Fit Living

Can you imagine just how good you will feel when look into a full-length mirror after you get out of the shower and see a new you? This does not have to be a daydream or fantasy.

You can find an exercise routine for muscle growth that is just right for you. If you will read this entire article to the end I will show you just how you can do it.

Long, slow, boring cardio routines are not effective for burning fat and losing weight. High intensity resistance training is proven to be the most effective exercise for losing weight.

High intensity resistance training results in greater post exercise energy expenditure. This means greater calories loss by revving up your body's fat burning process.

Your body quickly adapts to the stress applied to it during workouts. This is why variety and change of workout routine is so important to getting the body you deserve.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind for you safety when exercising:

1.Don't do any exercise that you are not sure about. Get qualified instruction.
2.Don't do anything that hurts
3.Start slow. Don't over-do it.
4.If you need extra recovery time between exercises, take it. Be safe.
5.Always see your doctor before beginning a new exercise program or diet.

How much time do you need to spend exercising? There are now new techniques available that will allow even a very busy person the opportunity of having a great sexy looking body.

Do you have 45 minutes three times a week to spare to have a great body and look better then you have in a long time?

We move very little compared to our ancestors. Thousands of years ago we ran from danger, ran after our food, climbed trees for fruit, walked long distances during changes of season. In other words, we moved for survival. For the first time in history, most of us are living in an environment that does not require motion and movement for survival.

Today we sit all day at work, drive our cars, take the elevator or escalator, come home and watch TV, use our computer, etc. Yet the design of our “normal” bodies remains unchanged. And that design, both in terms of function and its continued maintenance, depends on MOTION.

The more we move, the more we can move. The less we move the less we can move. This lack of movement or exercise results in weakness, back or joint pain and contributes to a variety of diseases. We must learn to recognize that the pain we feel, the stiffness, the lack of energy, the poor balance or the erratic concentration aren’t caused by the passing years, or a bad day at the office. These are correctable symptoms of dysfunction brought on by lack of motion.

The wonderful thing about this is, you got yourself into this condition, that means you can get yourself out of it. How? By taking responsibility. When you recognize the need, the absolute requirement for taking responsibility, you can “turn back the clock” on your body simply by moving or exercising on a regular basis.
FUNCTIONAL EXERCISE is the answer – exercises that stress proper musculoskeletal FUNCTION, achieved through optimal alignment of the human body. Exercises that work your body as an integrated whole. This paired with a specialized strengthening program greatly minimizes the risk of injury while conditioning your body to reach it’s maximum potential. Don’t let pain and limitations keep you from reaching your health and fitness goals. If you don’t have pain FUNCTIONAL EXERCISES can keep your body in alignment thus preventing pain, strengthening and conditioning lean muscle mass and losing weight.

You may not know when it happened, but your body has changed.

Perhaps you noticed you cannot lose those extra holiday pounds as quickly as you used to.

You may have caught sight of yourself in the mirror and seen a paunchy mid section where there used to be a lean tummy.

It’s possible your wake up call was a scary trip to the hospital, forcing you to realize that you can no longer rely on your youth to stay fit and healthy.

No matter how you decided it was time for a change, you have now joined the countless men and women committed to improving their lives by losing weight after 50.

The key to weight loss and the main challenge faced after 50 is metabolism. Your metabolism is responsible for consuming about 60-70% of all the calories your body burns each day.

While everyone is different, metabolism generally begins to slow between the ages of 40 to 50. In your prime, your body typically burned 10 to 15 calories per pound daily with only moderate activity.

By age 50, this total decreases by more than 200 calories daily and continues to decrease throughout the rest of your life.

Your decreasing metabolism makes it harder for you to lose weight after 50, just as it is becoming more important that you stay healthy. As your body ages, your risks of heart disease, diabetes, and other illnesses increases.

However, most doctors agree that the best way to combat these issues is by staying fit and losing unwanted weight.

If you are ready to lose weight then you need to develop an educated approach that will ensure your success. Every body is different and therefore has diverse fitness needs. There is no single plan that will work for everyone.

Your weight loss plan must address your specific nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle requirements. If you study which methods worked for others, it will help you develop a plan that will work for you.

Keep in mind, your first step should be to ask your doctor about your body’s unique fitness needs and to determine at which intensity level you should begin.
Nutrition and Eating Plans

Most people know that a key to weight loss is good nutrition and a strong eating plan. However, it can be difficult to understand good nutrition.

There is a lot of conflicting information out there about the importance of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. However, these three all play an important role in good nutrition.

People who have had the most success in losing weight over 50 use a nutrition plan that includes a careful balance of the right kinds of foods from each group.

Many people include lean proteins in their daily nutrition plan because they give you energy and are low in fat. While you need fat for energy, too much can cause weight gain and decrease metabolism.

Therefore, a good idea is to not eat a meal where more than 20% of the total calories are from fat. This is why leaner proteins are more effective than those with higher fat content.

Healthy Eating

Men and women over 40 have both had success when they include complex carbohydrates, especially those with a low glycemic index, in their meal plan.

Also, many people make sure their diet is rich with fiber to help your body metabolize food and cleanse your system. Also, it is recommended that you eat foods in their most natural, unprocessed form to get the most nutrients.

Another key to weight loss is to drink adequate amounts of water because water is essential to metabolism and other basic bodily functions. Every success story out there includes ample hydration.

There is a very simple way to determine how much water your body needs.

Take your current weight and divide that by 2, the resulting number is how many ounces of water you need daily. You should add an additional glass of water for every hour you exercise.

Finally, most people who have had great weight loss success will tell you to abstain from alcohol or any substance that does not nurture your body.

Strategically planning your meals is as important as what you eat. Practically every man and woman who has had significant weight loss after 50 practices meal planning. Most switched from 3 large meals a day to 5 or 6 small meals daily.

Your specific meal plan will have to be based on your physical needs and schedule. For example, some people found it easier to eat their carbs earlier in the day; this helped them feel full into the evening.

Other people with a lot of activity throughout their daily schedule found a need to have a complex carb at every meal.

Many experts recommend tracking your meals to make sure you are getting the right nutrients and not too many calories. The more calories you consume, the more work you will have to do to burn them.

However, you should still eat enough so that you slowly and consistently lose weight. This will make you develop life-long good eating habits instead of crash-dieting which often leads to failure.

Finally, some people have had success on very strict diets. Others have been able to give themselves a small treat once a week or so and still lose weight.

Inevitably, you will have to make the decision that is right for you and develop your nutrition plan accordingly.
Develop an Exercise Regiment

If you are practicing great nutrition then you need to develop a great exercise program that complements your efforts. Great exercise is when you develop a well-rounded plan that addresses both cardiovascular fitness and muscle strengthening and toning.

Your well rounded plan should balance cardio, strengthening, and stretching.

Cardio workouts burn calories quickly. If you are new to exercise, many people recommend starting with walking. You can gradually increase your time and distance and work your way into a light jog.

Over 50 Jogging

Once you can lightly jog for 30 minutes or more, you should be able to handle any other type of cardio workout. If you are worried about the strain on your joints, many people have had great success with low-impact workouts like swimming and spinning.

Strength training builds and tones your muscles. Muscles get energy by burning excess fat.

The more muscle tone you have, the easier it is for you to lose unwanted weight. While everyone has a different routine, many people who have been successful at losing weight after 50 have developed week-long programs that focus on a different part of the body each day.

This ensures that every muscle in your body gets an adequate workout every week.

Some programs include a day of rest in the middle of the week. Each program should also be coupled with a regular cardio routine.

While not every person who has had weight loss over 50 has used this technique, many recommend adding a yoga-like activity to a workout plan. This stretching helps prepare the body for the muscle building and cardio activity to come.

Also, the relaxation that accompanies this type of activity can help give you the mental clarity and positive outlook you need to pursue and achieve your goals.
Lifestyle Changes

To ensure life-long health, it is important that your weight loss plan correct the negative aspects of your life that lead to weight gain and poor fitness.

Lifestyle is where everyone’s needs vary most. Whether it is to spend more time with loved ones, to build self-confidence, or to improve health, everyone’s motivation is unique.

If you use this motivation as the foundation for your weight-loss plan, you will be greatly increasing your chances of success.

Many people who have had significant weight loss after 50 will tell you that they have reduced negative thinking in their life. They believe that having a negative attitude about anything translates to tension, lack of energy, overeating and poor health.

On the other hand, most state that having a positive mental attitude helped motivate them to exercise and eat well.
Let Others Guide You

Losing weight after 50 will probably not be as easy for you as it was at 20 or 30. However, this does not mean that you cannot face this challenge and become healthier than you ever have been.

The key will be to develop a weight-loss plan that is tailored to your body, your schedule, your goals, and your life.

Once again, there is no single weight-loss plan that is guaranteed to work for everyone. The best thing you can do is to study what has worked for others. Use those people as role models to shape your individual program.

Cut Down On Eating Out - Eating out is one of the easiest ways to start packing on pounds. Without knowing it, it is easy to eat over one thousand calories in a single meal just because you decided to eat out instead of making something at home.

Start Sharing Meals - If you do decide to eat out, try sharing a meal. This can be with your wife, friend, colleague, anybody! By splitting a meal, that instantly cuts out half of your calories that you are taking in by going out to eat.

Try Working Out - Join a gym, buy some weights, start running. Any of these will help burn extra calories and let your belt loosen up a bit. And after joining that gym, make sure to keep a steady, yet reasonable, routine that you can manage. The easiest way to give up on working out is having too hard of a regimen. So if you want to cut pounds, try maintaining a reasonable work out plan.

Cut Out Fried Foods - Fried foods, along with eating out, are the two worst things when trying to diet. Fried foods pack on excess calories that do not have any nutritional value whatsoever. So if you could eat a baked potato instead of french fries, some baked Lays instead of the original ones, etc.

Drink More Water - By drinking more water, you are ridding your body of toxins that keep your weight up. Just by drinking more water, it is easy to lose a couple extra pounds! Plus, if you are drinking more water, you won't be tempted to drink those high calorie soda drinks or other calorie packed drinks.

Cut Out Soda - Soda is a hidden nightmare for dieters. It is packed with over 40 grams of sugar for a 12 ounce can. This can easily pack on pounds. Which is exactly the opposite of what you are trying to do! So instead of that can of soda, try drinking milk or water.

Eat More Fruits - Fruits are a great way to curb an appetite. Fruit is both filling and delicious! These fruits will fill you up and will not add any unnecessary pounds to your stomach, as they go right through the body.

Start Walking More - It doesn't seem like walking would make much of an impact on losing weight, but any extra energy used during the day will count toward your weight loss goal. So just try doing more active things
during the day and you will be skinny in no time!

No Fast Food - I'll say it again. Do not fall in to the temptation of fast food. Though a McDonalds Double Cheeseburger does sound delicious, you will most certainly regret it after you finish eating it in the 2 minutes it took to devour it.

Keep It Off - After losing the weight, do not be like everybody else and put the pounds right back on. Losing weight is a lifestyle change, not a fad or diet. All you need to do is change little things in your daily routine to stay active and eat healthy. So after losing the weight be sure to maintain the weight because I'm sure you will feel great about yourself once the weight is off.

Fact: Did you know that many women going through or on the other side of menopause often experience a severe drop in their testosterone level? The sad thing is that so many people have ignored this issue with women over the age of 40, that menopausal symptoms have, in some cases, simply become accepted as part of "growing old."

Nonsense.

Don't settle for that! There are many things you can do about menopause and the hormonal issues it can bring about (both males and females experience testosterone declines with age, so men...listen up!) First, let's talk about some natural means of overcoming menopause.

In Jill Langham's incredible free report, "The Menopause Solution" (available when you purchase "Fit Over 40" from www.fitover40.com ), many practical treatments are discussed. Some involve what's known as HRT, or "hormone replacement therapy", and that is most definitely a valid form of treatment and one to discuss with your physician.

However, Jill will be the first to tell you, as will the other 12 ladies all over menopausal age profiled in the "Fit Over 40" book, that simple dietary changes and weight training can make an absolute 'world' of difference - not just in how you look, but in how your body produces hormones naturally...especially testosterone!

Testosterone can increase up to 50% through consistent weight training. Can you believe that? I noticed this I was forced to cut back on my HRT when consuming more protein and training harder, so I know this is true in my case. This is why the role models in "Fit Over 40" are so important. Read what they do and why they do it... and then apply their strategies to your own life. These people feel so good primarily because their hormones are optimal!

That's right... and I'll repeat it. HORMONE HEALTH MEANS GOOD HEALTH. Without proper hormonal function, no matter how 'well' you eat or how 'much' you workout, you may never feel As good as you can or discard those fatty hips or soft stomach.

Testosterone is also key to keeping your sex drive high and alive. This is... well, rather important to most people! Those of us who eat and live the "Fit Over 40 Lifestyle" often report feeling no different than when we were teenagers in how we respond and feel sexually and physically. This is due to the fact that we're using our body the way it was designed to be used - and in most cases, that's sufficient to create all the natural hormones you need. Sometimes, HRT is necessary.

A special menopause supplement in the March 1999 issue of the "American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology"recommends the addition of androgen (testosterone) to estrogen for all women undergoing surgical menopause. The report says, "The use of androgen therapy may also be beneficial to women who experience loss of libido and other symptoms of testosterone deficiency during natural menopause."

This is something best discussed with your physician. However, Jill Langham's report covers both sides - the natural and the HRT - and gives you an ideal role model to follow to balance both. Jill may hold the title of "Fittest Female At Fifty", but let me tell you, she has the body and the get up and go of a LUCKY 20-year-old!

Let me say this in closing: I believe, as other nutritionists echo, that hormone balance is MORE important for fat loss than any single factor, including "calories out, calories in." Just because you consume fewer calories than you take in does NOT mean you will lose body fat. I've seen this so often it's not even funny. We're not talking 'starvation diets'... everyone agrees this is not the way to go. I'm talking 'mild' caloric restrictions, just as all the experts (including myself) will tell you to do, resulting in zero fat loss.

Why? Chances are great that it's hormonal. That can be changed! I discuss hormones in detail in "Fit Over 40". Hormones make or break the fat loss cycle. And, as Jill and others in "Fit Over 40" prove, the secret often lies in simple, consistent changes in lifestyle.

You can do it - and while you're at it, never accept the social 'norms' for aging!

By: Jon Benson
http://www.fitover40.com