Healthy Aging – Strength Training Builds More Than Muscles

Strength training will provide significant functional benefits and improvement in overall health and well-being including increased bone, muscle, tendon and ligament strength and toughness and reduced potential for injury

Over 50s – Don’t even think about Insanity or book your appointment at the physios now! Physios love Insanity it generates so much business for them…

Over 35s – Well how active have you been in the last 10 years before you launch into an intensive workout. See articles on the militarisation of fitness here. “The fitness industry has been hijacked by workout zealots”

Comparing modern man to forebears: “They didn’t go 22-23 hours without moving, then bolt off on heat throbbing run for 45 minutes”. Their bodies were strong and tendons and ligaments hardened by constant movement from a range of activities”. Robert Forster

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Strength Train To Decrease Body Fat

Strength train to decrease body fatIf you are looking to increase your metabolism and strength while getting lean and toned, and who isn’t, you need to weight train! Lean muscle burns more calories so if you want to decrease body fat, perform better, train for an event or just look & feel great, then plan to strength train 3 times a week for 30 mins.

Why Strength Training?

  • To increase your resting metabolism, decrease blood pressure & body fat
  • Reduce bone deterioration and build bone mass to prevent osteoporosis
  • Strength training done properly with clear instruction from the  24 Fit Workout DVDs and with planning will NOT give you large muscles, but increase your metabolism which burns more calories and transforms your body into an efficient machine with the tone that we all strive to attain!

Gong away this summer? Take the resistance bands with you they are light and can easily packed in your suitcase.

Nutrition

Replace high fat, high calorie, high sugar, high preservative, low nutrition foods with low fat, low calorie, low sugar, nutritionally dense food ..its called Herbalife Formula 1, the worlds no.1 nutritional meal replacement!

To help preserve muscle mass, aim for at least 15 grams of protein at every meal, the amount of protein is personalised to the individual. Someone who is 5ft 10″ requires more protein than someone 5 ft. 2″, for example. And a Herbalife shake after training accelerates lean muscle growth, which in turn revs your metabolism and burns more fat, and speeds up recovery. Eating soon after your workout not only speeds the recovery process, it also can prevent you from feeling deeply ravenous and overeating later on.

#30minuteworkouts

#strengthtrain3timesaweek

Strength Training 3 Times A Week

Fitness girl training at beach elastics bandsTravelling? Resistance bands are light and portable so you can take anywhere. The bands allow you to get into the routine of strength training three times a week.

Strength training is the secret weapon you need if you want to break the plateau and lose the pounds. Adding resistance builds muscle and helps you burn more calories during (and after!) your workout, notes Tom Holland, author of Beat the Gym and lead instructor on the 24Fit Workout.

In fact, researchers found that women who did strength training increased their resting metabolic rate (the calories your body needs to get through the day) for as long as 16 hours post-exercise.

So step up your strength training and aim for at least 15 grams of protein at very meal. And don’t skip your protein shake after you exercise and think that you’ll save calories! A protein shake after training accelerates lean muscle growth, which in turn revs your metabolism and burns more fat, and speeds up recovery.

#strengthtraining3timesaweek

#30minuteworkouts

More about Tom Holland

Tom’s focus is always about making exercise accessible to his clients. Tom Holland helps clients make the small changes needed to reach those goals. Tom has been passionate about health and fitness his whole life, and he earned a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science and Sports Psychology after studying communications in college. It’s that passion for fitness that led Tom to gain his certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Council on Exercise, the National Academy of Sports Medicine and the International Society of Sports Nutrition; to write five health books.

Why Do We Tend To Put On Weight As We Age?

Many people put on weight as they get older – but it doesn’t have to happen. Let’s talk about why weight tends to creep up with age, and what can you do about it.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a patient say to me, “everybody gains a little weight as they get older!” To them, picking up a few extra pounds every year is just something to be expected. And, they figure, if “everyone is doing it” – it must be okay. But truth is, middle-aged weight gain doesn’t happen to everyone. Yes, some adults put on weight fairly steadily in their middle years – to the tune of about a pound a year, on average. But just because creeping weight gain does happen to a lot of people, doesn’t mean that it has to.

Why do we tend to put on weight as we age?

It may seem that weight gain as you get older is inevitable – but it’s not. That’s not to say you don’t need to pay attention though – you’ve still got plenty of things working against you that can make weight management more challenging with each passing decade.

For one thing, there’s often a downward shift in the number of calories you spend when you exercise. As you get older, you may tend to move a bit less, or to exercise less vigorously – all of which adds up to fewer calories burned over the course of the day. If you’re exercising less than you used to – but still eating the way you did in your 20’s – you shouldn’t be surprised if you’re packing on the pounds.

Then there are changes in body composition that are a natural part of the aging process. You tend to lose muscle as you age – partly because your muscle cells just don’t repair themselves the way they used to. When you’re younger, the everyday wear and tear of your muscles gets patched up relatively quickly, but over time, the process slows down – which means you can lose some muscle mass. Natural dips in hormone production – estrogen, testosterone and growth hormone levels all decline with age – can also contribute to some loss of muscle mass.

Since muscle tissue does a lot of metabolic ‘work’ that uses up a lot of calories, the loss of muscle tissue as you age means that you will burn fewer calories per day than you used to – in other words, your metabolic rate slows down.

This subtle shift in your metabolism starts somewhere in your 20s or 30s. You start to slowly lose muscle tissue and gradually pick up some body fat. By the time women reach the age of about 40 and men enter their 60’s, they start to lose about 6-8% of their muscle mass every ten years. That translates into a drop in metabolic rate of about 10% every decade.

Diet clearly plays a role here, too. If the rate at which you burn calories is slowing down, then you need to apply the brakes to your calorie intake, too, if you want to avoid weight gain. In many cases, people are taking in too many calories simply because they are eating they way they did 20 years ago, but moving a lot less. But the other thing that sometimes happens as people get older is that their eating habits change – and not always in a good way. “Empty nesters” who are no longer cooking for a family might stop preparing full, healthy meals. Instead, they might snack more, or rely more on higher calorie convenience foods or fast foods. Some people simply eat more meals out because it’s easier – but calorie control is often sacrificed. And, as people get older and find themselves less busy, eating can also become a calorie-laden form of entertainment.

Woman with weights6 tips for controlling your weight as you age

  • Don’t assume that weight gain is inevitable. With that attitude, you’ll be a lot less likely to take the necessary steps to keep your weight in check. Gaining weight in your middle years doesn’t ‘have to’ happen – and if it already has, it isn’t too late to get it under control.
  • Strength train a few times a week. Strength training is one of the best things you can do to retain – and even build – muscle. Since muscle cells burn calories at a much faster rate than fat cells do, building up your muscle mass will boost your metabolic rate. And don’t think you’re too old – studies show that with the proper resistance exercise, even people in their 80s can experience increases in muscle size and strength.
  • Keep up with the cardio and you could keep weight gain in check. Any exercise that gets your heart pumping is going to burn calories, so aim for at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise most days of the week. If the pace at which you walk or jog has slowed over time, keep in mind that you’ll also be burning fewer calories than you used to. To compensate, you’ll need to cut your calorie intake a bit or – if you can – exercise for a little longer. If you haven’t exercised in a while, be sure to get clearance from your doctor before you start out.
  • Fill up on low calorie, high-volume foods. Vegetables and whole fruits are “nutrient-dense” – which means they offer up a lot of nutrition for a relatively small calorie cost. Vegetables and whole fruits not only provide a lot of nutrients, they contain plenty of water and fiber, so they help to fill you up – not out.
  • Eat protein at each meal or snack. Protein not only helps your body to build and repair muscle mass, it also helps control hunger. The trick is to opt for the leanest sources, so that you get your protein without a lot of added fat that can often tag along. Choose seafood, poultry breast, egg whites, low fat or nonfat dairy products, lean cuts of red meat, and plant proteins such as tofu, beans, lentils, and protein powders which can be made into smoothies.
  • Keep a diary. A daily journal can help you to stay motivated. Keep tabs on your weight and write down what you eat, how much exercise you do and how much water you drink every day. That way, you’ll be able to track the results and rewards of your efforts.

Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife. Herbalife markets protein-based meal replacements, powders, and snacks.

20 Ways Exercise Improves Health and Function

There are a hundred ways to exercises but we can lump exercise into three broad categories: strength training (weightlifting, core training), cardiovascular conditioning (running, cycling, aerobics), and flexibility training (yoga, stretching).  Let’s look at the specific ways in which each promotes optimal health and function:

Flexibility Training24-fit-workout-program-jpeg

  1. Improves range of motion
  2. Reduces risk of injury
  3. Reduces post-workout soreness
  4. Improves posture
  5. Improves circulation to muscles
  6. Enhances neuro-muscular coordination
  7. Improves balance

Cardiovascular Conditioning

  1. Increases oxygen intake
  2. Increases the body’s oxygen use efficiency
  3. Increases cardiac output and efficiency
  4. Increases blood volume
  5. Improves stamina
  6. Improves lung health and capacity
  7. Reduces blood pressure and lowers resting heart rate
  8. Improves cholesterol ratio (HDL/LDL)
  9. Increases insulin sensitivity
  10. Improves circulation to active muscles
  11. Decreases symptoms of anxiety and depression

Strength Training

  1. Maintains strength and power
  2. Increases lean body mass
  3. Greater core strength prevents back problems
  4. Boosts metabolic rate by up to 15%, aiding in weight control
  5. Prevents osteoporosis
  6. Increases ligament tensile strength
  7. Increases tendon tensile strength

The 24 Fit Programme, developed by Robert Forster in conjunction with Herbalife , includes stretching exercises, metabolic workouts and strength training.  Forster of Santa Monica is a physical therapist and is Founder and CEO of Phase IV Scientific Health and Performance Center in Santa Monica California specializing in rehabilitation and health and fitness programs for athletes and the general public.

One  key to exercises is to find something that you can do on regular basis that dosent take too long i.e. 30 minutes, thats habit forming. With 24Fit alternate daily between cardio and strength training exercises, and include flexibility /stretching exercises with every workout.

Take the 24 Fit Challenge

Thanks to Dr. Louis Ignarro and Dr. Andrew Myers for this list. Health Is Wealth

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