Attention Women…Boomers and Beyond: Make a Fresh Start For Fitness in the New Year and Year-round — And Have a Hot Body at Any Age

With the New Year it’s time to create a NEW YOU — complete with health, strength, stamina, and a new fitness routine that can keep you looking smokin’ sexy at age 40, 45, 50, 60 and beyond. You can literally start reversing the aging clock by:

* Learning fitness sculpting techniques that reward you with a sleek, attractive body (trim torso, flat belly, amazing abs) that will defy your true age.

* Taking those flabby arms — a mature woman’s enemy — to fabulously toned.

* Mastering core training for body reshaping without stressing the lower back.

* Cultivating the best cardio activity.

* Improving your posture and gaining a more youthful, energetic walk. Banish aches, pains, stiffness and poor mobility.

* Preventing osteoporosis and age-related loss of muscle and strength.

When Jacqueline Onassis sought me out as her personal trainer, she was also determined to accomplish these things, and embrace healthful exercise after age 40. Fitness advice I had for Jackie O. (and for her daughter, Caroline Kennedy) will also help you — as you stave off the effects of aging.

FITNESS FACTS TO KNOW FIRST

Research shows that much of what we attribute to the aging process — the loss of strength, stamina, bone density, balance and flexibility — is actually due to inactivity. Therefore, a program of regular, moderate physical activity that includes strength training will preserve a more youthful functional age and increase your capacity for life.

Strength training promotes good health and defends against the aging process. A well-designed exercise program that includes weight training will impact your weight, health, fitness and well-being for decades to come. Here’s how lifting weights can have a positive effect at each decade of a woman\’s lifespan:

At 20: A 20-year-old woman who does not lift weights will lose about 6 pounds of muscle and gain 5 pounds of fat by age 50. Even if you stay slim, if you do not lift weights your lean body mass begins to decline and your body fat increases.

At 30: Strengthening the muscles benefits the bones. By age 30 you\’ve achieved your peak bone mass, the most bone density you\’ll have in your lifetime. If you do not develop adequate bone-mineral density at an early age, your risk of osteoporosis increases later in life.

At 40: At about age 40, most women start to lose bone and muscle mass. Strength training keeps you lean by building muscles.

At 50: The average weight gain during pre-menopause is 10 pounds. Exercise may be the most important factor in keeping weight off once you\’ve lost it.

At 60: In your 60\’s the loss of muscle fibers causes you to slow down, lose strength and lose vigor. Restoring muscle, with the proper exercise, restores your strength and energy levels.

At 70: Shockingly, in the United States most women over the age of 75 can\’t lift 10 pounds! Yet you’re never too old to begin a weight-training program. Lifting weights can improve your quality of life even into your 80\’s and 90\’s. Weight training creates stability, which can help balance and walking ability. Strong people are more active and self-sufficient.

ADVICE FOR FITNESS

Your balanced exercise program should consist of a minimum:

— 30 minutes of moderate level cardio activity (creating some “beads of sweat\”) five days a week.

— Two full-body strength training sessions per week.

— Daily stretching, especially after every workout.

If you follow the program consistently for eight weeks, you can expect to:

— Firm up by developing lean muscles.

— Lose 1-2 pounds of fat and gain a pound of muscle.

— Increase your energy and have more stamina.

— Decrease feelings of stiffness, while improving posture and joint health.

TURNING BACK THE CLOCK

The degree to which you can revitalize your body and improve your appearance depends in part on your starting level of fitness. If your starting level is below average, you will achieve the biggest gains in turning back the clock. If your starting level is above average you can also become fitter and \”younger.\” The more time you commit to your program, the more dramatic your results can be.

Without regular exercise, your body ages faster than necessary. Each of us wants to look and feel youthful, and also be able to maintain all of our everyday activities without undue fatigue. Your ability to handle the physical demands of your daily life reflects your body age. Although genetics plays a role in retaining a youthful body, the single most important lifestyle factor is your engagement in a well-rounded exercise program.

The three aspects of physical fitness that can affect the aging process and preserve a youthful body are:

* Cardiovascular stamina. Your vitality and capacity for life depend on the efficiency of your cardiovascular system. The heart is a muscle that gets stronger with training, improving your ability to function day-to-day. The more you can do, the \”younger\” you are.

* Muscular strength and endurance. Strength training sculpts the contours of your body and strengthens the bones within. By building lean body mass, it boosts your metabolism and your energy levels, making you resistant to the slowdown that occurs with age. Muscle strength makes you more resistant to injury, and less likely to suffer from poor posture and back pain.

* Flexibility. Stretching discharges tension from the muscles, energizing the body. It defends against aging by lengthening the muscles to keep you tall and straight. Being flexible makes you agile, keeping your movements fluid and youthful.

 

MENTION OSTEOPOROSIS…

Mention aging, and millions of women want to know more about osteoporosis. This bone-thinning disease is caused by a loss of mineral (primarily calcium) that weakens the bone structure. Your risk of osteoporosis increases in the postmenopausal years. However, some bone lost through inactivity may be restored, and major bone losses can be prevented.

Current research on osteoporosis is focused on how exercise can help prevent and treat this condition. The two most important kinds of exercise to strengthen the bones — and keep you looking and feeling great — are weight-bearing aerobic exercise and weight lifting. When you do weight-bearing aerobic exercise, the muscles that keep you in an upright position against the pull of gravity are working against resistance and transferring that benefit to the bones. When you work with weights, you overload the muscles, which respond by getting stronger. The pull of muscle on the bone has a similar effect in strengthening the bones.

After age 40, the goals of exercise are to maintain bone mass, offset or reduce bone loss and improve balance and coordination to prevent falls. Exercise should maximize the load to the bones with a progressive (i.e. gradual intensification) program of weight-bearing aerobic exercise and weight lifting. Assuming your joints are healthy, you should aim for:

* High impact aerobic exercise: defined as activities in which both feet are off the ground at the same time, as in running, jumping rope, and high-impact aerobic dance; also sports like basketball, volleyball and gymnastics.

* High intensity weight lifting: using the heaviest weights you can lift in good form for 8-12 repetitions with the last few reps being challenging. Do 1-3 sets of each exercise.

* Balance and stabilization exercises. Improving your balance reduces your risk of falling. Being able to recover from a stumble or changed direction can prevent a fracture.

 

USE COMMON SENSE TO PREVENT OSTEOPOROSIS

To protect your joints from injury, use good judgment regarding high-impact exercise and high-intensity weight training:

— Focus on strengthening the bony sites most vulnerable to fracture: the thighbone, the spine and the wrist.

— Add balance training, such as stork stance and \”tight rope\” walk.

From 50-plus and post-menopausal, the goal is to especially conserve bone and reduce the risk of falls and fractures:

— Continue with strength training, balance and stability exercises.

— If you’re doing a walking program, be sure to vary your route to include hills and steps, adding intervals of increased speed or jogging, if appropriate.

— Focus on stretching exercises to maintain your height and spinal alignment. Changes in posture become more pronounced at this age and can cause a shift in your center of gravity, increasing your risk of falling.

FIVE POINT PLAN FOR OSTEOPOROSIS

If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, check with your health care professional for individual exercise guidelines and restrictions.

My Five Point Exercise Plan offers you a well-rounded fitness training program, including exercises to protect and strengthen the weakened bones, to improve posture and core stability, and to prevent falls.

1) Weight-bearing aerobic exercise. Why? Gravity exerts a positive force on the bones.

* Avoid impact exercise and any jarring or twisting movements.

* Perform low-impact exercise, like walking, at a brisk pace.

* Add intervals of faster walking, if appropriate.

* Incorporate hills, steps and inclines into your route to increase intensity.

2) Strength training. Why? The pull of muscle on the bone stimulates formation.

* Do full-body strength training since loading is site-specific to the bones.

* Reinforce vulnerable fracture sites: the hip, spine and wrist.

* Strengthen the large muscles of upper legs as well as the smaller muscles of lower legs for stability.

* Start with lighter weights and higher repetitions and progress to more challenging weights with lower repetitions.

3) Remember Stretching. It corrects postural alignment and prevents a shift in the center of gravity which can increase the risk of falling. It can also help lengthen the spine and stretch the torso to maintain height. Of course avoid stretching or strengthening any area prone to fracture when pain is present.

4) Balance, stability and coordination. Work on static (stationary) and dynamic (moving) balance exercises. Practice weight shifting, challenging your center of gravity in a controlled setting to reduce the risk of falls.

5) Core training builds strength and endurance in the postural support muscles of the trunk and pelvis. To target bones throughout the body, do exercises for all the major muscle groups: Hips and thighs, back, chest, shoulders, arms and abdomen.

Of course, this information should not take the place of guidance from your own physician or other medical professional. Always consult with your doctor before beginning an exercise program or becoming much more physically active.

Joan Pagano, former trainer to Jacqueline Onassis and Caroline Kennedy, has authored several best-selling fitness books, including STRENGTH TRAINING FOR WOMEN. She owns Joan Pagano Fitness in NYC. Contact 212-722-8116 or joan@joanpaganofitness.com; http://www.joanpaganofitness.com.

Joan Pagano, former trainer to Jacqueline Onassis and Caroline Kennedy, has authored several best-selling fitness books, including STRENGTH TRAINING FOR WOMEN. She owns Joan Pagano Fitness in NYC. Contact 212-722-8116 or joan@joanpaganofitness.com; http://www.joanpaganofitness.com.

Author Bio: Joan Pagano, former trainer to Jacqueline Onassis and Caroline Kennedy, has authored several best-selling fitness books, including STRENGTH TRAINING FOR WOMEN. She owns Joan Pagano Fitness in NYC. Contact 212-722-8116 or joan@joanpaganofitness.com; http://www.joanpaganofitness.com.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: Anti-Aging Exercises, Fitness after 40, Avoid Osteoporosis, Strength Training for Women, New Year Fi

Leave a Reply