There are four key target areas that women should work on now, so that as they age they won’t be in pain and will be able to walk on their own.
1. The Core – There are several muscles in the core that you should work on. The multifidus muscles should be strong to ensure that you are not placing extra strain on the upper part of your lower back. Strengthening this muscle can go a long way as you will experience less back pain.

What to do – The forearm plank can help strengthen and build up your core muscles.

2. The Knees – The knee contains tendon, not muscle, the strength of your leg and hip muscles and hamstrings all help to play a role in stability. It also helps to prevent knee strain and injury, Women’s knees are more vulnerable to injury than men’s because they have wider hips. Wearing high heels also does not help as this causes pain in the knees because wearing heels shifts your weight forward. Knee pain can make it difficult to walk.

What to do – To strengthen the muscles in your knees, do a simple leg curl by lying on your stomach and slowly bring your right heel towards your bum and slowly return it to the floor. Do the same for your left leg, and do this 10 times with each leg, every day.

3. The Pelvis – The muscles in your pelvis help to regulate bladder and bowel function as well as help to facilitate the actions of the spine and legs. Women are more vulnerable to weakness in this area especially after childbirth.

What to do – Lie on your back with bent knees while having your feet on the floor, draw in your lower belly muscles tightly and count to five. Repeat this exercise 10 times, twice daily.

4. The Upper Body – As women grow older, they tend to lose the most muscles in their lower limbs such as in the hamstrings, thighs, and calves; however they tend to notice functional problems in the upper body first. As humans, we walk around all day carrying our own body weight, which works great for our legs, but as people get older we don’t push or lift things as much as they did when they were young. If your deltoids, triceps, biceps, and trapezius muscles are strong, they will help you make everyday tasks such as lifting groceries easier on you. Additionally, if those muscles are weak, they will cause you more neck strain.

What to do: Push-ups are a great way to keep up your upper body strength.

Tag(s): Nutribar

Tag(s): Nutribar

There are also many holiday treats that can be very tempting to eat. To avoid feeling the fitness consequences of the holidays, make a workout plan that you can stick with. By having a workout schedule that you can follow during the holidays, you will not have to work as hard or as much to shed the extra holiday weight during the month of January.

There are a few things that you can do to ensure that you do not have to lose too much weight once the holidays are over. One thing you can is to make sure you do not starve yourself the whole day if you have a dinner or party to attend. People often make much poorer food choices and ear more when they are hungry. If you eat healthily throughout the day, it is less likely that you will eat poorly during your evening event. Another thing to do is to ensure that you are well hydrated, thirst can sometimes be mistaken for hunger. It is important to have fun during the holidays and indulge carefully!

Tag(s): Nutribar

1. Check out the gym before joining – Make sure that it looks clean, that they have staff that keeps the facilities clean, the locker and workout areas are clean enough for your standards. Check to see if the gym is well-ventilated because a gym that isn’t is a prime area for airborne infections.
2. Don’t share gear – It’s important to have your own soap and deodorant to prevent the spread of germs.
3. Don’t go in barefoot – Do not go into the sauna, steam room, hot tubs, or shower areas barefooted. These areas are all breeding grounds for germs and are an easy to get athlete’s foot. Bring a pair of flip-flops to wear instead.
4. Disinfect – Be sure to bring antibacterial wipes and sprays to clean off the equipment that you use before and after you use them.
5. Cover up – Always keep a towel on when you are sitting on benches and other shared surfaces to avoid contracting germs on these surfaces.
6. Cover cuts and scrapes – Use a band-aid on all cuts or skin breaks before a work out, now matter how small they are. Open wounds allow bacteria to get into the body.
7. Bring your own water – Water fountains are filled with viruses and bacteria, so it’s better for you to bring your own water bottle.
8. Shower – Shower after a work out to wash off any germs or if you don’t have time for that wash your hands thoroughly.
9. Keep your hands to yourself – Avoid touching your face while you are working out. Germs can enter through the nose, ears, and mouth.

Tag(s): Nutribar

As an article in the New York Times indicates, it’s a societal trend that is catching onto our waistlines. Given that most of us have jobs that don’t require enormous amounts of physical activity, or have machines that do it for us, it’s translating to big problem – literally. About one in three Americans are obese, and Canadians aren’t far behind. 

What do you think? Is exercise a struggle and you are losing the battle of the bulge? Or are you managing to keep it in check?

A study has found that the combination of four unhealthy lifestyle factors; smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise and drinking too much increased the risk of dying by such a large degree that it was the equivalent to being 12 years older. The study found just over six per cent of people admitted to having all four bad behaviours.

Read the rest of the ‘An unhealthy lifestyle makes you ‘12 years older‘ article – what do you think? Are you going to alter your lifestyle?

Warm Up, Cool Down - Spend at least five to ten minutes warming up before “shocking” your body with any serious exercise. It gets the heart beating faster, helps the muscles work more efficiently, and reduces the risk of injury to your body. Stretching is good for getting the blood circulating. However, you may also want to do some very mild aerobics involving the muscles you intend to use (i.e. a slow jog before running). A good warm-up will actually leave you perspiring mildly.

Bend and Stretch – Stand with you feet shoulder width apart, arms at side. Slowly bend forward from the waist, gently stretching the spine, until your hands touch the floor. Don’t strain yourself. If necessary, flex your knees slightly.

Arm Circles – Stand with arms straight out at sides, palms up. Keeping arms straight, make circles in the air with your hands, starting with very tiny movements and then making the circles as wide as possible. Repeat exercise, making circles in opposite direction.

Side Stretch – Stand with feet apart and knees slightly bent. Repeat with your other leg.

Sitting Stretch – Sitting with legs stretched out in front of you, place bottom of right foot on inner thigh of left leg (or against inside of knee). Reach gently forward from hips with both arms, sliding them along extended leg as far as you can go without feeling pain. Keep back straight. Repeat with other leg.

Hamstring Stretch – Stand straight, holding back of chair or doorknob. Bend one leg up behind you, gently pull up, grasping by the foot. The supporting leg should be slightly bent. Repeat with other leg.

Forward Lunge – Stand with right foot stretched out in front of you, arms at your side. Slowly bend right knee until knee is directly above your ankle. Keep other leg straight. Repeat with other leg.

Shoulder Stretch – Stand with knees slightly bent, hands clasped behind back. Slowly lift arms up, keeping hands clenched. To increase the stretch, bend forward at the waist and raise the arms higher. Hold for 15 seconds.

At Least Go For A Walk - One of the easiest exercises you can add to your busy day is walking. Walking is effective, and it requires no special equipment beyond good walking shoes. Keep your posture straight, not bent forward, as you walk, as if there were a string attached to the top of your head and someone were pulling it up. Let your arms swing freely. There are many books available that will explain in detail the mechanics of a “power” walk. Check your local bookstore or library.

Don’t be fooled by what the scales say. When clothes start fitting better but the scales show you weigh more, you’ll know the fat that was formerly there has been replaced by muscle elsewhere. Muscle-strengthening exercises include weightlifting, leg-lifts and standard pushups. If you have the space, invest in home exercise equipment.