Give Me Strength

Once I saw strength training as something only body builders would want to do. Now I know it’s as important to my health as brushing my teeth.  Just as I don’t want to develop rotten teeth and inflamed gums, I don’t want my bones to develop osteoporosis, my muscles to give way to flab and my ligaments to deteriorate. That hunched over senior with the brittle bones shuffling down the street with a walker once stood tall and likely would still if he/she had followed a strength regimen.

While most of us can get away with a hit or miss approach to exercise while we’re young and still stay relatively healthy, by middle age we’re faced with the ugly and painful reality of what lack of regular exercise will do to our bodies. Bloated bellies, strained backs and other signs of our mortality begin to accumulate. Meanwhile the more active among us seem to have drunk from the fountain of youth and maintain a youthful physique and general wellbeing.

Fortunately if we heed our wakeup call, whenever it comes, we can regain much of our youthful strength, flexibility and attractiveness. Getting our heart pumping with cardio workouts is important, but we’ve also got to build our strength.

Today I worked with a middle-age lady who did not know that we begin to lose muscle mass each year beginning as early as when we turn 25 to 30 years old. Our metabolism slows because of it. We also gradually lose our ability to lift as much. She also didn’t know that our bones become more brittle over time, especially for women after menopause, if we don’t strength train. While she takes calcium and other supplements she wasn’t aware that you need to work the bones for the calcium to be absorbed.

It did not surprise me that she did not know these things about strength training, because up until recent years I didn’t know them either. While fitness fans learn such fun facts early on Joe Six Pack and the rest of us typically are clueless. Fortunately I began learning the score after taking a “Healthy Lifestyle and Weight Loss” program several years ago.

After I showed my client how to use the weight machines and discussed the various benefits of strength training, she seemed determined to make weight training part of her regular fitness routine. Yeah!

When it comes to strength training, for best results work all your body’s major muscles and bones. Use the full range of weight machines vs. just a few and/or learn other ways of working your muscles including using your body weight, dumbbells and bands. The American Council of Exercise has a great exercise library that includes video and written break downs of exercises for the entire body. Of course if you have health issues or are highly deconditioned, please check with your physician before starting an exercise program.

S.M.A.R.T Goals for the New Year

As the New Year begins it's great to look over fitness gains made in 2011, and create a plan for pursuing fitness in 2012. I like the ideas of setting S.M.A.R.T goals, as Paul J. Meyer popularized through his book Attitude is Everything. "S" is for "specific." "M" is for "measurable." "A" is for "attainable." "R" is for "Relevant." "T" is for "Timely." If you want to be S.M.A.R.T.E.R. also throw in "E" for "Evaluate" and "R" for "Re-evaluate" as goals need to be reviewed and revised over time.

Instead of setting the vague goal of getting in better shape during 2012, consider setting several S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goals for incrementally improving your cardio health, muscle strength/endurance and flexibility. Also consider setting a goal for improving your balance, especially if you're over 50. And don't forget to consider how you'll fuel your training with nutritious foods such as lean proteins, whole grains, a variety of veggies/fruits, and healthy fats such as in olive oil, nuts and avocado.

Say you've been walking briskly for 30 minutes three to five times a week for awhile now and want to improve your cardio fitness level. You could decide to incrementally increase your walking to five to seven times a week for an hour within the next three months. (Remember you can split your cardio into multiple increments of at least 10 minutes each during the day if you need to and still get the benefit.) Another option (if your health allows) would be to graduately substitute 30 minutes of more vigorous cardio options such as a stair-stepper machine, running, spinning, and/or Zumba for walking three to five times a week over the next three months. You may opt to split your weekly schedule into two or three vigorous cardio workouts and two or three brisk walking sessions.

While I focused on walking one hour pretty much every day (after gradually building up to that activity level) while I was losing weight and getting back into shape, I now enjoy sometimes alternating brisk walking outdoors with Zumba and various cardio machines at the gym. This year I'll kick my cardio into higher gear with the goal of getting into the routine of four vigorous cardio workouts plus walking one to two times a week over the next three months.

To continue improving my muscle strength/endurance, flexibilty and balance I'll continue on the course I've set to strength train two to three times a week and take yoga classes at least twice a week. But since I've set a new goal of being able to do 15 push-ups in proper form within the next three months I'll be focusing kicking off my resistance training sessions with push-ups. I also want to be able to be able to balance on my right leg as long as I can balance on my left leg. That means extra work on my right leg. Three months from now I'll re-evaluate myself on push ups, balance, etc. and set some new goals.

Setting new goals, and thus changing/increasing my training techniques, intensity, frequency, time, etc., helps keeps me motivated to continue pursuing fitness. But what motivates me even more is the payoff in the way I look and feel. At 52 I'm stronger, faster, healthier and feel younger than I have in years. My sister, who has been working out of town and hasn't seen me in months, said when the family got together on Christmas Day: "I can't believe how great you look. Even your butt is higher."

Beyond That Weight-Loss Plateau

Periodically during a long weight-loss journey many of us hit a plateau where weight loss pretty much slows to a standstill. Plateaus may not be our favorite weight-loss phase, but they can be productive if we embrace them. Don’t worry, after resting a bit on a natural plateau and reanalyzing your weight loss strategy, you can again start making steady progress toward attaining a healthy weight. 
 
What’s good about a plateau? If you’ve been on diet for a while and have lost a significant amount of weight, you likely need a psychological break from focusing on losing weight. Maintaining healthy eating and exercise habits without feeling the need to be super strict can be a nice change of pace. Plus your body periodically needs time to adjust to the weight loss you have already accomplished.
 
As you rest and gear up for the next phase of your journey keep this in mind: As we take off significant amounts of weight, it’s a cold, hard fact that we must further increase our activity levels and/or reduce our caloric intake to continue to lose weight. A body that weighs less requires fewer calories, especially when weight loss has not been accompanied by strength training.

While you’re enjoying your plateau, look carefully at what you’ve been eating. The more high-fiber, nutrient-dense foods (vegetables, fruits, whole grains) you work into your diet the better. The less processed foods and alcohol you consume the better. Are you opting for healthy fats such as olive oil and choosing lean meats? Keeping your portion sizes in check? You know the drill. And if you need to know more, read up on good nutrition (www.choosemyplate.gov for example) and/or consider joining a healthy weight loss program that provides such information.
 
Next look at your activity level: If you’ve been walking 4 days a week, maybe you need to up it to 6 days. And/or maybe you’ll increase your distance/time/intensity during each walking session. If you’ve been walking an hour at least 5 days a week, you may need to substitute a few walking sessions for a higher-intensity cardio option such as Zumba, Jazzercise or step aerobics. Cycling, swimming, running, etc., can also be good.

But before significantly increasing your activity level, consider any health conditions you may have. Have you been cleared to exercise by your physician? Do you have any chronic conditions that will affect your exercise choices? Please keep health considerations in mind and seek professional guidance when you need it.
 
There’s another part of the equation of the weight loss equation to consider: your muscle vs. fat ratio. The more muscle mass we have the more calories we burn even at rest. You don’t have to have the bulging muscles of a body builder, just healthy muscle tone to boost your metabolism rate.
 
It’s a fact that as we lose pounds we lose muscle weight as well as fat unless we’re building our muscles with resistance exercises. We also lose muscle mass as we age unless we strength train or otherwise keep challenging our muscles (as in hard labor). That’s a significant reason why the average person’s metabolism slows as they grow older.

How much strength training have you done as you’ve lost weight? Whatever the level, consider kicking it up a notch or two during the next phase of your weight loss push. A good, all-round strength training program may initially slow the number of pounds you lose because muscle is heavier than fat. But it will quickly start tightening your body, actually making your waist smaller, so you will look better and feel better.
 
When you see those mind-boggling “before and after” pictures every national “revolutionary diet plan” uses to advertise themselves, keep in mind that the incredible muscle definition of the person in the “after” shot either comes from strength training or Photoshop trickery. I have lost weight at various times with and without strength training. Strength training provides much more attractive results.

If you’re a gym/fitness club member you have access to strength machines as well as free weights and cable machines. Clubs oftentimes have group strength classes as well as access to personal trainers. If you can’t afford to join a gym or hire a personal trainer, don’t worry. With just a few inexpensive items such as a resistance band, pair of hand weights and a mat, you can get going. Although I sometimes work out with the equipment at my church rec center, I oftentimes work out at home with just my resistance band, hand weights and mat.

Try some of these great individual exercises and workout routines suggested by The American Council on Exercise.  I love that these workouts come with detailed written instructions as well as photo and video demonstrations. And they're free!

While you’re working on your strength, please remember to work on your flexibility. Integrating stretching into your workout routine will help you attain and/or maintain a healthy posture, balanced gait, plus improve your general fitness level. Soon you’ll be able to reach the high shelf better and twist to get something with less risk of straining your back. I have become a fan of yoga because during the course of a good class you generally stretch out from head to toe.

One more thing: A great overall resource for helping you educate yourself on the fine points of fitness and weight loss is The American College of Sports Medicine's “The Complete Guide to Fitness & Health."  The book, which I highly recommend, provides a science-based overview on strength, flexibility and cardio training, as well as good nutrition/healthy diet information.

Before and After

Why do I pursue fitness personally and have a passion for supporting and helping others in their pursuit of fitness? Because I have learned the hard way that unless I continue working and fueling my body in healthy ways that I will become hefty, sluggish, stiff, hurting and unhappy. That goes for most other adults, and even children.

Witness the "before" and "after" picture here. Before: I had been traveling too much and had let weight creep on as my diet and exercises habits fell into ruin over several years. I'd even gotten into the habit of comforting myself with highly caloric food and drink after trying numerous diets with no success. My nice thin forearms helped keep me in denial about my weight for awhile. But then one day I borrowed my mother's blood pressure cuff and saw my blood pressure had crept up to an unhealthy level. If it got any higher I'd likely have to go on medication. Then I saw a photo of my sizable self with my beautiful, thin neice at her graduation. OMG! A friend later told me she had been worried about me. "You didn't seem very happy back then," she said.

After: I have lost more than 40 pounds and have greatly improved my cardiovascular health as well as my muscle strength and flexibility. I regulary exercise and follow a healthy diet. My blood pressure is at a healthy level and I feel great. I can reach farther, bend deeper and twist to get something I need without straining my back. I enjoy shopping for clothes and making the effort to look my best. Plus I am getting a lot more attention from the opposite sex, and women respond to me more positively as well. Much of that is because of how I carry myself I know. I feel happier and radiate happiness. It's a people magnet.

How I got there: When I finally realized my problem was bigger than my ability to deal with it, I prayed. (Something I should have done early on.) I asked God to illuminate me, to help me understand what I was doing wrong and give me the strength to do what I needed to do to become healthy and fit again. I found my answer at the "healthy lifestyle and weight loss" program put on by my childhood church (Dawson Memorial in Homewood, Ala.) once a year. Through the 10-week program I learned how to eat right and move more. The program was based on nutrition and exercise science calling upon the knowledge of area health care professionals and dieticians. The group support and accountability were huge pluses. I learned how to lose weight effectively and in a safe manner.

Then I went back to my life. After getting derailed a time or two from my weight loss quest, I got on the healthy lifestyle wagon again for what I hope is for good. Over time I lost a total of 40 pounds in increments of one or two pounds a week. Now I continue to work to maintain that weight loss and become even more fit. As I've learned, unless I am pursing fitness, I am losing fitness.