Workout and Diet Advice for Women over 45

Hiking near San Diego

What do you think keeps you from staying young, as you get older?    Besides the too obvious answer of “age”……!   

Stop and think a little.  The answer I am heading toward may surprise you – in a word muscle tissue (OK that’s two words).  And it is the lack of muscle tissue that makes the aging process more pronounced.  Less muscle means lower metabolism since muscle tissue requires energy and calories to maintain itself, while fat needs much less.   More muscle means a leaner look since muscle takes up less space than fat.

In Parts 1, 2 and 3, I covered the leg workout, the chest and front delts workout, and the back and rear delts workout respectively, that I do in 15-20 minutes.  I add in 15 minutes to warm up and stretch, so in 30 minutes I can get a good workout when I am pressed for time.

This is part 4, and the final of the four-part series.  And to reiterate  –  the split I use may seem  a little unusual, though by now I suspect some of you are waiting anxiously for the final part.   I split the upper body into back, chest and arms and I split the shoulders over three days as well, so that I do some shoulders on each of the upper body days.  Any and all feedback on this routine is welcomed.

In Part 1, I outlined the leg workout that I do in 15-20 minutes.  I add in 15 minutes to warm up and stretch, so in 30 minutes I can get a good workout when I am pressed for time.

This is part 2 of the four-part series.  And some may find the split I use to be a little unusual.  I split the upper body into back, chest and arms and I split the shoulders over three days as well, so that I do some shoulders on each of the upper body days.  I almost hesitated to share this workout  – I have kept this little gem a secret for so long.  I also will admit that I did not develop this routine; I was lucky enough to have a trainer share it with me.  I look forward to your feedback on this routine.

Fifteen minute workouts!?
We are all pressed for time, and rather than skip a workout due to lack of time, it is great to have some exercises that we can simply do in less time and still feel that we got a good workout . I have taken the challenge to suggest such workouts, and will be blogging these suggestions for the time challenged over the next couple of weeks. The objective is to make the workouts shorter in duration and still be effective.

In my previous blog post I discussed getting the most from your trainer; how to do it and what your responsibilities are as a client. So why are we talking about whether to end the relationship with the trainer? Fact is, like any relationship, things can feel ‘old and stale’, or we reach the point where we are no longer ‘feeling the love’. Though these generally apply to a male-female romantic relationship, the metaphor applies equally to the trainer-client relationship.
As women we are pretty sensitive and intuitive and can sense when things are ‘just not working’. If you are unsure of your instincts, then ask yourself the following questions:

I have had personal trainers for short periods occasionally over the years, and I have been a personal trainer.  I have seen what works and what doesn’t work from both sides.  I am also a keen observer of current personal trainers when they are training others.

Last week, my guest spot topic on Carl Lenore’s Super Human Radio Show was about Women and Personal trainers.  (The link to the show is posted at the end of this blog post.)  The topic is so broad and deep, and on the show we covered a small part, so I have this pent up need to share more.   And specifically, cover some things that women have spoken to me about or asked me about.

Figured I would break it into three parts:

1. Choosing a Personal Trainer
2. Getting the Most out of your Personal Trainer

Just had the opportunity to be a guest on Internet Radio – “Superhuman Radio Show” with host Carl Lanore http://bit.ly/73Ew2s . The Topic was a Feminine Perspective of Bodybuilding, which turned out to be a broad subject and was an enjoyable hour’s discussion.