Category Archives for "fitness"
April 4, 2016
- in fitness , health , solo show , weight loss by linda
Health and Fitness Apps
In today’s episode, we explore smart phone apps and their usefulness to support your health and fitness journey. As background, I found it useful to solicit feedback from a user group in order to get a broader overview into the apps that many people are using concerning health and fitness.
Smart phones are great tools and we can use them to enhance our health and fitness. Many of the apps do continually change and often the functionality in one app is similar to the functionality in another app.
In this episode, we discuss the variety of food and nutrition apps which allow you to track your food intake, calculate and track calories and nutrients. We also discuss the wide variety of fitness apps, such as those that are specific (running apps), those that provide exercise videos and training guidance. There are also apps that act as timers for HIIT (high intensity interval training) and Tabata workouts. And let us not forget out mental health, and there are apps designed to guide you through the meditation process or those that provide white noise. While not necessarily apps, we also explore activity trackers that can sync to an app so you can have real time monitoring of your activity levels.
I encourage you to do the research and explore the wide variety of health and fitness apps that are available for your smart phone.
Lorraine’s commitment to health and fitness
Two years ago, Lorraine had turned 59 years old and was severely overweight. Her weight had gradually increased since her early 30s. Now, she had arthritis and fibromyalgia. She was finding it hard to move and couldn’t walk more than a quarter-mile without pain and stopping to rest. Lorraine felt horrible physically and this was affecting her mentally. She wanted to make a commitment to health and fitness, but didn’t feel that she had the ability to change on her own.
When a trainer opened studio near her home, she considered making a change. With her husband’s support, Lorraine went in for her first workout in June 2014. Her trainer suggested using My Fitness Pal to log her food intake, which she did. She began working with her trainer twice a week and was quickly seeing results. She previously believed it was impossible for her body to lose weight. Yet in her first week, she lost weight. This encouraged her to keep going.
Lorraine’s trainer soon had her doing step ups, resistance bands, light dumbbells, and body weight exercises. Lorraine also walked twice a week when she wasn’t working with her trainer. She began walking one mile, but progressed over time. In the two years since starting her fitness journey, Lorraine went from 301 pounds to 170 pounds. She has lost over 17 inches on her hips and 14 inches on her waist. She is soon walking in her second 10K event and recently began a Couch to 5K running program. Lorraine can now walk two to three miles at a time without stopping.
Lorraine needed focus and accountability. She knew what she needed to do, but she had not been able to do it on her own. She advises others to take small steps and handle one thing at a time. Whatever you are capable of doing, do it and keep building on it every day. Establish a plan and then execute. Don’t sit around and wait for motivation. Lorraine knows this is a true commitment to health and fitness.
Creatine 101
A question about creatine came in from the Facebook group. Creatine is one of most studied supplements. But what is creatine and what does it do?
Creatine is actually a molecule that provides the phosphorous atom to our bodies, which is needed to create ATP. ATP is a power source for the body’s cells. When you supplement with creatine, it will give you more muscular energy, which can be especially beneficial for weight lifting. It has also shown to be protective for the brain and liver.
Many wonder if creatine is a steroid. Though it has qualities of a performance enhancing supplement, it is not a steroid. Creatine has no effect on the body’s hormones. It simply provides phosphorous and ATP. Through diet, you can get creatine by eating animal products. Some plant-based diets will have phosphorous, but not in the same density as organ meats and muscle.
So how much creatine should you be consuming? The standard dose is five grams per day. Eventually, the body will saturate and hit a peak with how much it can store. At first, you can try creatine “loading,” where you would take 20 to 25 grams to get to that saturation point faster.
Creatine does have one notable negative side effect in the sense that it makes muscles retain water. Though it will make your muscle mass appear greater, it will likely show as weight gain on the scale. The good news is that you cannot overdose on creatine. While consuming creatine, you should increase your water intake to help avoid stomach cramping. If cramping persists, there are other types of creatine that are water soluble and should help with this. The primary type of creatine is called creatine monohydrate. This is the most inexpensive and widely used.
Whatever type you choose, be sure to avoid creatine ethyl ester, as this type degrades in your digestion and never really gets into your system to make an impact. With all other types, you will be sure to see the real benefits of this widely studied and used supplement called creatine.
March 15, 2016
- in fitness , solo show , weight loss by julie
Why didn’t I lose weight with crossfit?
Today we’re discussing a listener question from Kelley. Kelley has done Crossfit for four years, but didn’t experience much weight loss. She finally decided to stop once her back started hurting. Today, she is swimming and walking every day. She wants to get back into weight lifting but needs guidance on what types of lifting to incorporate and how much to do.
Some important notes about Kelley include that she has metabolic syndrome. This means she is insensitive to insulin, and this overproduction can cause her body to store the excess as fat. Kelley is also maintaining a low carb, high protein diet.
Crossfit is a metabolically challenging program. It includes metabolic conditioning, where one will be moving significantly—running, jumping, lifting. It’s a very dynamic that puts a strong demand on the body to have the endurance to get through. Because of this, one may experience much hunger after a workout, which can lead to eating more. Once again, the body fat loss will typically plateau. This may explain why Kelley did not lose much weight with Crossfit.
Kelley should consider lifting again, as lifting does slightly increase your metabolism over time and can lead to weight loss. However, she should also continue walking and swimming. Also, she may not need as much protein as she’s taking in. If she consumes too much, that excess will be stored as fat. This may be why she is seeing spikes in her blood sugar. If Kelley reduces her protein intake and adds in healthy fats such as fish, grass fed beef, and nuts, this will also help with regulating her hormone cycle.
When Kelley lifts weights again, she should incorporate one full body lifting session in place of one of her other exercises. She should work in the low to moderate rep range and use moderate to heavy weights. Taking these steps will be a great alternative to Crossfit and will assist in attaining the weight loss Kelley is trying to achieve.
You can get the guide on how to manage your hormones at older.fitness/glands.
If you’d like your questions answered, you can contact me on speakpipe and I may include your question on the show.
Music: Ben Sound Royalty Free Music
Why you should squat
Today in this episode we discuss squats. I think doing a squat is one of the most important exercises you can do. I am a very big fan of squats, and often it is the first exercise I discuss with my clients.
Do you know that squatting is one of the most natural movement patterns of the human body? A great example is when you need to pick up something off the ground. Normally, you would squat. Unfortunately, modern times often find us sitting a lot, which actually inhibits and tightens the muscles that enable a full range of motion and the muscle balance we need to correctly complete squats.
I encourage you to listen to the full episode as we will discuss the various elements of this important exercise. We’ll discuss the benefits of doing a squat as well as the various types of squats. Our discussion will also focus on the key elements of proper form to ensure you use the right muscles and avoid injury.
Everyone’s squat may look slightly different, but in the end you will want to find the good form that works with your body. It is difficult to teach the squat in an audio format. In the Forever Fitness Program you will have access to a personal trainer online to help you learn form on the squat and many other exercises.
https://40plusfitnesspodcast.com/should-i-lift-weights/
How much is enough?
It’s important to make sure you’re getting enough exercise, but how much is enough? In 2008, guidelines were published that explained how much physical activity Americans should be getting. The results showed that the minimum amount of activity was 75 minutes of vigorous activity or 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week.
Interestingly enough, the leisure time activities of individuals were also studied. This showed that those with an activity level below the recommendation had a 20% lower mortality rate. Those that met the guidelines saw a 31% decrease in mortality and those that exceeded the guidelines by three to five times saw a 39% decrease in mortality.
Most people recognize that there are health benefits of exercising regularly. Now there is proof showing that engaging in regular physical activity will lower cancer risk and risk of cardiovascular disease. As the studies have shown, every little bit counts, even activity at a moderate level.
So how can you tell the difference between moderate and vigorous physical activity? If you can carry on a conversation while being active, you’re moving at moderate pace. When the intensity increases such that the heart rate climbs into the 130 to 180 range, this is considered a vigorous mode. However, you should not be doing that for extended periods of time, as it is hard to keep pace. One example of this is high-intensity interval training or HIIT. With HIIT, you push yourself to that max limit and then let yourself recover. This not only improves cardiovascular fitness but will also count toward vigorous activity.
A mix of moderate and vigorous activity is recommended for most people. Try to pair moderate activity with stress reducing activities, such as talking a walk outdoors. This will allow you to relax, lower your cortisol, stimulate your senses, and give you an overall sense of well-being. If you’re still wondering how much is enough, a good target is four to six hours per week of exercise, with the type and style being based on what is important to you.
Have you mastered the art of intensity
Intensity is an important part of your workout. But how do you know when it’s appropriate to increase the intensity so you’re getting the most benefit while still being efficient?
To increase your intensity is really about progression. You will want to apply intensity in the areas where you really want to see fitness improvement. With cardiovascular fitness, you will see progression in the increased speed or distance of travel. In strength, applying further resistance so the muscle is challenged, then allowed to rest and recover, will create a greater intensity. This is usually accomplished through adding additional weight. Adding intensity with endurance involves adding more reps, which will increase your performance. And with muscle mass, increased intensity is achieved through greater volume, which should be added over time. A few areas where it does not make sense to increase intensity include mobility, balance, speed, and agility.
To evaluate whether you should increase intensity in your workout, the key is to benchmark yourself to get a clear picture of where you are right now from fitness perspective. Early on in your program, you may see great strength gains. Know that you can add incremental weights of two to five pounds over time and see progress.
Are you worried about overtraining? Your body actually gives you feedback to help prevent this. If you have much pain after a workout or feel weaker at your next performance, it may be an indication that you need more rest. If you’re not sleeping well, this may indicate that your body is not recovering well. Having blood work done is also a good way to get feedback on how your body is responding to your training.
With adding intensity, it’s important to remember to get plenty of rest and maintain your form. This will help in avoiding injury. Have a goal in mind of what you’d like to achieve and occasionally rotate your program to allow your body to destress. Following these steps will ensure that you are successfully able to master the art of intensity.
Music: Ben Sound Royalty Free Music