding joints. Even building your core – your abs, hip and back muscles – creates better balance that helps you avoid damaging joints.

Stretch – Before you do even the most minor of tasks, make sure you stretch. If you’re going to be exercising, perform a little light warm up first to loosen joints and ligaments.

Eat Fish – Eat more cold-water fish like salmon that boast an ample supply of omega-3 fatty acids known to keep joints healthy. It also reduces joint inflammation and tenderness.

Keep Bones Strong – Include a variety of dairy products and deep-green, leafy vegetables in your diet. They’re all wonderful sources of calcium and Vitamin D that keep your bones strong.

Take Supplements – If you don’t like salmon, dairy or vegetables, at least take a supplement containing joint-enhancing nutrients. Consider taking glucosamine, SAMe and chondroitin which have all been found to help keep joints healthy and relieve joint pain.

Be Careful – If you need to carry heavy objects, try to keep them as close to your chest as possible. Let your larger muscles support the weight to help prevent injury to the joints.

Now that you’ve discovered all about the common types, causes, and symptoms of arthritis, apply some of what you learned to keep your joints strong and healthy.

Remember, damaged cartilage cannot ever grown back and most joint damage requires extensive surgery, so it’s wise to protect your joints and keep them healthy for your entire lifetime.

Walking – The Easiest Exercise For Your Health

The holiday stress might be getting to you. So many parties to attend. So many gifts to buy. So many classic cartoons to watch. So many things happening in such a short time.

Plus you’re supposed to be exercising. How can you even try to fit that in? Easy. Go for a walk.

That’s right. The best way to keep your cool – and your health – during this most wonderful time of year is to just take a walk. Putting one foot in front of the other can be the best way to maintain your weight. And your sanity.

Walking just 20 minutes a day – that’s 10 minutes in one direction and back – can also have a profound effect on conditions like diabetes, heart disease, cancer and even your well being.

Here are 5 positive benefits from taking a short stroll during the day.

Reduces stress – just a short walk per day was found to reduce anxiety by nearly 30% – even in people experiencing a major health crisis like cancer or terminal disease.

Strengthens your heart – amazingly, just a short stroll can reduce the risk of a heart attack by up to 35% compared to those who lead a sedentary life.

Stimulates your brain – walking just 90 minutes a week helps boost cognitive function compared to those who only walk 40 minutes per week.

Chases away the holiday blues – walking 90-150 minutes a week was found to reduce depression by nearly 50% over a 3-month period.

Lose weight – Although it’s not the fastest way to lose weight, walking is a very effective way to reduce your waistline. Just walking 15-20 minutes a day – only 3 days a week – can help you drop between a half and a full pound per week. Keep it up for a whole year and you’ll be a slimmer and trimmer you.

These are only 5 of the many benefits of walking. Just lacing up your favorite tennis shoes or taking a walk around the block during lunch can maintain strong bones, lower your cholesterol and lower your blood pressure.

Take that first step today and you’ll be on your way to a happier holiday and a healthier new year.

Sources

http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/17/qa-how-a-little-exercise-brings-big-benefits/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/walking/HQ01612

http://www.sharecare.com/health/fitness-exercise/article/health-benefits-of-short-walk

 

Working Out With Pilates

Originally called ‘contrology’ by German founder Joseph Pilates, this so-called ‘trendy’ exercise of twisting and balancing has actually been around for nearly 100 years. To stay in shape, Pilates had modified his gymnastics training to a small mat while held in an interment camp in England during WWI.

His unfortunate time of detainment turned into a positive as he helped others there maintain their strength and positive attitude. His methods inspired people to stay in shape then, and nearly a century later, they still do.

Pilates is a little bit like yoga, but concentrates more on building your core muscles – abdomen, obliques, lower back, ‘glutes’ and thighs. Besides building strength, Pilates also helps develop flexibility, endurance, coordination and balance.

Sounds like it’s an all around awesome exercise. In fact, it is.

One of the greatest things about Pilates – each move engages your entire body. And each move has a dual purpose, as well. While strengthening one muscle, you are always stretching an opposing one.

And with its many levels, once you think you’ve mastered a particular Pilates move, there’s always a more difficult way to do it. So you never get bored.

Here are 5 benefits of doing Pilates:

Long & lean muscles – You don’t have to hoist heavy weights and bulk up to be strong. Pilates moves actually accentuate the length of your muscles, making bulky biceps look long and lean.

Better posture – With Pilates, you can bet your posture will improve. Centering on muscles that build a strong core, you will look more statuesque when you stand and even sit.

Stronger back – By strengthening abdominals and glutes, you’ll also be building a stronger back. Besides strength, you’ll also be stretching tight back muscles and learning to properly align your spine – alleviating back pain.

Awesome abs – Pilates is a wonderful way to have a flatter stomach. With the basic concept of pulling your navel to your spine, your abs will be tighter when standing and walking.

Flexibility – With a combination of stretching and strengthening your muscles, Pilates helps increase your range of motion and flexibility. By learning how to carefully stretch and build muscles, you will discover your movements are more controlled and fluid.

One of the most important things to remember about Pilates is that in any class there are people of all levels. You never have to feel intimidated that as a beginner or novice, others in the class will stare at you and wonder why you’re there.

Pilates is not a competition to see who can perform the best. It’s about working at your own pace and getting your own best personal results. Look into where you can take a Pilates class and book one as a New Year’s resolution. Your body will thank you.

Sources

http://pilates.about.com/od/pilatesmat/ss/Plank.htm

http://pilates.about.com/od/pilatesexercises/tp/First-10-Classic-Exercises.htm

Everyday Activities Count as Exercise

To get in a good workout, you may think you need to pump iron like Hercules or trek up an endless imaginary mountain on a Stairmaster. That’s not the whole truth.

While those are definitely wonderful ways to work out, you can get all the benefits of hitting the gym while doing less glamorous tasks – cleaning, cooking and shopping.

Now you can think of those mundane must-dos as exhilarating exercises. See how these challenging chores can offer outstanding health benefits.

Cleaning – Fire up the vacuum or sweep the floors to burn around 150 calories per hour. Bonus – an immaculate house.

Cooking – Chopping up fresh vegetables or washing that stack of dirty dishes each burn about 150 calories per hour. Bonus – a delicious dinner or spotless kitchen.

Shopping – Next time you’re pushing a grocery cart or window-shopping for that pair of must-have shoes, you’ll be burning as many as 300 calories per hour. Bonus – new, stylish wardrobe.

Shoveling ­– If you live in a region that gets dumped on with fluffy white stuff, you’ll be burning nearly 400 calories per hour next time you’re clearing off your driveway. Bonus – the perfect mound for King of the Hill.

Decorating – It’s not just boring labor that burns calories – fun activities count too. Painting and decorating your home can burn more than 300 calories per hour.  Bonus – fancy digs.

For extra calorie burning points, just pump up the jams. Listen to music and dance while doing these activities – well … maybe not while chopping vegetables – to burn off an extra 300 calories per hour.

Next time you have a mile-long list of household chores, imagine the calories melting away. Your waistline – and home – will thank you.

Sources

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/weight-loss/calories-burned-doing-household-chores.html#b

http://healthandwellbeingindance.blogspot.com/2008/11/listening-to-music-burn-more-calories.html

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/tips/expert-advice/how-many-calories-do-you-burn-with-household-chores/

Water Aerobics – A Splashing Good Time

If huffing and puffing away on a treadmill hurts your joints more than it helps your waistline, you may find a low impact alternative like water aerobics to be what you’re fishing for.

First gaining popularity in the 1950s by exercise guru of the time Jack LaLane, by the 1980s the benefits of water aerobics had become more mainstream. Today, it’s such a common class, it’s held in practically every exercise facility with a pool.

Using water’s natural buoyancy, water aerobics allows you to exercise without injuring your body. Amazingly, buoyancy reduces your weight by 90% causing virtually no stress on your joints. If you suffer from arthritis or are recovering from injury, this might be music to your ears.

As an added bonus, the constant resistance from moving around in the water helps build muscles without straining them. Adding a few light weights will help build an even stronger body. Some classes incorporate athletic equipment, swim noodles or other flotation devices for added resistance.

Besides an invigorating hour splish-splashing about, the underwater movements also help elevate your heart rate and breathing – two great benefits of this refreshing cardio vascular workout.

But if you’re thinking it’s just for the elderly or pregnant women, it’s definitely not. Water aerobics is appropriate for people of all ages and fitness levels. So if it’s for everyone, what’s stopping you from taking the plunge?

Here are a few tips to get started:

• First, find a gym or community center with a pool.
• Remember to wear a modest swimsuit as you’ll be thrashing about in chest-deep water.
• If you have sensitive feet, you might want to wear aqua shoes or even an old pair of tennis shoes.
• You still need to stay hydrated. Once you start exercising, you will start sweating just as if you were on dry land.
• Earplugs and goggles are optional if you have sensitive ears or eyes.

No matter if you take to water like a fish or only dip your big toe in, you might want to dive right in to water aerobics. It might be just the class for you. For more information, check online to find a class in your area.

Sources: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/benefits-water-aerobics-not-just-elderly-150900478–spt.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/403736-the-history-of-water-aerobics/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_aerobics

That DIY Project May Actually Save Your Life

That ‘honey do list’ is about to get longer. Much longer.

In a study of more than 4,000 people 60 years and older, findings showed that gardening and do-it-yourself projects can cut the risk of heart attacks and stroke by up to 30%.

Before the study commenced, researchers evaluated each participant concerning their lifestyle – smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and physical activity. Participants were also asked how often they had formally exercised in the last 12 months and about other daily activities – car maintenance, gardening and DIY projects around the house.

The study showed that when people engaged in either regular exercise or led active daily lives, they had a much lower risk for cardiovascular problems than the people who were less active.

It seems that routine activities are just as beneficial as exercise, making them ideal for older people who are not always as motivated to hit the gym.

The study followed the participants for more than 12 years and also monitored their cholesterol, blood glucose and insulin, along with other vitals.

Researchers concluded that the health benefits from being active had more to do with how much energy was expended rather than the actual activity. No matter what the participants were doing, their physical activity increased their metabolic rate. Prolonged sitting drove it down. Being inactive for long periods was found to disrupt how the body produces hormones, adversely affecting internal organs and other tissues.

So word to the wise, get right to that list of chores. Even add a few more tasks. Besides having the best yard on the block, you might outlive all of your neighbors.