midlifejourney.com

It’s holiday time! And for the next month of so the temptation to eat more and exercise less will be a constant companion. Get a jump on your January Resolutions by paying attention to your health now! Over the next few weeks, Midlifejourney.com will be publishing guest posts by nationally certified personal trainer, Kathy Ekdahl, who shares some of the best ideas to keep you body, mind and spirit in balance!

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What is the most effective way to lose body fat?

Losing body fat is different than just “losing weight.” So, your question is a good one. Losing weight is easier…. Just go on a crash diet, lose lots of water and muscle tissue (up to 30% of your weight loss) as well as a little fat, and you’ll weigh less. But it won’t last- your crash diet lowered your metabolism by wasting muscle tissue, so now you gain weight back faster. Diet alone never results in permanent weight loss.

Instead, losing body fat means doing everything nutritionally and exercise wise to promote or maintain muscle tissue while losing body fat. This means you can not go too low in calories, or you will cannibalize muscle, and you must exercise hard to elevate your metabolism and stimulate muscle tissue growth.

As far as exercise, years ago, most fitness experts felt that cardiovascular training was the best way to lose body fat, but, recent research has highlighted the importance of hard strength training and high intensity aerobic work in body fat loss. By hard strength training, I mean multi muscle group exercises that produce muscle exhaustion. What you do, and how you do it, depends on your baseline fitness level, but whole body strength training 2-3 times a week is suggested.  As far as cardio, steady state cardio (like walking or jogging) does not produce the same metabolic increase that intervals of high intensity cardio do. SO- add some intervals of hard cardio 2x a week, and you’ll really start to burn fat.

Finally, as I mentioned above, healthy nutrition is the key to success. This is where most people really have a hard time. Many people need to dramatically change their diets, but most are unaware of what they eat and when, so food logs are an absolute. You must have adequate- but not too much- caloric intake and you must eat with regular frequency, never going too long between meals. Under eating during the day only leads to over eating at night, so skipping meals makes no sense. I believe that reducing processed foods, high fat foods, and refined and “starchy” carbohydrates can dramatically improve your health.  Instead of these foods, add more lean protein, vegetables, healthy fats and fruits, and you will lose body fat.  Eat whole, from the earth, unprocessed foods, and you can’t go wrong!

Kathy Ekdahl, ACE cPT, CSCS, is a nationally certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach, who lives in Hudson, Mass. Kathy has  worked for over 20 years in the fitness industry, and is the coach of the Hudson High School Women’s Varsity Lacrosse and Field Hockey teams. She will be answering your fitness questions each week in this column, and welcomes your questions. To send a question, email Kathy at: kathy@personalbestpersonaltraining.com. Visit her website at: http://personalbestpersonaltraining.com/

Every Baby Boomer I know wants to stay healthy. But as we enter midlife and begin to feel those aches and pains, staying healthy becomes something that should not be taken for granted. I used to kid my grandmother when she would say, “If you’ve got your health, you’ve got everything.” I now realize she was right. If I can continue to maintain good health, I can do just about anything I want.

It’s not always easy to eat healthy, and choosing organic, can be very expensive. Lots of tempting fatty foods are “out there” just waiting to be devoured! Guest author Jamie Jefferson has a few ideas that might help you choose the right foods… and save money at the same time.

In the words of the famous Julia Child, “Bon Appetite!”

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Eat Healthy For Less – Tips For Saving Money While Eating Well

By Jamie Jefferson

Eating well and saving money don’t have to be mutually exclusive. If you’ve wanted to eat healthier but think you can’t afford it, think again. The key to eating healthfully on a budget is to plan your purchases, learn to cook from home, buy in bulk and take advantage of local produce. Here are some tips.

One of the biggest money wasters, and threats to good eating, is going to the grocery store without a plan. You can put yourself in an even worse position if you go to the store on an empty stomach.

The grocery store is full of temptations. Foods that are full of fat, calories and additives line the aisles in the stores. Make a list before you leave the house and be sure to have a healthy snack before you go. By preparing yourself before you go you can be sure that you’ll stave off temptation.

The second most important rule in eating healthfully on a budget is to cook at home. Packaged food costs a lot more money than the fresh ingredients that it takes to make them. If you haven’t made a habit of cooking at home before, start with a few simple recipes.

You can always expand your repertoire by taking a local healthy cooking class. When you cook at home, you can add lots of vegetables into recipes that normally don’t have them. Salads, soups and baked chicken meals can be prepared very inexpensively and healthfully at home.

You can save a lot of money at the grocery store by shopping around. Purchase products such as rice and vegetable stock in bulk. If you stock up on these basics you can save a lot of money in the long run.

Also, try to shop from more than just one store. You can often save a lot of money if you shop around and find the best prices. Make sure to arrange your cooking menu around the sales and you’ll always be able to save money. After a few weeks of comparing prices, you’ll know right off the bat where you can save the most on each item that you need.

Any healthy diet should be full of vegetables and fruits. For these, make sure you are looking at sources locally. Take advantage of farmer’s markets and fruit stands in your area. Even if the food is not organic, buying your fruits and vegetables from local farmers has benefits over buying food that is shipped across the state or across the country.

With a little time and dedication to saving money, you can find deals on healthy food. Apply these tips on your next shopping trip and you’ll be eating healthy for less.

Jamie Jefferson writes for Momscape.com and Susies-Coupons.com, where you’ll find wine discounts and coupons, as well as printable grocery coupons.

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Guest Author: Geian Gardi

Flexibility is a key ingredient in a healthy regimen. As we age, it is only natural that our joints get a little stiff, our bones get a little more fragile. But as long as we remain flexible by stretching and exercising regularly, injuries will be far fewer.

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Why You Need to Stretch and Improve Your Flexibility

By Geian Gardi

Most of today’s society is plagued with muscular imbalances due to repetitive patterns of movement which place undue stress on the body. That includes sitting or standing for long periods, and repeating the same movements overtime.

Muscular imbalance are a result of poor movement of the joints, inappropriate muscles taking over the function of the primary muscles, and decreased nueromuscular control. People of all ages and all fitness levels can benefit from stretching.

Stretching improves joint range of motion, improves the function of your muscles and improves neuromuscular control or efficiency.

Flexibility is the range of motion around a specific joint or a set of joints. Every movement you make including daily activities in general, exercise as well as all sports require your joints to move through a full range of motion. Therefore a lack of flexiblity will lead to muscular imbalances and eventually injury.

Stretching exercises don’t require any special equipment so they can be performed anywhere, at your desk, at home or in the gym.

Flexibility and stretching exercises should be performed during warm up and cool down. Stretching during warm up prepares your muscles prior to exercise and prevents injury. Stretching after a workout improves joint range of motion and helps your muscles recover after a workout which also prevents excessive muscle soreness.

And if you don’t exercise and lead a sedentary lifestyle it’s even more crucial you perform some form of stretching and flexibility exercises. Just remember to only stretch to the point of slight tension and hold for at least 30 seconds. Never bounce while stretching.

Its best to stretch every major muscle group. That includes the calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, hips and buttocks, back, chest, shoulders and neck. Stretches must be held for at least 30 seconds to improve flexibility.

There are different forms of flexibility training, including static, active, dynamic and self myofacial release with a foam roller.

Static stretching is the most common type of stretching seen in fitness today. It involves taking a muscle to a low point of tension and holding that stretch for a minimum of 20 to 30 seconds. This allows lengthening of the muscle being stretched by contracting the opposite muscle. This type of stretching is a great way to correct muscle imbalances.

Self myofacial release is also a form of corrective stretching. By applying pressure to “knots” or sensitive areas of a muscle, this technique allows bundled muscle fibers to be straightened and inline with the direction of the muscle, This in turn leads to lengthening of the muscles. It’s a great way to restore your body to it’s optimal level of functioning. This can be done by rolling specific muscles on a foam roll.

Active stretching and dynamic stretching are another form of stretching. They should be performed only as a warm up prior to exercise and stretches are held for very short durations with several repetitions. They should only be performed if you have no muscle imbalances.

Improve you flexibility and not only will you feel great but you’ll improve your posture, reduce your risk of injury, relieve pain, counteract aging, improve muscle recovery after workouts and reduce stress.

About The Author: Geian Gardi is a NASM certified personal trainer and owner and operator of a Strength Training Website which offers sample workouts and fitness information.

Get sample Stretching Flexibility Exercises that include static, foam roll and active stretching, complete with images and instructions.

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I don’t walk enough. I’m too busy sitting at my desk, typing on my computer, reading and contributing to my blogs. I need to get up off my duff and take a short stroll about the neighborhood. I know I should do this. I remind myself often, to just get up and move. Sitting for 3 – 4 hours at a time, 10 hours a day at a computer screen, is not really living well.

It is about 2:30 on a splendid summer day here on Cape Cod. The breeze is blowing, the sky is blue, the neighborhood is quiet and sultry. Humid, yes, but perfectly tolerable. And I am still sitting. What do I need to get up and go?

Just came across this video on YouTube: How to Practice Buddhist Walking Meditation. It’s only 3 minutes long which I think I should be able to handle that. And I want to share it with you as well.

Check out this YouTube site… they also have meditations to lose weight, practice kindness. Watch, learn and enjoy.

Every baby boomer I know has aches and pains. Lots of them.

It’s as if a magical switch clicks on when you hit midlife and your body suddenly decides to rebel. Things you did without any pain at all suddenly leave your joints crying for help. Five years ago you could be on your knees in the garden for hours without any problem. Now, try that, and the next day your joints ache all over. That bike ride or run in the morning used to leave you feeling refreshed. Now when you get back after a workout, you just collapse in a heap and reach for the aspirin. What is happening to your body?

As we age, our bodies change. The joints and muscles have been working for you for years. Fifty years, sixty years — a very long time. Think of your body in terms of a machine. It works efficiently for years, but it needs to be well maintained. A car without an oil change or lube job becomes a squeaky old clunker that barely gets you down the road. In the same way, our joints need lubrication. As we age the cartilage, the cushion between our bones begins to thin and dry out. It can get so thin that eventually there is nothing at all between the bones. — You don’t want to know how painful that can be.

How do you prevent this “drying out” of the cartilage and maintain a healthy moist cushion between your bones? Continue Reading »