It’s That Time of Year!
I hear them at the end of every December, the same ol’ New Year’s fitness resolutions. I’m finally going to lose weight, exercise more, eat well, sleep better, decrease stress.
Well-intended as they are, these goals usually fall by the wayside in a couple of weeks. So try approaching 2015 with a new fitness perspective. Here are five resolutions for Boomers and older adults, behavior changes that are reasonable to achieve and effective in the long run.
Five Worth Resolving
1) Return of the Kegel
If you’ve had a baby in the past 30 years, you know Kegel-ing! But it’s time to re-visit this pelvic floor muscle training, which is critical to perform as we age. Contracting and relaxing these deep muscles helps both men and women with certain types of incontinence and may benefit your sex life. For information about Kegels, check out this reference.
2) Schedule in that snack
Snacking has gotten a bad rap over the years. No doubt that eating extra calories, especially ones void in nutritional value, adds unwanted pounds and can wreak havoc with blood fats and blood sugar. But eating carefully selected foods, especially those with protein, throughout the day helps control cravings and fluctuations in insulin and blood sugar. Low- or non-fat yogurt, protein bars and drinks, nuts, and skim-milk cheeses, consumed two to three hours after a meal, are good choices.
3) Eat the rainbow
You’ve probably heard this before, but it bears repeating. Brightly colored fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants that help fight the inflammation associated with everything from cancer to diabetes to heart disease. The American Cancer Society recommends eating five servings (2-1/2 cups) of fruit and veggies per day. If that goal sounds unreachable, remember to slip produce into breakfast cereals, omelets, spaghetti sauce, baked goods, and smoothies; use for snacks with cheese or peanut butter; or choose 100% juice as a serving.
4) Stand up more often
Our life of labor-saving conveniences has led to an epidemic of sedentary behavior. And hours of sitting, as it turns out, lead to health concerns including weight gain, heart disease, cancer, mental health issues, and increased belly fat. To add insult to injury, even a one-hour exercise bout will NOT undo the negative aspects of sitting too long. Although more than eight hours of sedentary behavior is linked to health problems, experts aren’t ready to recommend how much we need to decrease sitting time. A reasonable goal: sit less, get up every 30 minutes or so.
5) Monitor behavior
As many fitness professionals say–if you can measure it, you can change it. Research supports the benefits of monitoring health behaviors. So whether it’s low- or high-tech–resolve to keep a food diary, track your weight and percent body fat, count steps with a pedometer, or use a more advanced activity tracker to monitor movement and even sleep. Motivate yourself, track your progress!
Longer-lasting resolutions
Consider changing behavior in 2015 with one of the above-mentioned resolutions. You can still exercise and lose weight, but these suggestions will support this year’s move towards a healthier you!