So often, we say we want to lose weight, tone up or get in better shape—-but we don’t really have a plan to do so, and therefore action never takes place.  I’m not sure who said it, but there’s a quote that goes something like this:  “Fail to plan, plan to fail”.  All too true when it comes to weight loss.

So, what’s a boomer woman who wants to lose weight to do?  Stop talking, and start doing!! Yes, I know–easier said than done!

To move from the talk mode into the action mode, you need a plan.  In my last post and video I told you how writing down your goals was a great first step toward better fitness this year.  A game plan is the second step.

In your game plan, you map out the actions you’ll take to achieve the goals you wrote in step #1.

I made a little video for you explaining how to go about setting up a game plan.

I kid you not when I say that the boomer women who put together a specific game plan are the ones who are achieving higher levels of fitness and better weight loss progress.  This stuff works.

If you need a copy of my goal setting handout, you can grab a copy HERE.

What’s YOUR game plan for making 2010 your fittest, leanest year yet?  Share your plan here at the blog.  Your ideas may just be what another boomer reader needs to get a jump start on her fitness program!

Yours in health,

Becky

Tweet This Post

Okay, boomer gals, it’s the third week in January—-how are those “I’m going to lose weight and get in shape” New Year’s resolutions going?

I’m already starting to see some resolutioners lose focus and fall off the wagon, so I made a little video for you in which I reveal a secret weapon you can use to increase the likelihood you’ll stick with your program this year.

This “secret weapon” is a household item you probably have within 4 feet of you as you read this!  Put it to use as I suggest in the video below—and your resolutions are more likely to come to fruition!

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be filming a few more videos for you to help you get in the best shape of your life.  If you have experienced set backs in your effort to lose weight and improve your health, please leave a comment below.  I’ll try to give you ideas in a future video on how to avoid those set backs this time.

Need accountability in order to stick with your plan?  I’m here for you!

Leave a comment below and let me know what your specific goals are and when you plan to achieve them.  I’m happy to keep you accountable and offer suggestions when I can.

If you’d like to get more focused by using a goal sheet, I’ve made the goal sheet I use for my personal training clients available to you.  Download your goal sheet HERE.

Committed to your success,

Becky

Tweet This Post

Perhaps it’s the colder Fall weather, but I’ve been hearing a lot lately about “achey” knees.  We boomer gals can have sore knees for a variety of reasons.  Unfortunately, sore knees can sometimes affect our ability to exercise, or make us feel that we’re limited in what we can do for exercise. Not a good situation for those of us trying to manage our weight! Strangely enough, though, exercise is sometimes just what we need to improve the comfort level of our joints! There are a lot of situations that can cause knee pain, so it’s always best to see a doctor to check your particular situation.

I put a short video together to show you my top 4 exercises for strengthening the thighs and the hips.  I incorporate a number of these exercises into my personal training programs and my boot camp for boomers in San Jose. Strong thigh and hip muscles can help support arthritic knees by better stabilizing the joint.  Many of us boomer gals tend to be weak in our deep hip muscles, so one of the exercises targets just that area.

So, if you suffer from “boomeritis” of the knees, check with your doctor first to see if these exercises are safe for you, and then give them a try!

Click here to see the video:  Knee strengthening exercises for boomers

Committed to your success,

Becky

Tweet This Post

Want to look younger?  Stand taller!

Next to wrinkles and being overweight, nothing ages us more than poor posture!  Many of us sit a lot during the day, often in front of a computer.  This shortens our chest muscles, brings our shoulders and head forward and rounds our upper back.  Yuck.

Although training and strengthening your postural muscles will do wonders for your posture and your appearance, so will training your brain!  Simply being mindful of pulling your shoulder blades down and back on your ribs, and lifting your chin and chest can make a huge difference.   Part of creating better posture is being aware of yours at all times.

I’ve put together for you four exercises that will help you strengthen muscles responsible for holding your body in proper posture. The exercises I’ve listed are not an exhaustive list of exercises you could do to improve your posture.  However, they’re a great start, and should be a part of a full body strength training program.  If you add these exercises into your workout, you will see and feel the difference!

Wall squat with shoulder blade squeeze

Starting Position:  Lean against a wall with your feet about 18 inches from the wall. Place your rear end, your shoulders and your head on the wall.   Slide down the wall a bit so that your knees are slightly bent and you’re in a semi-squat position. Put your arms up over your head in a “V” position as pictured

Action: Hold your semi-squat position as you squeeze your shoulder blades and bring your hands down to the level of your ears.  Try to keep as much of your arms on the wall as you can.

Add it into your routine this way: Perform one set of 10-12 repetitions and build up to 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions.

Straight arm pull back

Starting Position:  Loop exercise tubing around a pole, post or sturdy tree (you can also use an adjustable pulley system at a gym).  Put arms in front of you, palms down.  Step away from the pole until the band is just getting tense.

Action: With straight arms, pull the band back until your hands are just behind your rear.

Be sure to: Keep your arms straight and your abs braced.  Squeeze your shoulder blades together as you pull your arms back.

Add it into your routine this way: Perform one set of 10-12 repetitions.  Work up to 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions.

Prone Back Extensions

Starting Position:  Lie face down on a mat with your arms folded and your head resting on your arms

Action: Simultaneously lift your feet and your shoulders off the ground

Be sure to: Take care not to over-arch your back .  If this bothers your low back, try this just with the shoulders off the ground.  You can put the “feet up” part of the exercise back into your program a little later on.

Add it into your routine this way: Perform one set of 10-12 repetitions and work up to 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions over time.

Good posture requires strong abdominal muscles, so a good posture improvement program should involve something for the abs.  You’ve seen “the plank”, one of my favorite core conditioning exercises, described in an earlier post about core conditioning for baby boomers, but I’ll show you again here.  It’s a definite “add” to just about anyone’s fitness program!

The plank

Modified plank

Starting Position:  Lie face down on a mat with your elbows right underneath your shoulders.

Action: Bring your hips off the mat and hold yourself up either at your elbows and toes (regular plank) or at your knees and your toes (modified plank).

Be sure to: Pull your abdominal muscles up toward your spine.

Add it into your routine this way: Pull up into the plank and hold for about 20 seconds.  Release and repeat.  Work up to longer hold times.

So, let’s review……….

-Stand taller

-Shoulder blades down and back on the ribs

-Throw a few posture-specific exercises into your regular workout

………….you’ll look and feel younger within weeks!

Committed to your success,

Becky

Tweet This Post

As I’ve mentioned many times before at this blog, there is a lot of garbage out there when it comes to supplements.  Until about 2 years ago, I didn’t even recommend a particular brand of supplement to my San Jose personal training and boot camp clients, because I just couldn’t trust what was in the bottle–not to mention the outrageous claims some companies make.  You can’t really miss it on the Internet these days. Seems like everywhere you look there’s another company promoting the nutritious Acai Berry as a weight loss miracle.

That’s why I thought it was critical to write you today. I want to make sure you know my opinion on the subject.

First, you know better than to believe you’re going to pop some pills – ANY pills – and have the pounds and inches melt off like magic. Pleeeeease give that notion up.

If you’ve been listening to any fitness expert for any length of time you know true fat loss comes from a variety of factors, including exercise and proper nutrition.

Second, any fitness expert worth their fees will tell you that any diet that promotes you eat any one food all day long and then eat a sensible dinner, well, don’t bother. Yes, you will lose some weight short-term (due to taking in fewer calories), but as soon as you go back to your old eating habits – and you know you will – you know exactly what happens.

Third, the Acai Berry actually does contain VERY powerful antioxidants and it is getting a lot of good press for that very reason. Antioxidants are extraordinary nutrients that help fight the free radicals associated with aging, cancer risk and other degenerative diseases.  Just keep in mind, acai berry alone is not a miracle cure.

Research has shown that there are a number of powerful antioxidants found in nature, and we should be getting them in our diet. Did you know that the coffee berry (the berry that covers the coffee bean) is one of the most powerful antioxidants on the planet? It’s something researchers have just discovered in recent years.

What’s really cool is that Prograde Nutrition (the only nutrition company I have promoted in my 25 years in business!) has created a Whole Foods based Anti-Aging formula called Prograde Longevity that includes both Acai Berry and Coffee Berry.   It also utilizes Green Tea, Pomegranate, Wolf Berry and Biovin Grape (Red Wine extract).

Just to give you an idea of how powerful this formula is, well, you’d have to eat an entire POUND of raspberries to get the same ORAC value. And in case you’re not familiar with the term, ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.

Prograde creates their own forumulations based on scientific research.  No phony baloney hyped up claims here.

Here’s the great news:  You can now try Prograde Longevity for free! You simply pay a tiny shipping and handling fee. Just go to Prograde Nutrition to order your FREE bottle today.

But you really do need to hurry. I’m not sure how long they’re going to be able to make such an incredible FREE offer.

Yours in health,

Becky

PS – Remember, Prograde Longevity is NOT some silly weight loss pill. It is a powerful combination of anti-oxidants specifically designed to give you extraordinary protection against dangerous free radicals.

Tweet This Post

It might sound a bit odd that a fitness coach is telling you NOT to exercise on machines at the gym.  But, hear me out first.  It’s not an “all or nothing” suggestion.  I see many, many women at the club where I exercise going from machine to machine when they do their strength training.  it’s certainly better than sitting on the couch at home–but I’d like to see them venture off those machines for at least a few exercises–and here’s why:

Machines control your range of motion

Sounds like a good thing, right?  Not really.  Machines often eliminate a lot of work on your part.  This is great for beginners and frail individuals, but once you’re past the beginner stage—pick up some dumbbells or use cables/pulleys attached to a weight stack.  You need to be in control of your movement, activating lots of muscle in each movement.

Lots of machines put you in a seated position

I like to see my clients do most of their exercises in a standing position (of course there are exceptions here, like push ups!).  Standing while working with weights, pulleys or bands loads your skeleton (good for bone health), requires you to engage your core muscles more, and challenges your balance.

Many machines isolate one muscle group

Our muscles rarely work in isolation. I’m a proponent of using functional, multi-joint exercises in strength workouts (if weight loss or general fitness is the goal). Although there’s nothing wrong with supplementing a good workout with exercises that isolate a muscle group (such as a biceps curl), I develop workouts for my personal training clients in San Jose that are chock full of exercises that use several joints at once and mimic real-life movements (examples:  squats, lunges, and assisted pull-ups). In fact, just today in my Fit and Fabulous over 40 class, I had my group perform a squat with an elastic band anchored low in a door frame, and as they came out of the squat, they performed a rowing motion with the band.  They worked their thighs, their back, their arms and their core in that one exercise! Performing exercises that involve movement around several joints is beneficial for you because you use lots of muscles at once (think: calorie burn!!), and many multi-joint exercises require you to engage your core muscles as well.

So, if you exercise at a gym and your workout is all based around strength training machines, grab the nearest certified personal trainer and have them teach you some new exercises using dumbbells or the machines with pulleys and cables.  You’ll improve your overall function, help maintain your bones, work your postural muscles and burn more calories!

Committed to your success,

Becky

Tweet This Post

I am happy to report that I did another “on the road” vacation workout for you when I visited Holland, Michigan this summer to attend my nephew’s wedding. The wedding was in August, but it took me awhile to get the darn video footage out of my Flip camera and into my new Mac. Seems that the editing software I was using has been upgraded about 4 times since I last bought a computer. Needed to go back to the Apple store for a few lessons!

Many boomers are fortunate enough to be retired empty nesters (negative on both counts for me at this point) who have the time and discretionary income to do a little more traveling. As a professional fitness trainer, I hear all too often about how my training clients and boot campers don’t get their workouts in when they’re on vacation. Now, I don’t expect perfect adherence to a supportive nutrition plan and exercise regime when a customer of mine is traveling, but I am here to tell you you CAN get a workout in when you’re away from home. So, I try to film a “workout on the fly” when I am away from home to give you ideas on what you can do with no advanced planning and no equipment. It’s really fun to get out there and see what you can dream up!

I show you in the video below how to create a “workout on the fly” while you’re away. Things you come across such as benches, curbs, bike racks, playgrounds, or even walkways become the subject of higher intensity “intervals” between segments of “recovery” walking, jogging or running. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced exerciser, there is something you can do outdoors or indoors while you’re away without visiting the hotel gym. It’s actually kind of fun!

Check it out here:

Tweet This Post

I’m usually a pretty happy, positive person. Yet, every so often, I go off on a little rant. This is one of those times. I’m a little cranky. So, as Joan Rivers would say, “Can we talk?”.

My pet peeve of the day? Why aren’t more women over the age of 40 lifting weights? I hear time and again about how we peri- and post-menopausal women are getting all fat and frumpy. Well, here’s what I think: The ones who are getting fat and frumpy are not lifting weights.

I’d also bet that a good number of the heavy ones are doing some sort of low intensity exercise (like walking the dog) several times a week, feeling that they’ve got the “exercise” in their life covered. Wrong. All that low level stuff is wonderful for stress reduction, quality time with friends and pets, to get your circulation going and to get your joints moving. But for fat loss or for muscle development? Nope.

So, my crankiness started today when I overheard a conversation between two fifty something women during which one woman said to the next woman: “My weight is up so I’m going to have to start walking more and start that low calorie diet again”. Yeesh. She’ll probably look the same come December 1st. What would I have loved to hear? How about “I’d better sign up for that cardio kick boxing class at the club in order to ramp up my workouts”, or “I think I need a few sessions with a trainer to learn how to lift free weights and build a little calorie burning muscle”. Ummmmm…….only in my dreams.

Here’s the crux of my rant: Some boomer women still hang on to the idea that they’re “too old” to do certain forms of exercise or that they’ll bulk up by lifting weights. Wrong on both counts. There may be exercises that some women in their 50’s or 60’s aren’t fit enough to do (yet), but we’re not that fragile. And, we’re NOT going to bulk up by lifting weights. Save for a few women with severe musculoskeletal disorders, all women can and should lift weights .

Studies show that strength training slows the aging process, boosts your mood and boosts your metabolism by laying down additional muscle over time. Heck, I’m sold on the first benefit alone. Slow down my aging process? Where do I sign up??!!!! I’m in.

I believe higher intensity exercise (preferably designed into an interval training program) plus lifting weights is the secret to living a vibrant and healthy life as a 50+ woman. However, low calorie dieting and “more cardio” seems to be the manta of women over 50 who want to lose weight.

My suggestion for a new mantra for the new “enlightened” boomer woman?……

“I want to be lean, toned and vibrant. Hand over the weights and give me a side order of intervals”.

Okay, I’ll stop ranting now.

I’ll be back to my sunny, positive self in my next post.

Promise.

Committed to your success,

Becky

Tweet This Post

Supertrainer Val Fujii, my special guest in my last video, alluded to “power” being important when we chatted after his boomer workout in El Dorado Hills. I think the topic of POWER deserves it’s own blog post. Thanks for the idea, Val!

What is power? Power is the rate at which a movement is performed. As we age, a few things happen that can slow our movement down, namely:

1). A decrease in muscle mass
2). A decrease in muscle strength
3). A decrease in the speed at which our muscle fibers can contract

The result is that our muscles become smaller, weaker, and slower as we age (unless we DO something about it, of course!).

If you’ve read enough of my blog posts, you know I’m a serious supporter of women lifting weights to maintain muscle mass. I usually talk about this in relation to the metabolism boosting effects of weight training for women. There are functional benefits to weight training, too, and that’s where power comes in.

We need strong legs to get up out of a chair without assistance, we need strong legs to hoist ourselves up long flights of stairs at the ballpark, and we need a strong core and upper body to get that dang carry-on case that is packed to the hilt into that overhead bin on the airplane! These activities require not only strength, but power–the ability to move quickly and with force (just try getting out of a low, soft couch in slow motion, and you’ll see what I mean!).

A well-designed and regularly executed strength training program will help stave off age-related decreases in muscle mass and muscle strength, but you can also design your strength training program with power development in mind. It’s really easy and something I suggest you try on a few exercises each time you do your strength workout.

To improve your power in activities of daily living, train with power during your workout by putting the element of speed into some of your exercises.

Here are a few ideas:

If you do squats (or a leg press at the gym): Lower yourself slowly, and then accelerate out of the bent leg position and straighten your legs quickly. If you counted it out, it might be like this: Down for 3 counts, up on the 4th count. By doing the exercise this way, you’re forcing your muscles to contract quickly on the way up out of the squat or leg press.

If you do single leg step ups: Jump up on a low step (4-6 inches) with both feet simultaneously and then step off one foot at a time.

If you do dumbbell shoulder presses: Press up for one count, lower the dumbbells for 3 counts.

One note of caution, power training is NOT to be undertaken by beginner exercisers! Learn the basics first, and then incorporate power into some of your exercises some of the time. Mix it up. Perhaps one day you do power squats, and the next time you exercise you do power shoulder presses.

I tend to favor power training with lower body exercises with my Bay Area personal training clients because I believe they’re the most valuable functionally, but we need power in our upper body as well ( to push stuff over our heads, for example) so don’t neglect putting some power into your upper body pushing and pulling exercises.

You boomer gals who strength train and incorporate some power training moves into your workouts are going to be far better off in twenty years than your counterparts who are avoiding exercise all together.

My guess is you’re gonna look younger, too!

Now go out there and put some POWER into a few of your strength training exercises!

If you’re already incorporating power into your workouts, leave a comment here and share your exercises and experiences!

Committed to your success,

Becky

Tweet This Post

I recently visited El Dorado Hills, California, where one of my colleagues teaches a “boomer” fitness class. I thought it would be fun to drop in on his class and see how he keeps the boomer population in shape in his neck of the woods.

With his permission, I got some video clips of Val’s boomers in action. Wow, what a workout! He’s got all the elements we boomers need in a workout: strength, cardiovascular endurance, balance, core stability, and one element that really deserves a blog post and video of it’s own: POWER. (Power is the rate at which you perform a movement. I’ll go into detail on power and why we boomers need to address power in our workouts in a future post, as it really deserves a post and video explanation of its own!)

Take a sneak peak at this lively group in action. There are lots of take-aways for you in this video. If you see some exercises in it you’re not doing—-add them into your workout! I interview Val briefly after my sneak peak of his class, and he lays out exactly what baby boomers should incorporate into their workouts, so make sure to watch the end of the video.

?

Oh, and a little P.S. : Although Val bills this class as a “boomer” workout, one of the participants let me know after class that she’s in her 80’s! She kept up with the “younger” crowd with no problem. I want to be like her when I grow up!

Thanks to the Boomers at the Four Seasons Community in El Dorado Hills, California for allowing me to be a “fly on the wall” at their class.

Make it a great day!

Becky

Tweet This Post