Workout and Diet Advice for Women over 45

A few days ago, I wrote about some observations from a recent spate of trips where I wasn’t able to keep to my preferred workout routine.  And the point I made was to be ‘flexible’ – go with the flow and allow you to be open to alternative ways of working out.

I listed 7 items that had come to mind as worth sharing, and if you each find one or two of interest then great.  Else chalk it up to me looking for ways to make the business trips more exciting.

Was thinking about all the “little” things I observed or experienced while on the road; and how to write about them in a way that would be interesting.  It occurred to me that while the observations were really interesting to me – they may fall in the category of ‘you had to be there’  or the category of ‘so what’!  Thus my initial procrastination. 

Increasing Human Growth Hormone may help halt effects of aging

“By increasing the levels of HGH through growth hormone therapy in our bodies, we can slow, or even reverse, many of the manifestations of aging. Ideally, this HGH replacement should begin at about the age of 30 years, but HGH replacement therapy can be beneficial at any age above 30. In fact, for older people, Human Growth Hormone therapy can reverse the manifestations of aging by 5 to 15 years or more. There is no other single therapy currently available that can have the impact on aging that HGH Therapy can have.  HGH therapy is very effective for both men and women in correcting hormone imbalance.  HGH Therapy has been used to cure various hormonal imbalance diseases like menopause, breast cancer, aging, body fat and low sexual performance.

It’s January,  the highs of Christmas and New Year have given way to the inevitable doldrums, aided by having to return to the office, perhaps deal with blizzards and freezing weather or floods ,  or just that general feeling of anxiety.   So it was timely that I came across an article that offers relief from stress and anxiety, as well as from the usual medications.

What may once have seemed like a fad, or a touch “New-Agey”, in a field of medicine prone to fads (the field of psychology), is moving strongly into the mainstream.  Mindfulness Therapy  now has the results of numerous studies and solid evidence to show it really can help. 

(I rarely get on a soapbox – but this is important.)   A while back I wrote about – and linked to – an article in the LA Times that raised the alarm on  a specific clinic with dubious credentials that offered (and offers) Lap Band surgery.   February 22nd 2010.   Sadly someone had died. 

Do your workout friends (over) share their views on the “right way” to live/eat/workout?   Are they critical of your and others’ choices of food/exercise/lack of exercise etc?   Does this describe you? And the question is are they, and you, driven by real concern for the person being proselytized to, or is it something else?  It is worth taking a closer look.

• “People often project onto others how they feel about themselves”, says clinical psychotherapist Leslie Seppinni, Psy.D.  “If they’ve struggled with something, they can be more likely to judge, be openly critical, or even become outraged, by the choices of others.”

Continuing the review of the exercises I found in the BackPacker Magazine.   In the previous  blog post I commented on 6 of the 11 or so exercises.  So, starting in the left top corner and going clockwise we ended at the bottom of the page (Treating Muscle Cramps).  Moving on clockwise:

7.      Banishing Blisters.  Always good to read about the current thinking  – to pop or not to pop blisters?  I am sure this question has come up for most of you, even if it hasn’t exactly kept you up at night.  Seems it was settled in a much earlier BackPacker article.  And Yes you should pop blisters as long as:

 I found these exercises in the BackPacker Magazine.   It really seems to me that they are valuable regardless of the type of exercise/sport one engages in. 

Taking a look starting in the left top corner and going clockwise:

 1.   Building Lung Power.  The approach is to train using “Intervals” – three minutes all out then three minutes of recovery.   The article talks about jogging – running at high intensity then jogging at recovery rate.    And for many who no longer find jogging suitable, here are options:

• Speed walking and regular walking – outside or treadmill

4 minute Workout??  In 4 minutes you can burn fat, increase power and endurance, and improve your fitness level.   No this is not another one of those ‘all you need is 10 minutes a day to get in bikini shape’ article.  This workout is definitely not for people just starting to exercise.  The regimen of Tabata training is for people who work out already, are in good condition, know their bodies and abilities and perhaps are looking for something to break through a plateau, reach the next level of athletic  fitness  or break up the boredom of a routine.

In the first part of this three part article, I introduced the concept that too much of a good thing like exercise is not always a good thing.  In part 2, I outlined the signs of the addiction associated with the “runner’s high” – much like a high associated with a drug.  In case you are still asking “so what?”; still wondering what the problem is with being addicted to something as wholesome as exercise, then read on.  Working out hard will let you see results quickly, but continually overloading the body will eventually lead to negative consequences.  Whilst working out hard is good for bones, going at high levels of intensity all the time puts enormous stress on bones, joints and muscles.