Tips For Healthy Ageing
It is a fact that we will all get older. But, ageing doesn’t have to be the spectre looming on the horizon that many fear it is. Keep your body healthy through exercise.
Exercise, combined with diet, is one way to age gracefully. As we age, we lose muscle strength. It is a condition known as sarcopenia. Loss of muscle mass as well as strength can be a fatal combination in the ageing population. Strength contributes to balance and flexibility. Without it, a fall can result in a broken hip or arm instead of a possible sprain from catching yourself.
There are no quick fixes to getting into shape. But, you can begin an exercise program at any age and reap the rewards. For seniors, implementing an exercise program may help to reverse the effects of time on your joints, muscles and bones. For women especially, osteoporosis is a threat as you age.
So, what types of exercises can you perform? Don’t worry – you won’t be doing any PT training any time soon. You can strive for that but not right away. When choosing your exercise, use these tips.
* Start slowly. This point can’t be stressed enough. There is nothing to be gained by hitting the ground hard. You are more likely to keep with regular exercise when you find it enjoyable and painless. The best thing about exercise is that it is cumulative. Ten minutes here and there really do add up.
* Consider aerobic fitness. Aerobic exercise increases heart and lung health. Maybe now you are winded walking up the stairs. After a few weeks, that fact may change. The benefits of aerobic exercises stretch beyond the gym or walking path into all areas of your life.
* Increase your flexibility with slow movements. Popular exercises for that are yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi. Through slow controlled movements, the body is stretched and relaxed. You won’t sweat buckets but then, an exercise doesn’t have to leave you panting to be effective. Increasing flexibility may combat stiffness in the joints and increase range of motion for easier movement.
* Don’t forget about strength training. Strength training means challenging the muscles with weights. It can even be your own body weight. Barbells are not the only weight instrument you can use. There are dumbbells, weighted bars, weighted balls, bands and exercise machines to name a few. It is important to hit all muscle groups for overall improvement in strength. Working the back and abdominals (the core) helps with balance and posture.
* The best exercises are sometimes the simplest. You don’t have to be a member of the gym to perform any of the above suggestions. Exercise DVDs are available. You can pop one in whenever it is convenient for you. Walking is a great overall exercise that can be performed in your neighbourhood, at a park or even at the mall.
We will all age. Learn to age gracefully with these suggestions for staying active.
Planning Your Weight Loss Program
Every successful venture in life gets better results with good planning and this also applies to fat reduction and weight loss.
If you put a little planning into your weight loss program before you start you’ll have a better opportunity to succeed.
The first step is to determine how much weight you want to lose because unless you have a solid goal in your mind it makes it all the more difficult to achieve your weight reduction.
If you are obese then it is important that you seek professional advice before starting on any weight loss program so you remain safe and healthy throughout the process.
In any case it always pays to get support where possible from professionals and even enlisting the support of your friends and family to help you with your goal to lose weight.
If you have any health problems or health concerns discussing things with your doctor is essential before starting weight loss as changes in nutrition and exercise can place additional loads on your body.
Stand in front of a mirror and look at your body while visualizing how you want it to look. It is also a good idea to take a photo of your body at the start of your weight loss program as we often forget the progress we make and looking back can be handy to offer encouragement at times when you feel like the going might be a little difficult.
One other thing that is very important is to distance yourself from negative people and those who don’t offer you any support because there are always those around who don’t want to see others improve in their life.
These basic points will go a long way to helping you succeed and achieve the goals you have set yourself for your weight loss program.
5 Tips To A Flat Belly.
What is the one body part that seems to take the most work? Yes, it is the belly. That last stubborn bit of fluff doesn’t always want to let go of you. Here are five tips to help you to achieve that flat belly you have been dreaming about.
Is there a secret to a flat belly? In a word – no. The way to achieve any fitness goal is through discipline and a healthy outlook. Exercise and eating right help too.
When products on the market advertise that they can promise a flat belly, or gimmicky equipment hits your television late at night, don’t believe it. There is no substitute for doing the work that is needed to reach your goals.
1. You are what you eat. Losing weight or fat begins with what you put into your mouth. The body needs certain nutrients to function daily. That doesn’t include greasy fast food or high calorie drinks. Putting good stuff in will help you get the results that you want. Stick with fresh, not processed foods and create a healthy diet that incorporates protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals.
2. Participate in aerobic exercise. Aerobics burns fat. This can be taking a spinning class, dancing, step aerobics, kick-boxing or walking on the treadmill or elliptical trainer. When you increase your caloric output, fat within your body is burned for fuel. The reason that you can’t see those beautiful abdominal muscles is because of the fat pad that is covering them. Reduce your body fat and reduce the amount of fat in your abdominal region.
3. Tune your exercise regimen to fighting the belly bulge. Using targeted abdominal training helps to whip them into the best shape possible. A strong midsection improves posture and increases stability and balance. Weak abdominals can result in back pain and injury when lifting. Increasing muscle also burns fat even when you are at rest. Don’t forget to work the entire abdominal area: upper, lower and oblique.
4. Reduce the belly bloat. Sometimes, the reason we don’t have a flat belly has to do with what we have been eating. Consuming too much salt can result in fluid retention, especially in women who are premenstrual or menstruating. Cruciferous veggies like broccoli are good for you but can cause you to become gassy. Reduce the bloat with gas pills like Beano or by eating gassy foods in moderation.
5. Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Eating three large meals can put your body into starvation mode when it holds onto fat wondering where its next meal will come from. Eat six smaller meals to increase metabolism and fat burn. Include a little protein in each meal to fight cravings that can increase belly fat.
Are you looking to reduce the paunch? Here are five tips to get the flat belly you desire. Now it won’t happen overnight. But if you stick at it, it WILL happen.
Shiny Apple People.
How many times in our lives have we all heard the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
When we were growing up, most of us were familiar with the sweet, juicy taste of biting into a shiny red apple. Being a primary product of a typical orchard, apples became a part of our staple diet.
Nowadays though, especially here in Britain, with the five-a-day message being broadcast across the country, the humble apple is being forced to take a back seat as we plump for more exotic fruits.
If given the choice between a good old apple and a succulent, juicy mango imported from the tropics, chances are the apple will come off second best. Today’s fruit bowl will have mangoes, oranges and bananas at the top, with the apple somewhere between the middle and bottom.
An apple may not be our first option for a healthy snack, but the fact remains that they are incredibly good for us. That is why we should be getting reacquainted with this juicy fruit and celebrate the richness and diversity of the traditional British orchard.
Some Healthy Facts About The Apple.
- Apples are a rich source of dietary fibre which helps to maintain a steady blood sugar level, aid digestion and promote weight loss.
- There are a mere 80 calories in the average apple and absolutely NO fat.
- Apples are rich sources of phyto-chemicals which act as anti- oxidants.
- It has been found that eating apples helps to reduce blood cholesterol, improve bowel function, reduce the risk of strokes, prostate cancer, type II diabetes and asthma. This is due to the fibre and phytonutrients present in the apples.
- Apples are the best source for the mineral boron which helps to promote bone growth.
- It is also important to eat the skin of the apple as over half of the vitamin C content lies just underneath the skin.
- The compounds found in apples also play a role in inhibiting ageing- related problems, promoting hair growth and preventing wrinkles.
- Recent studies have shown that eating apples is linked to reducing the risk of cancer.
- Eating apples is thought to improve lung function and reduce the risk of respiratory diseases.
Getting Your Life Organized.
A disorganized person is always rushing and a person who is always rushing will tend to eat too fast. A person who eats too fast will tend to eat too much and a person who eats too much will tend to get fat.
Mess causes distress and that in turn causes people to eat too much. Are you beginning to see the picture of how having a well organized life will help you to maintain a more balanced and healthy body?
Many people resort to eating in the effort to handle stress and being disorganized is a surefire way of increasing levels of stress in your life.
Being organized will also ensure that you have the right food in your house and you don’t have to resort to low quality foods that you keep as a backup for those times when you run out of the nutritious food that you should be eating.
Being organized will also help you to eat at regular times throughout the day and by being regular with your eating it will help you to maintain more consistent blood sugar levels that will reduce the chance of you getting into low blood sugar and over eating to compensate.
By planning ahead with your meals you can plan to have better meals and you won’t need to resort to fast foods because you haven’t got any other food organized by the time you’re ready to eat.
By being organized and having a shopping list where you have determined in advance the right foods for your diet you will be less likely to buy food that you shouldn’t be buying when you go to the supermarket.
Organization is one of the keys to success in following any weight loss program. It also helps to reduce the amount of time that you have to think about food and think about losing weight and when that doesn’t become such a big focus in your life you are more likely to succeed.
