I have covered artificial sweeteners and diet drinks and food labels in the April and May issues. Hopefully, this knowledge will be helpful when you grocery shop for healthy foods. According to the Mayo Clinic, shop the perimeter of the grocery store. The fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) section, the meat and seafood departments and the dairy case are all located around the perimeter of the store. Fresh foods are healthier than the ready-to-eat foods found in the middle aisles. Ensure that you are eating at least 1,400 to 1,600 calories per day to lose weight. Watch portion sizes and challenge yourself to eliminate 300 calories per day, and add 30 minutes of exercise per day (200 to 300 calorie burn) to lose one pound of weight per week ñ this is a healthy weight loss.Healthy eating is only part of a healthy lifestyle. You must include both strength training (30 minutes; three days per week) and cardio exercises (30 minutes; three days per week), and include walking at least 5,000 to 10,000 steps daily. There is a big difference between how we should work out in our 20s and how we should work out when … weíre no longer 20.The only magic pill to staying youthful is exercise. Daily doses of exercise have stopped a number of aging factors ó stress, obesity, heart disease and diabetes; the longer you are physically active, the less you feel your true age.ìExercise is the No. 1 form of preventive medicine,î says Jillian Michaels, author of ìWinning by Losing: Drop the Weight, Change Your Life.îHowever, your 50/60/70/80-year-old body is not the same as a 20-year-old body. Donít push your body as if you were 20, if you want to keep it in good shape for years to come. According to experts, the following are suggested exercise regimens for various age groups.
- 20s: 30 minutes of strength training followed by 30 minutes of cardio three times a week, plus 45 to 60 minutes of straight cardio three times a week. One day of rest.
- 30s: 30 minutes of exercise (both cardio and strength training) four times a week, plus at least one day of cardio for 45 to 60 minutes at a high intensity. Take one day off.
In the 30s, weight doesnít come off quite as easily as it used to. After age 20, your basal metabolism drops by 1 to 2 percent every decade; and, as lean muscle decreases and body fat increases, fewer calories are needed to sustain yourself. You will start seeing a difference in muscle tone, weight, and shape if you are not living a healthy lifestyle between age 31 and 39. In this decade, experts agree, keeping fit means working harder. - 40s: 30 minutes of strength training three days a week plus 45 minutes of cardio five days a week (itís more than in the 20s and 30s, but with less impact and intensity). Take one day off. This is the decade of the triple whammy: gravity, hormones and more slowing of metabolism, as lean muscle mass continues to decrease and body fat increases. Dr. Pamela Peeke (ìBody for Life for Womenî) says after age 40 and certainly after 50, virtually all women find they gain fat more easily in the torso, below the bra, through the triceps area, on the back and in the belly. ìYouíre not doing anything wrong; your body composition is changing.î Other experts believe that cardio work at least three days a week is still important for keeping weight under control, but strength training is crucial now.
- 50s: Three cardio classes a week, 20 to 40 minutes each, with an intensity that lets you answer a simple question but not engage in a full chat, plus 30 minutes of strength training three times a week. Always stretch afterward. If your metabolism feels like itís slowing to a crawl, itís not in your mind. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that midlife women average a gain of 12 pounds eight years after menopause. We also tend to gain a little potbelly, what Peeke calls the menopot. At this point, loss of muscle mass and tone really starts to shows.
- 60s, 70s and 80s: two to three days a week of challenging but not exhausting cardio, plus three days of strength training ñ using slower, more controlled movements combined with slow, sustained stretching. Walk whenever possible, and do daily balance exercises. In the 60s, problems like arthritis, bad knees and spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the spaces between bones that can put painful pressure on the spinal cord) are common for some. ìBut aches and pains shouldnít be an excuse for giving up on exercise,î says Marilyn Moffat, PhD, a professor of physical therapy at New York University and co-author of ìAge-Defying Fitness.î Moffat says, îWe now know that a decline in strength and fitness isnít entirely a natural consequence of the aging process but is also due to lack of use. We need to push ourselves physically no matter how old we are ñ we just may need to alter the activity.î
