Losing Stubborn Belly Fat for Seniors

Lots of things have happened since I last posted. I found out that surgery can be a real setback to weight management.

Yes, I put on weight after surgery because of inactivity and not paying attention to what I was eating.

So, after all the work in the weight room getting rid of ten pounds, I'm stuck with the same problem AGAIN.  10 pounds of belly fat ain't appealing!

Here's how I lost the weight the last time with strength training - http://hubpages.com/health/Best-Way-To-Lose-Body-Fat-For-Women-Over-50.

What do I do NOW?

I can't jump right into strength training.  I'll have to ease into it with other activities that interest me.

If you're in the same situation (sixty plus with unwanted belly fat), feel free to read what I came up with. It's NOT about dieting. AND you don't need to buy anything if you don't see the need.

Here's my article:

Two Easy Ways To Lose Unhealthy Belly Fat for Seniors

The Fifth Step To Rapid Weight Loss - Increase Your Activity Level

In case you just stumbled on this blog, here are the 5 steps to rapid weight loss:

1. Prepare mentally for weight loss.
2. Reduce the most deadly white poison (sugar).
3. Reduce the second most deadly white poison (white flour).
4. Increase fiber intake.
5. Increase your activity level.

The first step is by far the most important.

The subject of this post is step 5 - increase your activity level. 

Obviously, if you are sedentary, increasing your activity level is easy - get off the couch, take a walk, climb stairs, park your car away from the entrance to the store. This isn't the first time you have read this stuff. Just do it. Here's a big indicator that you have a problem (besides looking in the mirror at your dunlap disease) - your dog/cat is overweight. You both need to get moving.

If you're into more formal exercise, try a CD (walking, exercise, dancing, whatever you like).

The best exercise is strength training. The next best exercise is high intensity intermittent training.

Stop procrastinating. Get moving. Now.

Free and Convenient Strength Training To Boost Metabolism And Fat Burning

Proper Form Is Key

I finally figured out that weight training is a must for me because that's one way I can look and feel younger than my age. But honestly, when I moved to a town without a fitness center within a few miles, I gave up the weight lifting stuff. I was doing heavy duty gardening so it was okay for a few months.

Now I'm stuck inside because it's 20 degrees outdoors. I'm doing DVDs several times a week to maintain. I've been looking for some variety and found it in an article about bodyweight strength training. Apparently it's very easy to do it incorrectly.

Since I hate being hurt (can't get anything done on my LONG to do list), I read the article with great interest.
See what you think . . .

Five Bodyweight Exercises You May Be Doing Wrong and How to Fix Them

P.S. When you strength train, your body needs more protein for muscle growth. Use this Protein Calculator to help you select the proper nutrition for your program aimed at increasing the muscle mass of your body.

P.P.S   Lose 20 lbs In 1 Month 

on a safe, healthy, cost-free eating plan . . . 

Get my FREE ebook by clicking HERE 

Mid-Life Body Makeover for Women over 50

Are you a female over 50 looking for a proven method to get fit, improve your numbers (weight, BP, cholesterol, glucose), and makeover your aging body?

According to a naturopath I've been seeing for the last 6 months, there are 3 specific areas of focus to achieve this goal:
1. Stress Management
2. Nutrition (surprise!)
3. Exercise - including strength training (another big surprise!!) Refer to http://vmills.hubpages.com/hub/Best-Way-To-Lose-Body-Fat-For-Women-Over-50 for details.

Start HERE . . . 

It takes 30 days to build new habits. And it's difficult to incorporate several different activities simultaneously into a busy schedule.

Here's a way to make it work - Start with one new activity per week for 3 weeks, picking one activity from each of the three areas mentioned above. Give each activity 30 days before you decide if it's a keeper. By then, you will have developed a habit AND it should be returning a benefit, however imperceptible.

Rinse and repeat.

Here's a round of suggestions:

Week One
Learn a simple stress management technique like belly breathing and practice it when you wake up in the morning.

Preparation for week 2: Find out how to cut back on the sugar and carbs by reading Jorge Cruise's The Belly Fat Cure: Discover the New Carb Swap System and Lose 4 to 9 lbs. Every Week. The plan is a daily 15 grams of sugar / 6 servings of carbs. This will help you reduce the sugar in your diet and reduce body fat at the same time.

Week Two
Practice belly breathing.
Start reducing your belly fat using Jorge Cruise's plan.

Prep for Week 3: Find a gym membership with personal trainers
OR
if you're strapped for cash, get a copy of the best DIY personal training book on the market: The New Rules of Lifting for Life: An All-New Muscle-Building, Fat-Blasting Plan for Men and Women Who Want to Ace Their Midlife Exams.

Week Three
Practice belly breathing.
Practice Jorge Cruz's plan.
Begin personal trainer workouts
OR
if you're confident with DIY, start the first workout series (A and B) from the New Rules of Lifting for Life. Be prepared to spend about an hour doing one of these workouts. You can start with just the warmups this week if you need time to get acclimated. Add in the core and strength training in week four, and then the metabolic and recovery training in week 5.

And now you've got an excellent start on a midlife body makeover.

Please use the comments to ask questions.

And FYI - these techniques are getting results for me - I dropped 15 pounds, added muscle, and lowered blood sugar and BP. I don't groan getting up from the couch (except after a heavy workout), and my energy levels have skyrocketed.

What If Weight Training Is Not Your Thing?
I'm realizing that many older women will not do weight training. No problem. There are strength training alternatives. See this article: Get On the Fast Track to Weight Loss in 30 Minutes a Day (Without Hitting the Fitness Club)

Three Things You Can Do Today To Improve Your Health Dramatically

What are 3 actions you can take today to improve your health dramatically?

Here's the summary:

1. The Blood Sugar Solution by Mark Hyman discusses ways to reverse diabesity. One really important point is the major reduction of sugar in your diet.
2. I Can Make You Thin by Paul McKenna provides the ultimate key to all health. If you think about being healthy (thin, disease-free, etc.), then you will be healthy. Thoughts drive action.
3. The last 2 books covered in the article mentioned below are about strength training. Don't want to increase your strength? Then don't. When you are 40 or 50 and can't get out of your chair because your muscles can't handle the load, you may decide that a few squats every week will work!

The details are contained within this article:

5 Outstanding Books to Defy Aging and Improve Your Health and Fitness

If you raised your hand, this article is for you! In fact, if you really care about defying age and becoming fit, this article is a must-read! I've read man...

Age-Proofing Your Brain - How Strength Training Can Help You Stay Youthful

I'm forever on the lookout for ways to make sure I do not lose my mind on my way to senior citizenship. There's nothing quite so painful as those individuals who have earned retirement status but do not know they can now enjoy it. They forgot and continue to forget their lives, relatives, and what they once had.

Dementia. Alzheimer's. Sad.

So when I read an AARP article called "Age-Proof Your Brain - 10 Easy Ways to Stay Sharp Forever," I enjoyed tip #2 - Pump Some Iron. I've been strength training for almost a year and have noticed the difference in muscle to fat composition and the ability to perform tasks I just could not do previously.

Specifically, the Pump Some Iron tip stated that "Older women who participated in a yearlong weight-training program at Vancouver did 13 percent better on tests of cognitive function than a group  of women who did balance and toning exercises."

Once you get past the fear of lifting weights with grunting and weight-dropping male club members, you do it at your own pace. More weight or more reps. And you do get help from the boys if you ask nicely. One trainer saw me doing a chest press incorrectly and showed me how to do it the right way. Makes a big difference if your form is correct.

And for the curious readers - here are the rest of the tips in the article to Age-Proof Your Brain. Stay away from the nursing home, maintain your independence, and live a healthy retirement! Follow these tips:

1. Get moving
Calling all couch potatoes - that means you! WAlk around the block, get a DVD to walk in your house, stay away from the TV, cell phone, and PC.

3. Seek new skills
Challenge yourself by teaching yourself something new. This activity will create new brain pathways. I picked up a crossword puzzle for the first time ever just a few days ago. I got about half of it on my own. It's a start.

4. Reduce stress
Yeah, stress ages your body and your brain. Reduce it as much as possible with stress management techniques. See http://squidoo.com/age-defying-workouts.

5. Eat like a Greek
The Mediterranean "diet" is heart and brain-friendly.

6. Spice it up
Certain spices (pepper, cinnamon, ginger) which are high in antioxidants build brainpower.

7.  Find your reason to be, your passion (your motivation to get up in the morning).

8. Socialize
Find a social activity you like or get a dog and walk him. You will socialize if you get a cute puppy!

9. Reduce your risks.
Reduce the risk of chronic diseases by living a healthy lifestyle. The presence of chronic diseases is associated with dementia.

10. Check vitamin deficiences
A common deficiency in older adults is vitamin B12 which can affect brain functioning.

Defy age now!