LIVING LOUD LIVING LONG

The number one New Year’s resolution continues to be to lose weight. What about flipping this around and resolving instead to have a healthy body without focusing on weight?
How did weight come to be a universal focus when wanting to make a change to improve health?
Weight is easy to measure, and we’ve been told by many experts that if we don’t set a measurable goal, we can’t reach our goal. Without a number, our goal remains a fuzzy concept that quickly dissolves in the face of work and home life demands.
The focus on weight ignores several key health concepts. First, weight is relative. What really counts for our health is body mass index (BMI), which considers our weight, height and build.[1]
BMI = (divide weight in kilograms by height in meters)/height. Online conversion tools with allow you to convert metrics to pounds and feet. A normal weight is a BMI of 18.5–24.9. In some cases, serious athletes with more than average muscle mass may appear overweight using BMI. This can be checked by pinching your waist area to check for fat levels. More scientifically, you can measure waist to hip ratios by dividing waist size by hip size. For women, a waist circumference of 80 centimeters (cm) or 31.5 inches or less is considered healthy.
As we age, we lose muscle mass, which is replaced by fat and fibrous tissue.[2] Above 50 years of age we lose 15% of muscle strength each decade, which is largely due to loss of muscle mass.[3] This is partly due to hormone decrease but our behavior plays a role.
This loss is not inevitable. We can age in a healthy way by continuing to exercise to reduce muscle loss, build muscle and reduce fat increases.
How can you exercise so you age in a healthy way? Listen to our December podcast: “Episode 3 L4: Strong, Active, and Fabulous at 50up with Tina Tang, Fitness Trainer” to hear her tips and advice for 50up women.
Other ways to work in exercise even if you have a busy schedule or can’t get out of the house are to use phone apps or online videos or website, buy an under the desk exercise elliptical or desk bike or a desk walking treadmill. If you can’t access any of these, you can walk up and down stairs, walk to store, or do yardwork or work in a community garden. Always consult your physician before starting a new exercise program.
Happy, Healthy New Year, L4 friends!
 
[1] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321003
[2] https://aspenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jpen.2030
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3940510/

I don’t know about you, but I definitely have more days with minor aches and pains as each year goes by. On the one hand, it’s normal for our body to change with age, for our joints to wear and muscles to lose power more quickly if we don’t stick to an exercise routine.
Research has shown that exercise can reduce risk of most common illnesses in 50 ups like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, obesity, depression and osteoporosis. Even once you have the disease, you can improve your health with appropriate exercise, such as walking regularly after having breast cancer. (Warburten, 2006)
There’s a long list of reasons we tell ourselves (and, hey, I’ve used them too) for why we aren’t exercising: a) we don’t have time; b) we look bad in exercise clothes; c) it’s embarrassing; d) we don’t know how to do it; e) we have a condition, injury, phobia, etc that prevents exercising; f) it’s too expensive to join a gym or buy equipment.
Everyone of these are just mental blocks we put up to avoid changing our routines, because….Let’s face it, changing our routine or doing something new is uncomfortable, hard, takes mental effort and some days we can’t do it.
Here’s what I say to all that, “Yes, you can!”
I know you can because I click play and push through my favorite exercise app, Daily Burn, or walk or cycle nearly every day. I am no more motivated or fitter than your average person and have never been a high performing athlete.
What can 50 up athletes achieve? Listen to the story of Enzo Appiano. He is 92 years old, lives in Turin, Italy, and is still climbing mountains. A hobby he started in 1940s. He says climbing keeps him fit and youthful. (Bailey-Millado, 2019) Martina Navratilova won the Grand Slam tennis competition when she was nearly 50 years old, the oldest person to win this title. (Martina Navratilova) Caroline Adams, 56 years old, resumed competitive swimming after not having swum since college. She is now ranked 11th in the United States and, credits swimming with helping her feel centered and happier. (Hochwald, 2018)
Let’s break down those blocks.

1. You don’t have time: Incorporate exercise into your day. Walk to nearby places instead of driving. Walk from the parking lot to store. Climb stairs at every chance. Make time. Prioritize you. Do you really need to reply to emails most of which are junk? Use an exercise tracker to motivate yourself and see how you’re doing more each day.
2. You feel unattractive in exercise clothes or feel embarrassed: Exercise at home. Use an app. Buy weights. As those work, you’ll become fitter and feel comfortable wearing track pants or even leggings.
3. You don’t know how to do the exercises or worry you’ll hurt yourself: Hire a personal trainer. Watch exercise videos or use an app with videos.
4. You can’t afford a gym: See Number 2. Even with a small home or apartment you can do many routines right in your living room or bedroom. Use cans of soup for weights. Go outside and walk around your block or in a park. Be creative.

Summer is the perfect time to launch an exercise routine. Go for a walk early in the morning or late in the day before it heats up.
Most of all, have fun. Bring along a friend or two. Once you start, you’ll find you can’t stop. Instead of feeling too tired to exercise or just feeling poorly, you’ll start to feel tired and poorly when you DON’T exercise. Exercise really does make us happier, healthier and fitter.

References
(n.d.). Retrieved from Martina Navratilova: https://www.martinanavratilova.com/biography
Bailey-Millado, R. (2019, January 24). Retrieved from New York Post: https://nypost.com/2019/01/24/this-90-year-old-climbs-mountains-like-its-nothing/
Hochwald, L. (2018, January 14). Retrieved from Parade: https://parade.com/636232/lhochwald/age-is-just-a-number-4-inspiring-athletes-over-50/
Warburten, D. e. (2006, March 14). Retrieved from National Center for Biotechnology Information: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1402378/