Ms Bea, a stout, middle aged woman of many interest, one of which is photography another is lifting weights. Unusual for a woman of any age, lifting weights. "I tried it once in a previous effort at working out," she said.
Ms Bea is not a body building, weight lifting, female version of Arnold. Her interest was based on therapy in recovering from an injury.
However, like many who start an exercise program, Ms Bea relapsed into inactivity... or perhaps it was just a long "Time Out." At any rate, she's back.
Strength training in general and lifting weights in particular is not an exclusive locker room for men. Women train as well, however records from the Center of Decease Control and Prevention, show that less than 18 percent of women over 45 engage in some form of regular strength training. By age 65, the percentage falls to 10 percent and slides further with age. Records date to 2004, last available figures.
But there are compelling arguments for why women in particular and men over 50 should practice some form of strength training at lease twice weekly, sites Elizabeth Quinn, an exercise physiologist and fitness consultant to About.Com.
Numerous studies show that strength training helps to lose body fat, reduce the risk of injury, decrease the risk of osteoporosis, reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
A reduction in muscle strength is part of normal aging but some of it is due to lack of use. Muscle mass can be restored, even to some degree among the elderly, through training.
Upon her return to active training, our friend, Ms Bea, stands to benefit from Quinn's list of 10 reasons why women should strength train, which include becoming stronger but not gaining bulging muscles. Women have less muscle mass than men and produce much smaller amounts of testosterone, a hormone needed to build muscle. In short, bulk ain't gonna happen, under normal conditions, no matter how strenuous the effort.
Ms Bea has another interest that should help develop a healthy fitness life style. She kinda-sorta likes to hike.
"I guess you can call it that," she said. "Sometimes I stop the car and take a picture of something that catches my eye. Sometimes I have to walk a ways (hike) to get to it."
A complete fitness routine includes not only strength but cardio exercises as well.
Benefits of moderate cardio activity like hiking, volleyball, shooting baskets, and water aerobics, contribute to improved endurance, and like strength training, cardio benefits include weight loss, increased bone density, stronger heart and lungs.
St.Louis has a number of scenic, easy striding, beginner hiking trails.
Ms Bea's interest in photography can encourage nature trail hikes which in turn benefit photography. A perfect health and wellness symbiotic relationship.
Thrown in strength training and Ms Bea has the makings of a life long fitness routine that covers her natural interest and abilities.
Myths of women weight training: http://bodybuilding.about.com/od/womensfitnesstopics/a/womenmyths.htm
Healthy Aging: http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/121610p18.shtml
American College of Sports Medicine, Exercise for older adults: http://www.acsm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Past_Roundtables&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=2836
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Snow in the Lou
Got some serious snow the other day, at lease nine inches. St. Louis is not exactly the snow capital of the midwest but starting Wednesday night, we gave it our best shot. The fluffy stuff tumbled in until late Thursday morning.
My old snow blower, which failed me last week during a light snow, cranked right up and plowed through the stuff like Jim Brown going off tackle. Cleared a 70 foot driveway, the sidewalk, and part on a neighbors drive in less than an hour.
The neighbors drive? Yes sir. Something about a big snow blower, like a potato chip, can't start this rascal up for one.
As said before, clearing snow is a form of exercise. But even with the blower, moving nine inches of snow takes effort.
Walking back and fourth and distributing the snow so that it is out the way. Shoveling steps and that part of the walk to narrow for the blower. Cleaning a path to the trash can, not only for yourself but for the refuse collector and don't forget the postal workers.
AND...stopping every few minutes to lower a rising heart rate. Even with the blower, this is work.
But the best thing of all about the snow ....being retired and living across the street from a small park with it's pines and oaks, ....what a pretty site. I took time to enjoy it all.
Snow shovel tips from eHOW.com
http://www.ehow.com/how_13048_shovel-snow.html
-Anthony, St. Louis
My old snow blower, which failed me last week during a light snow, cranked right up and plowed through the stuff like Jim Brown going off tackle. Cleared a 70 foot driveway, the sidewalk, and part on a neighbors drive in less than an hour.
The neighbors drive? Yes sir. Something about a big snow blower, like a potato chip, can't start this rascal up for one.
As said before, clearing snow is a form of exercise. But even with the blower, moving nine inches of snow takes effort.
Walking back and fourth and distributing the snow so that it is out the way. Shoveling steps and that part of the walk to narrow for the blower. Cleaning a path to the trash can, not only for yourself but for the refuse collector and don't forget the postal workers.
AND...stopping every few minutes to lower a rising heart rate. Even with the blower, this is work.
But the best thing of all about the snow ....being retired and living across the street from a small park with it's pines and oaks, ....what a pretty site. I took time to enjoy it all.
Snow shovel tips from eHOW.com
http://www.ehow.com/how_13048_shovel-snow.html
-Anthony, St. Louis
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Weights, weights, don't make me.
To be physically fit, one must endure a degree of discomfort. It's the price we pay to get what we want.
Ms. Jackie, an older middle aged woman, new to physical fitness as it applies to the grunts, groans and sweating of gym workouts, balked at lifting 25 pounds at a bicep curl work station. It was a five pound increase over her new routine, to which she had quickly adjusted and a 10 pound increase over where she had been a few weeks earlier.
Lifting 15 pounds 10 times, three times a week... after week, after week? It was past time for a slight adjustment. A similar routine, using the least amount of effort was practiced at the other work stations. Nothing wrong with this. Just don't expect much progress.
The body adjust in time to the work it is given by working more efficiently. Working more efficiently means not working as hard, means not burning as much energy, means not burning as much fat.
About 5'6" and 185 pounds, I knew Ms Jackie could do more. She disagreed.
Encouraged by her doctor to loose weight, Ms Jackie followed his advice and his recommendation to join a Fit For Life exercise program at a local YMCA.
Fit For Life is a grant funded program designed to encourage a healthy lifestyle through exercise.
Like many FFL participants, Ms Jackie, over weight and borderline hypertensive, was initially a bit self-conscious.
Stuff humming and clanging. Men and women moving about in various stages of undress. Sistas with they hindnies all up in the air, wiggling and jiggly all over the place.
Sleek looking tigeress, shimmy through workouts. Effortlessly.
Being self-conscious in a gym setting is a waist of time. Most folks are not paying nearly as much attention to you as you think for the reasons you might think. They are to busy concentrating on personal objectives.
For the most part, Ms Jackie had adjusted to gym life. Regular attendance. Reasonable enthusiasm. Running into old friends and making new ones. She keeps a journal of her training schedule...10 minute hamster trot (treadmill), 10 minutes on the recumbent cycle. Fifty minutes for Zumba.
Strength training through weights had become a challenge. Ms Jackie, locked in on 20 pounds, had no intension of moving up to 25. She reminded me that she only wanted to tone up a bit and not get bulky.
I reminded her that 10 repetitions at 20 pounds is not going to produce Arnold size muscles.
Many women spend most of their gym time on cardiovascular exercise and not enough on strength training. In part, some women view weights as not feminine. There is a fear of appearing masculine. There is also a lack of knowledge.
Women do not, and cannot, naturally produce as much testosterone (one of the main hormones responsible for increasing muscle size) as men.
Myths of Women's Weight Training.
http://bodybuilding.about.com/od/womensfitnesstopics/a/womenmyths.htm
Why women should lift weights
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/women/a/aa051601a.
After all the explaining featured in the above links, after all my sweet talk...
even reminded her of Michelle Obama's celebrated arms...Ms Jackie wasn't getting up off 20. She did however adjust the weights to 25 pounds and strained against it in a failed attempt to lift and thus prove her point.
"Twenty-five pounds is just to much," she sighed.
This dance was going no where. Time to change the subject.
I asked about her grandchild.
"How old is she now"?
"Three," said Ms Jackie. She went on to talk about a recent shopping trip. That she had picked the little darling up to...
"How much does she weigh," I interrupted.
"About 30 pon..."
There was this long glare from Ms Jackie as I stuffed a smile.
Ms. Jackie, an older middle aged woman, new to physical fitness as it applies to the grunts, groans and sweating of gym workouts, balked at lifting 25 pounds at a bicep curl work station. It was a five pound increase over her new routine, to which she had quickly adjusted and a 10 pound increase over where she had been a few weeks earlier.
Lifting 15 pounds 10 times, three times a week... after week, after week? It was past time for a slight adjustment. A similar routine, using the least amount of effort was practiced at the other work stations. Nothing wrong with this. Just don't expect much progress.
The body adjust in time to the work it is given by working more efficiently. Working more efficiently means not working as hard, means not burning as much energy, means not burning as much fat.
About 5'6" and 185 pounds, I knew Ms Jackie could do more. She disagreed.
Encouraged by her doctor to loose weight, Ms Jackie followed his advice and his recommendation to join a Fit For Life exercise program at a local YMCA.
Fit For Life is a grant funded program designed to encourage a healthy lifestyle through exercise.
Like many FFL participants, Ms Jackie, over weight and borderline hypertensive, was initially a bit self-conscious.
Stuff humming and clanging. Men and women moving about in various stages of undress. Sistas with they hindnies all up in the air, wiggling and jiggly all over the place.
Sleek looking tigeress, shimmy through workouts. Effortlessly.
Being self-conscious in a gym setting is a waist of time. Most folks are not paying nearly as much attention to you as you think for the reasons you might think. They are to busy concentrating on personal objectives.
For the most part, Ms Jackie had adjusted to gym life. Regular attendance. Reasonable enthusiasm. Running into old friends and making new ones. She keeps a journal of her training schedule...10 minute hamster trot (treadmill), 10 minutes on the recumbent cycle. Fifty minutes for Zumba.
Strength training through weights had become a challenge. Ms Jackie, locked in on 20 pounds, had no intension of moving up to 25. She reminded me that she only wanted to tone up a bit and not get bulky.
I reminded her that 10 repetitions at 20 pounds is not going to produce Arnold size muscles.
Many women spend most of their gym time on cardiovascular exercise and not enough on strength training. In part, some women view weights as not feminine. There is a fear of appearing masculine. There is also a lack of knowledge.
Women do not, and cannot, naturally produce as much testosterone (one of the main hormones responsible for increasing muscle size) as men.
Myths of Women's Weight Training.
http://bodybuilding.about.com/od/womensfitnesstopics/a/womenmyths.htm
Why women should lift weights
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/women/a/aa051601a.
After all the explaining featured in the above links, after all my sweet talk...
even reminded her of Michelle Obama's celebrated arms...Ms Jackie wasn't getting up off 20. She did however adjust the weights to 25 pounds and strained against it in a failed attempt to lift and thus prove her point.
"Twenty-five pounds is just to much," she sighed.
This dance was going no where. Time to change the subject.
I asked about her grandchild.
"How old is she now"?
"Three," said Ms Jackie. She went on to talk about a recent shopping trip. That she had picked the little darling up to...
"How much does she weigh," I interrupted.
"About 30 pon..."
There was this long glare from Ms Jackie as I stuffed a smile.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
St. Louis received a few inches of snow the other day. Shoveled my sister's drive and walk before returning home to crank up the old snow blower to knock off my crib.
But couldn't get the blankly blank thing to start. So I shoveled my steps, drive and walk.
Shoveling snow is just another form of exercise however it goes better if one is in shape, especially older folk.
A shovel of snow is rather light. It is 15 minutes of repetitive motion that drives up the heart rate that gets a poorly condition person in trouble. At 66, I've long given up hopes of becoming a world class athlete or acquiring a Greek God physique.
So my fitness routine is functionally realistic.
There is nothing in my home more than 80 pounds that I have to lift by my self. But I do have to sweep the walk, tend my flower garden, clean house, move groceries from the car to the house and put them up.
Each activity involves the repetitive motion of a rather light weight. It also includes bending, twisting, stoop and squatting.
I don't have to workout like an NBA all star to be fit but I do have to be conditioned to do well anything and everything that I'm expected to do on any given day. Cutting the grass, digging up weeds, and in the winter, shoveling snow. Oh yeah...and keeping my weight and blood pressure under control.
For basic cardio, a good 30 to 40 minute brisk walk is hard to beat. For a more intense workout, try cycling, jogging, and rowing. Ten to 15 repetitions of light weights ...working the chest, back and shoulders, arms and legs. Stretching, especially the lower back completes the routine. Remember to stretch and hold. Never bounce.
Finally got the snow blower to start...but a day later after much of the snow had melted away.
But couldn't get the blankly blank thing to start. So I shoveled my steps, drive and walk.
Shoveling snow is just another form of exercise however it goes better if one is in shape, especially older folk.
A shovel of snow is rather light. It is 15 minutes of repetitive motion that drives up the heart rate that gets a poorly condition person in trouble. At 66, I've long given up hopes of becoming a world class athlete or acquiring a Greek God physique.
So my fitness routine is functionally realistic.
There is nothing in my home more than 80 pounds that I have to lift by my self. But I do have to sweep the walk, tend my flower garden, clean house, move groceries from the car to the house and put them up.
Each activity involves the repetitive motion of a rather light weight. It also includes bending, twisting, stoop and squatting.
I don't have to workout like an NBA all star to be fit but I do have to be conditioned to do well anything and everything that I'm expected to do on any given day. Cutting the grass, digging up weeds, and in the winter, shoveling snow. Oh yeah...and keeping my weight and blood pressure under control.
For basic cardio, a good 30 to 40 minute brisk walk is hard to beat. For a more intense workout, try cycling, jogging, and rowing. Ten to 15 repetitions of light weights ...working the chest, back and shoulders, arms and legs. Stretching, especially the lower back completes the routine. Remember to stretch and hold. Never bounce.
Finally got the snow blower to start...but a day later after much of the snow had melted away.
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