Yes, I know I’m a bit of a broken record when it comes to the concept of interval training.  You hear about the benefits of interval training from me over, and over and over again!

A national news report came out several days ago that essentially said a recent study has found that women who wish to maintain their weight as they age have to exercise at least an hour a day .  Those wishing to lose weight have to do more. Well, gee whiz——that’s encouraging (NOT!).

Okay, so I’m going to rant a little here.   I’m a former researcher.  I’ve designed, coordinated and executed human research studies.  Granted, I worked for NASA, and my studies were based around the space program and advanced life support systems, but my point is this:  One research study doesn’t tell the whole story  AND, you really have to look at the research design and the number of test subjects to get a good feel for what the results indicate, and how they can be extrapolated to the general public.

I’m going to pick on just one little thing with the research design to make my point here, and I’ll be done with my rant.

The women in the study that was quoted in the national news exercised at a moderate pace.  Well, there ya go.

If you want to lose weight, but you choose to  walk on a treadmill at 3.0 miles an  hour (this would most likely be a “moderate”, not too taxing workout for most readers of this blog), then, yes, you’ll need to walk for an hour or so to get a significant dent in your calorie burning for the day.  Same thing for a gentle workout on the stair climber, the elliptical trainer, or walking your dog. The “dent” in calorie utilization you’re making just isn’t that great.  I’m all for any exercise, and there are fabulous benefits to longer, more moderate exercise sessions.  However, if weight loss is your goal— long, moderately paced cardio workouts just aren’t the best method.

Now, I realize that higher intensity training isn’t for everyone, and I’m not advocating that every single workout be a “beat me, whip me” workout!  However, more than one research study has found that interval training lends better fat loss results than shorter, more moderate level workouts.

Here’s why:

-Shorter bursts of high intensity exercise allow you to work out harder (therefore burning more calories) due to the short time frame.

-High intensity interval training has been shown to create a significant post-exercise oxygen consumption. Read:   Your metabolic rate is elevated for several hours after your workout is over (not so with moderately paced workouts).

-Interval training trains your body to utilize fat for fuel more readily.

-Research indicates that interval training elicits hormonal shifts that favor fat utilization during exercise recovery.

-And my personal favorite:  You can (and should) do high intensity interval training for LESS time.

We’re all busy!   I vote for higher intensity and less time

So, please don’t get all in a tizzy about that news report that came out a few days ago.

If you eat a healthy diet that isn’t over-the-top in calories, you should be able to maintain your weight on LESS than 1 hour a day of exercise IF you incorporate some higher intensity workouts into your week.  It’s simply a matter of WHAT you choose to do in the time that you have.

Don’t believe me?  Here are some studies that prove my point:

Gray, AB et al (1993) Endocrine response to intense interval exercise.  European Journal of Applied Physiology/Occupational Physiology 66:366-371.

Haram, PM et al (2008). Aerobic interval training vs. continuous m oderate exercise in the metabolic syndrome of rates artificially selected for low aerobic capacity.  Cardiovascular Research 81:  723-732.

Tabata, I et al (1995).  Metabolic profile of high-intensity intermittent exercises.  Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 29(3):390-395.

Tremblay A., et al (1994).  Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle.  Metabolism 43:814-818.

Committed to your success,

Becky

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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

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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.

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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

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It seems that you can’t walk through a gym or read a fitness magazine these days without seeing or hearing the term “core conditioning” or “core training”.

So what is all the hype about “core” training? More importantly – does it help whittle away your “meno-pot”?

Well……….yes. And no. You see, you can do core exercises all day and never see much of a change in your waist measurement. The reason? There may be a nice layer of body fat over those newly toned abdominal muscles! Unfortunately, doing crunches or abdominal stabilization exercises doesn’t get rid of the body fat over the muscles you’re working (don’t shoot the messenger, okay?).

A well designed core conditioning program, will, however, create a firmer, stronger mid-section. If your abdominal muscles are very de-conditioned before beginning a core training program, there’s a chance that your waistline may decrease in size a bit after 6-8 weeks of consistent training. But again, body fat reduction is key in slimming your waistline–and you need more than a core conditioning program to lose body fat (see my previous posts archived under “Interval Training” for fat loss information).

What exactly do we mean by “core conditioning”?
Many people think core conditioning consists of a bunch of abdominal exercises. I consider a true core conditioning program to be one that not only strengthens the abdominal muscles, but also the back, butt and hip muscles (strong hips lend support to the lower back). At the top of my list are exercises that force the back or the abs to stabilize you. Therefore, I’m not a fan of just doing a lot of crunches. In fact, I do very few crunches in my boot camp workouts and personal training programs in San Jose.

A good core conditioning program works the muscles that extend your spine. It works the muscles that keep your pelvis properly aligned underneath your spine. It works your abs the way they most often function–as trunk stabilizers.

As a woman over 40, you really must train your core muscles as part of your regular workout routine because it will improve your posture, decrease your chances of low back pain and increase your functionality in activities of daily living. Everyday motions such as lifting, squatting, reaching, twisting and bending will become less challenging after strengthening your core. If your body fat is low enough, core training will also help you create a great-looking midsection!

How can you strengthen your core?
I’m going to leave you with a few photos of some of my favorite core exercises below. But here’s something you can do right now as you read this: Pull your belly button in toward your spine, not by simply sucking in your gut, but by contracting your abdominals. Do you feel it? I call that “bracing”. Now make it a habit to do this exercise any time you sit. Like on the drive to work…at work…on the drive home – you get the idea.

There are many, many great exercises you can do to strengthen your core. Here are a few of my favorites to get you started. Do them 3-4 times a week for best results.

Back extensions

Starting position

Ending position
Perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions

The Plank

This is a modified version for beginners. Hold this position for 10-30 seconds. Perform it 2-3 times. and increase your hold time as you get stronger

This is a traditional plank. Hold this position for 10-60 seconds. Perform it 2-3 times. Do whatever length of hold you can, and work up from there.

The Bridge

Hold for 30-45 seconds and repeat 2-3 times.

Standing core rotations

Beginning position

Ending position

Stand at a right angle to a pulley system at your gym or use medium strength exercise tubing with handles. I’m using tubing here (anchored by one of my teenagers off camera!), but it’s kind of hard to see. Using the muscles in your mid-section, rotate your torso away from the base point of the pulley or tubing. Complete 10-12 repetitions on one side, then repeat on the other side.

A strong core will make you look better, feel better and function better!

Do you have a favorite core conditioning exercise? Leave me a comment here and tell me what it is!

Committed to your success,

Becky

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In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need to take a multi-vitamin. Through good, clean eating, we’d get everything we need. But most of us don’t. We’re busy. We eat on the run sometimes. We don’t eat the variety of fruits and veggies that we should every day. This is why I recommend that every boomer woman take some sort of a multi-vitamin.

Not everyone understands WHY vitamins are so important for their body. I asked Registered Dietitian, Jayson Hunter, to give us a brief explanation of what certain vitamins and minerals actually do for us. Here’s what he had to say:

Vitamin A – This vitamin contributes to the health of your eyes, skin and nails.

Vitamin B – While B vitamins are often referred to as “energy vitamins” they don’t actually give you a surge of energy, per se. What they actually do is help facilitate metabolic reactions in the body to create energy. They’re also necessary for a healthy metabolism.

Vitamin C – This vitamin is a great antioxidant and immune system booster. It also helps skin health.

Vitamin D – Helps women absorb calcium. And it may help prevent certain types of cancer.

Calcium – It’s actually a mineral, not a vitamin. It helps you maintain your bone density, and may also help in weight loss efforts.

I get asked all the time by women which vitamin supplements, if any, they need to be taking. Great question. It’s a personal decision, but I do recommend that you take a multi-vitamin that has these four characteristics:

1). Look for a multi made for women. I like gender specific and to some extent, age specific vitamins. Men need less iron and calcium than we do. Younger women (in child-bearing years) may need more folic acid. Older folks may need more B vitamins.

2). Look for a broad range multi that has vitamins AND minerals. Look for 100% of the Daily Value of all the vitamins on the label. I like to see a multi with all of the B vitamins (B1, B2, B6 B12) and trace minerals like boron, zinc, copper, iron, chromium, manganese and zinc. If you eat a lot of cereal or energy bars that are fortified, be careful, though. You may be doubling up on some vitamins or minerals).
3). Your multi should contain a hefty dose of antioxidants: Vitamins C, E and beta carotene.
4). Look for a multi with whole food nutrients.

Remember that a multi-vitamin is supposed to be used as a supplement to a good nutrition program—not as a band-aid for poor nutrition.

I take Prograde Nutrition’s VGF 25+ for Women, because it meets all the above requirements.

It’s a really unique formulation because it’s literally made from 25 veggies, greens and fruits. You should definitely check out Prograde’s Women’s Vitamins .

At the very top of the page is the list of ingredients. You can see the 25 whole foods they use to make VGF 25+ for Women.

Because you read this blog, I know you’re making an effort to eat well, exercise well and age gracefully. Do yourself a favor by choosing a multi-vitamin that will support your efforts at living and eating well!

Committed to your success,

Becky

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Summer vacation time is just around the corner. I hear many people tell me that they get out of the workout mode when they travel. It doesn’t have to be this way! I recently took a trip to Southern California with my family and created a great workout “on the fly”. It was a lot of fun. Try something like this on your next trip out of town. You don’t need a gym and you don’t need equipment!

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Yes, I know it’s only the middle of February. In fact, as I write this, it is pouring down rain in San Jose, California (has been for days!).

But Spring Break will be here before you know it.

Then Memorial Day. And then Summer is upon us.

You know full well that the weight doesn’t come on overnight. And you know it doesn’t come OFF overnight either.

If you want to look better in time for short sleeves, shorts and (gasp!) bathing suits, I encourage you to make some changes NOW.

Did you know some women absolutely DREAD bathing suit season? They literally get in hysterics over how they’re going to look in public.

I would hope that most of my readers get their sense of self worth from who they are, what they’ve accomplished and what they give back to the world, but it’s not lost on me that feeling good about how you look matters (heck, it’s the whole reason for this blog!).

So, I want to fill you in on a little secret that will make this bathing suit season much different for you.

Here it is: You need written goals and a plan.

Simple, right? Downright tedious, perhaps? Yep, you’re probably rolling your eyes at me. But you’ve heard it from me before here and you’ll hear it again right now: People who write out their goals and devise a plan to reach them are WAY more likely to be successful in achieving them.

When it comes to looking great during bathing suit season – and doing it the natural and healthy way – you absolutely, positively MUST have those goals and a plan.

If not, bathing suit season will be a living nightmare – AGAIN.

I’ll be back in a few days with some of my favorite tools to help you set goals and a plan.

Yours in health,

Becky

PS – If you want the PROVEN nutrition plan that will have you looking leaner and younger come bathing suit season you want Jayson Hunter’s Carb Rotation Diet plan. It really isn’t a “diet”, it’s a well balanced plan that teaches you how to eat properly as you lose weight. Many of my San Jose Personal Training clients have used the program with great success.

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I just ran across a boomer website and blog that is worth a visit.

It’s not just about fitness for boomer women like my blog here is, it’s about all things of interest to female and male “boomers” alike: travel, insurance, education, and staying active and vibrant through middle age.

The site is www.50somethinginfo.com. You’ll find all sorts of great info there-even if you’re a younger boomer like me who hasn’t hit the big 5-O yet.

The blog is www.50somethinginfo.blogspot.com. Head over there now and you’ll see a list of some of the top websites for boomers (okay, so she didn’t list beckywilliamson.com on this list–but I’ll get on the list some day!).

Just wanted to give you a quick post to let you know I think I found a gem out there on the ‘net for you.

Yours in health,

Becky

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It’s a well known fact that chronic dieting can slow down your metabolism over time (by “dieting” I mean significantly decreasing daily calorie consumption). A lesser known result of chronic dieting (and potentially deadly in it’s worst form) is weakening of your bones. Just what a “boomer” in mid-life doesn’t need!

According to a study out of the University of Missouri, women who were put on a very low calorie diet for three months experienced a much higher rate of bone turnover (the rate at which bone is broken down and replaced). This bone turnover pattern persisted even when the dieting women went into a weight maintenance phase and increased their calorie consumption a bit.

“Rapid rates of bone remodeling, regardless of the balance of breakdown and formation, can increase bone fragility”, said Pam Hinton, associate professor of nutritional sciences in the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences.

This is not a good thing for any woman, but especially we boomer women. There aren’t many of us who are making a lot of new bone these days. We need to protect and hang on to what we have.

So what’s a boomer gal supposed to do if she’s trying to lose weight?
-Don’t severely restrict calories
-Plan on losing weight gradually
-Add resistance training to your workout regime
-Add some impact to your cardio workouts (see previous post for ideas)
-Get adequate calcium through food and/or supplements

We’ve known for a long while that crash dieting is bad for your metabolism. Now we have some proof it’s also detrimental for your bone health.

Fresh, whole foods eaten at regular intervals throughout the day combined with a good exercise routine that involves weight lifting and supplies a little impact is the best way for boomer gals to get lean and avoid osteoporosis.

Let’s hear it for strong boomer women!

To read more about Professor Hinton’s study, click here

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I’m excited to announce the my new book for YOU, the boomer woman who wants to be in shape and look great throughout mid-life, is almost ready to go! It’s chock full of cutting edge workout routines you can do at home or at the gym and step-by-step instructions on the right way to melt fat with your cardio routines (there are NO long, boring cardio routines in the whole book! Yeah!). It also has a nutrition chapter that teaches you a non-diet approach to getting and staying lean (I know you’re sick of diets and so am I), and a complete success journal to keep you focused and on track. There’s just one thing I need for the book…..

A TITLE!

That’s where YOU come in. I’m having a “Name Becky’s Book” contest! As a reward for coming up with the best name for the book, the winner will receive FREE products from my favorite nutrition company, Prograde Nutrition and a FREE copy of my book.

Here’s exactly what the winner will get:

• VGF25 for women- a top notch whole food multi-vitamin and mineral supplement
• One box of Prograde Cravers (the flavor of your choice)–the best tasting nutritious snack bar on the planet
• Longevity- Prograde’s new, cutting edge anti-oxidant supplement
• My digital e-book plus all the bonus items I’ll be offering with my book

This is over $160 worth of goodies!

So, get your creative juices flowing and send me your best title ideas for my book. Just post right here in the comment section. Feel free to post more than one title suggestion.

My team and I will consider all entries posted on or by Friday, January 16th and will announce the winner right here on Monday, January 19th.

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