Healthy Living for Healthy Hearts

Women can dramatically reduce the likelihood of heart disease prior to old age by adopting a healthy living lifestyle. This is according to a long-term study. The study found that women who followed healthy living recommendations, such as eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise, reduced their odds of heart disease by 90 percent over 20 years. The women were compared to others living the unhealthiest lifestyles.

The researchers estimated that unhealthy lifestyles were responsible for almost 75 percent of heart disease cases in younger to middle-aged women. Adopting or maintaining a healthy lifestyle can substantially reduce the incidence of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, as well as reduce the incidence of coronary artery disease in young women.

A healthy lifestyle was also associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing heart disease among women who had already developed a cardiovascular risk factor like diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol.

The study followed 90,000 nurses from 1991 to 2011. The women were between 27 and 44 years old when the study started. The researchers focused on six behaviors considered as healthy, such as not smoking, exercising regularly, keeping a normal weight, getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep nightly, eating a healthy diet and drinking no more than one alcoholic beverage per day.

The conclusion of the study confirms the importance of healthy behaviors, such as not smoking and exercising more. These findings also play a role in moving the public discussion toward adopting a healthy way of life as the standard norm. If you need help getting started on your path to fitness, get in touch with a personal trainer in your area. If you need a referral, contact me at Debra Baker Fitness.com. I will send you a referral and free tools to help you on your journal to fitness. 

Graceful Aging and Staying Beautiful

Exercise makes you beautiful inside and out. It improves your mood, protects your bones, makes your skin glow and helps to fight gravity. Make exercise the highlight of your day. Look forward to it and have fun doing it. Find an activity that you love to do. Invite a friend along and stick with it. Try something new like, running, jogging, kickboxing, yoga, belly dancing or join a Pilates class.

Every woman wants to feel beautiful. It is a mind-set. If you think you are beautiful and you act accordingly, others will believe it too. In other words, emotions are contagious. Of course, as we get older, our beauty regimen may require more time. Aging beautifully is more than that. We just need to get back to the basics. Get enough sleep. Many women sacrifice rest to get everything done in a day. However, no one looks or feels her best when she is tired. So, let it go. tomorrow is another day. Get some sleep and do not apologize. Savor your sleep time and wake up refreshed.

Remember this, you are what you eat. When you pass fifty, your metabolism slows down and continues to as you age. Controlling your calories becomes more important now. Eat more whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids from foods like salmon, flaxseed or fish oil supplements. Omega-3 helps to keep your skin supple, your mind alert and your cardiovascular system healthy.

Growing older gracefully and beautifully means investing in the healthiest lifestyle possible in body, mind and spirit.

CHOOSE THE CORRECT SHOE

Proper fitting shoes can enhance exercise performance and prevent injuries. However, wearing the right shoe for your activity is more important. Sport-specific shoes provide appropriate support to help protect against injury. Basketball shoes, for instance, provide extra ankle support because the player’s movements from side to side put strain on the ankles.

  

Check Support

Shoe sizes, like clothes sizes, can vary from brand to brand. You want to buy a pair of shoes that fits comfortable on the first try. Find a store that carries the best brands in comfortable shoes for athletics and exercising. The best shoes support your foot, front and back. Also, look for shoes that give support in the middle but bend at the ball of the foot.

Check for Signs of Wear

When your shoes start to wear out, it is time to buy new shoes. Check the tread and the cushion on the sole. If there are signs of uneven wear then it is time to replace them. Athletic shoes need to be replaced more often, depending on use. It can be hard to choose from the many different athletic shoes available. There are differences in design and variations in material and weight. When you buy athletic shoes make sure you are getting good quality and value for your money.     

  

www.debrabakerfitness.com  Ray gives tips on training. Bicep Curls

Fitness is Achievable if You Want It

If you are ready to start an exercise and weight loss plan, you must start eating healthy meals and exercising regularly. Many have wanted to start getting in shape, but just lacked motivation. Losing weight and exercising can be a challenge for anyone who is normally sedentary. So, try a different approach. Instead of making excuses why you didn't exercise today, start with the right motivation. One of the best places to begin is by setting personal goals. A well thought-out goal can help you achieve what you really want in life, that is, to be healthy and to feel good about yourself.

Set Specific Goals

Be specific by setting a measurable goal. If you want to define your abdominal, then make a goal to perform a certain number during your workout. You can then count out every repetition. Your goal could be "I will work on my abs three days per week and perform two sets of thirty each workout. " This goal is measurable. Write it out in a place where you are sure to see it everyday. This works and it has a way of holding us accountable. 

Make it Realistic

Start out with a short term attainable goal. Instead of saying "I want to lose 30 pounds by the summer," simplify it to two pounds a week. Be realistic when you set goals. If you have been a coach potato for the last three years, just getting off the coach is a challenge. My advice is to get up and start walking. Walking is the easiest way to get started. Get a pedometer and set a goal for the amount of steps per day you will accomplish.

Just Do It!   

If you truly want to achieve your fitness goals this year, believe in yourself. You have to want it! Don't give up when the scale doesn't show any weight loss. It happens. Don't be tempted when people offer you food and drinks that will add excess calories. This will happen. Don't say "I exercised last night for an hour so I deserve a treat." No you don't! Once you get into a pattern of eating healthy and exercising on a daily basis, then one cheat day should not sabotage your progress. Get back on track and do it right the rest of the week. Just do it.

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      What is nature's best multi-vitamin to help maintain a healthy metabolism?
       ________ Baobab, the super fruit.

Lose Weight With Yoga

Yoga is one of the most effective workouts for fighting stubborn body fat. Studies show that yoga lowers levels of stress hormones and increases insulin sensitivity. This action signals your body to burn fuel rather than store it as fat.

Yoga promotes fat loss. Studies also show that when you choose a form of yoga that raises your heart rate enough to burn calories, and you practice it two or three times a week, you will see results. The practice of yoga is credited to many health benefits, such as enhanced flexibility, muscle toning, stress reduction, and improved physical and mental health.

However, yoga should be part of your total weight loss program, not the sole component. You must still include in your workout a time for cardiovascular exercises; indoor and outside. A brisk walk outside for twenty minutes or more, in fresh air, does wonders for your overall well-being. Include some type of resistance training using free weights or machines. Above all, choose a diet that is low in saturated fat. Signing up for a yoga class could be the motivation you need to stay on track and lose stored up body fat.   

Are you Almost There?

Why can't you lose those last ten pounds? You cleaned up your diet and started eating whole grain foods. You walked, jumped, leaped and sweated off twenty pounds or more. Now, just ten more to go and you will reach your goal weight........(crickets)......Stepping on the scale every morning for the last three weeks and it has not budged. "What's up?"

You are not alone. We all have reached a plateau at some point. The last ten pounds are harder to lose than the first ten or twenty. The reason is, for every pound you lose your metabolism slows down by up to 20 calories per day. The slimmer you become, the less calories you burn.

To adjust for this change, you must rev up your cardio workout. Start doing cardio workouts 4 or 5 times a week instead of just 3. Increase your intensity and burn more fat using interval training. Incorporate low, moderate and vigorous cycles in your workout. Power walk by pumping your arms when walking outside or on a treadmill. Change your workout music to tunes with a faster beat and try to keep pace.

Remember, if you keep doing things the same old way, you will continue getting the same old results. So change your workout routine often to avoid the plateau effect.

If you had success reaching your goal weight, what helped you lose your last ten pounds? I invite your comments.                                                      .                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Lose Weight By Reading Nutrition Labels

According to a new study, just by taking an extra minute to read the nutritional labels on food purchases could help you lose nearly 10 pounds. A United States National Health Survey examined 25,000 consumer's shopping and eating habits. After analyzing the results, the study found on average, women who read the nutritional facts weighed up to nine pounds less than women who did not check the label on their favorite foods.      
      
First they analyzed those who read the nutritional label when purchasing foods, then they moved on to the relationship with their weight. Women who read labels had a body mass index 1.48 points lower than other women, meaning they had less body fat proportional to their height and weight.
    
Fifty eight percent of men read food labels as opposed to 74 persent of women, according to the research. The men who read food labels had a body mass index of 0.12 points lower than men who did not read the labels.
  
In summary, if we take the time to read nutritional labels, we can make informed healthy food choices that enable us to lose weight and keep it off.