Each year, we get a little older.  And as you know, the passing years are associated with all kinds of health-related declines, many of which increase pain as well.  The good news is this:  with the following strategies, you can be healthier, happier and more independent, now and in the years ahead.

1. Get Strong.

Many people are so focused on cardiovascular exercise that they fail to make time for strength training.  If you are over 30, strength training is one of the best things you can do to help you look and feel young.

Building muscle increases your metabolism and reduces your risk of injury.  All you need is 30 minutes of strength exercises, twice a week – so schedule it in your calendar today.

2. Walk Everywhere.

Increasing the number of steps you take on a daily basis can dramatically impact your overall health.  As you gradually add steps, you may not even realize what’s causing you to lose weight, sleep better and feel great.

Schedule fun activities that include a lot of walking: go to a botanical garden or just stroll through your neighborhood to spend time with a friend. And be sure to find ways to increase your steps both at work and at home.

3. Be Flexible.

Stretching as little as five to 10 minutes a day can help you feel so much better and help prevent back, neck and joint pain.

Staying flexible also helps you age gracefully by allowing you to continue doing the activities you love while helping you feel better overall.

4. Stay Balanced.

As kids, we played hopscotch, walked on narrow ledges, rode bicycles and did lots of other things that improved our balance.  It’s important to keep your balance, not just to prevent falls as a senior, but at any age – for posture, sports ability and everyday tasks.

Most gyms offer lots of equipment for balance, from stability balls to balance boards to the BOSU, an inflatable dome designed for balance training. Or do at-home exercises (carefully!) with your legs closer together or even on one leg. And a yoga class will almost always include balance poses.

5. Get Wet.

Whether you love to swim or take water aerobics classes, one thing is for sure: your body will thank you for it!  The buoyancy of the water takes pressure off sore joints and allows you to move freely without pain.

Better still, it’s a double-duty workout:  you can do both cardiovascular and strength training exercises in the water.  So slather on your sunscreen and jump in!

6. Take Dance Lessons.

Dancing is great exercise for both your body and your mind.  When you learn new styles of dancing, your brain has to work really hard to remember the steps. Best of all, it’s so much fun that it doesn’t even feel like exercise.  So tango the night (and some excess pounds) away.

7. Always Listen to Your Body.

As you get older, certain activities just aren’t as easy as they used to be.  When you’re young, you can burst into a sprint to chase your brother down with no issues.  Doing the same thing 45 years later could cause a serious injury!

So whatever your chosen activity, please listen to your body – the aches and pains are warning signs to slow down and pay attention.

Just Move!

The days of older people sitting in rocking chairs and knitting the day away are over.  Getting and staying active improves both mental and physical health.  So make activity a daily part of your life and reap all the great benefits associated with it.

Age Well and Be Happy!

Molly

Originally Published in the GO! Newsletter (GlobalFit)

http://www.globalfit.com/gonewsletter/go.asp?YYYYMM=201109&article=F101

Imagine brewing up a cocktail of 67 different pesticides and dipping your celery into it before eating it.  According The Environmental Working Group (EWG), that’s exactly what you’re ingesting when you eat non-organic celery.  The EWG analyzed about 100,000 reports from the Food and Drug Administration and US Department of Agriculture to determine which fruits and vegetables have the most (and least) amounts of chemicals on them even after a thorough “power clean”.

Their analysis resulted in the creation of two separate lists:  The Dirty Dozen and The Clean Fifteen.  The skin of the fruits and vegetables on the Dirty Dozen list has a greater tendency to absorb the pesticides.  The President’s Cancer Panel recommends eating pesticide-free produce to reduce your risk of getting cancer and other diseases.   By choosing the certain organic fruits and vegetables, you can reduce the amount of toxins you consume on a daily basis by as much as 80 percent.

The Dirty Dozen (contains between 47-67 pesticides per serving)

CHOOSE ORGANIC WHEN POSSIBLE

• Celery
• Peaches
• Strawberries  
• Apples
• Domestic Blueberries
• Nectarines
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Spinach, Kale & Collard Greens
• Cherries
• Potatoes
• Imported Grapes
• Lettuce

The Clean Fifteen (contains trace or no pesticides)

NO NEED TO BUY ORGANIC

• Onions
• Avocados
• Sweet Corn
• Pineapples  
• Mango
• Sweet Peas
• Asparagus
• Kiwi Fruit
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon
• Grapefruit
• Sweet Potatoes
• Sweet Onions

If your favorite fruit or veggie isn’t on the list, check out the Environmental Working Group’s website at www.foodnews.org.  There is a complete list of 49 types of produce that were tested for pesticide residue.

The best weapon we have to ward off cancer and other diseases is knowledge.  So take this list with you when you go shopping and keep your daily intake of pesticides to a minimum!

Eat Clean,

Molly

Most of us need a good reason to try something new.  Whether it’s ordering a type of fish you’ve never had before (because you hear it’s supposed to be good for you) or trying a Yoga class for the first time.  We all need a push to go out of our comfort zones.

Today I want to push you out of your comfort zone to try something new.  I want you to lift weights.  I want you to commit yourself to being fit and strong.  Not just for a few weeks, but for the rest of your life.  Let me give you the reasons why you should get strong and hopefully you will come to the same conclusion.

10 Reasons You Can’t Ignore

1. You strengthen your bones (along with your tendons and ligaments) which reduces your risk of fractures and osteoporosis
2. You become more resistant to injury (imagine a professional football player who didn’t lift weights getting tackled–Ouch!)
3. Strength training increases muscle mass and improves your overall body composition
4. Therefore you burn more calories (even while you’re sleeping) because 1 pound of muscle burns 3 times more calories than a pound of fat  
5. Therefore you can eat more food (so many of my friends sit down to a great meal saying “I work out so I can eat!”)
6. Strength training improves your posture (which makes you look thinner)
7. Getting stronger has been shown to improve psychological health by improving your self-esteem and self confidence
8. Strength training improves your muscular endurance (you’ll be thankful the next time you go on a “fitness” vacation with your friends)
9. Cutting back on calories without lifting weights results in losing muscle mass too.  This is a bad idea.

10.  You’ll win the fight against Mother Nature.  She intends for you to lose a quarter of your strength by the time you’re 65.  But guess what?  If you lift weights, you can be just as strong at 65 as you were at 35.

Good News & Tips

The good news is that you can get all the benefits I listed above in as little as 40 minutes per week!  Yes—you heard me.  Twenty minute sessions, two times per week will work.  Many gyms have a line of equipment set up so you can do one machine right after the other.  When you get to the end of the line, you’ve done a full body workout.  It’s as easy as that.

All I ask you is that you concentrate on each exercise (do NOT rush through it) and perform each machine one time.  Try to get 8-12 repetitions and the last rep should feel like you just can’t do another one.  We call this “pushing to failure” which is a term I don’t like to use.  I prefer thinking “I’m REALLY glad this is my last rep”.

With more than ten thousand minutes in a week, it’s not that hard to find 40 minutes to dedicate yourself to getting stronger.  Why wait?  Today is the day to get started.

Think strong and be strong!

Molly

Originally published in GO, GlobalFit’s online healthy living newsletter.”  http://www.globalfit.com/gonewsletter/default.asp