It's Life-Changing to Be a Fit Female Over 50

Blizzard Nemo dumped 3 feet of snow on southern CT. That's at least two days of shoveling for 4 hours a day. At 63, almost 64, I found the shoveling tiresome but doable. Why?

Shoveling is a strength workout - something I've been doing regularly for the last two years. The workouts, along with the nutritional changes and the stress management techniques, have increased my fitness levels and well-being. I plan to live well past the average female life span of 86 and to able to do the things I want to do.

What about you?

References:

Weight Training for Women Over 50

http://agedefiance.blogspot.com/2013/01/mid-life-body-makeover-for-women-over-50.html

http://www.squidoo.com/5-outstanding-books-to-defy-aging-and-improve-your-health-and-fitness

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)

Boomer Progress Report: Strength and Weight Training For Women Over 50

Stats
Age: 62
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 135 lbs.
Status: Weight Lifting for 10 weeks (in phase 2/7 of reference workouts)
Reference: New Rules of Lifting for Women

Advantages of Weight Lifting

• Lost a few more pounds since last GP checkup.
• Definitely stronger - walking up stairs, bending down, lifting things over head are all much easier.
• Better Balance - several exercises include balancing; for example, crunches on swiss ball, lunges with foot balancing on step.
• Visible arm and leg muscle definition.

Downside

• Got to buy new pants - old ones are too big in waist.
• Got to buy new shirts - old ones are too tight in shoulders.
• Phase 2 workout B contains 10 exercises and requires 1 1/2 hours. Kinda long.
• Appetite is very healthy to the point where I'm eating a lot. Have to make sure the caloric count is not too high (counts provided in reference book).

A Word To The Wise
These workouts are challenging. If you want to make progress, adding weight (slowly) is required. It's a delicate balance - adding too much weight creates muscle soreness that can last for a few days.

Click the pic to buy "New Rules."