Fitness Over 40

Show of hands, ladies. How many of you are less than 100% happy with the gal you see looking back at you from the mirror? If you’re like many American women (and a few guys), you have grown up your whole life with body image issues. My chest is too flat, my rear end is too big, my ears stick out. The woman you think you see in the mirror is actually distorted by years of self-talk, family expectations, schoolyard teasing and a barrage of airbrushed images in the media.

As if losing weight weren’t hard enough, keeping it off is often even harder. If you don’t want to spend the rest of your life yo-yo dieting, you’ll need to develop good, long-term lifestyle habits. Luckily, there has been a lot of good research done to help you know what works and what doesn’t.

A friend asked me the other day, “What’s the one biggest mistake people make with their exercise?” Unfortunately, I couldn’t come up with just one answer, because I see so many different mistakes. Sadly, there are a lot of exercise myths and misinformation floating around out there. I thought it was a great question, though, so I gave it some thought, and came up with the seven mistakes I see most often.

Are you getting enough exercise, and the right kinds of exercise? Almost any type and quantity of activity is better than sitting, but if you want to maximize your health, be sure you’re getting enough daily exercise, and the right kinds of exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine released a new position paper this week that makes exercise recommendations for generally healthy adults based on the best current scientific evidence.

If your exercise program hasn't moved beyond the “thinking about it” stage, you're not alone! Lots of people think they should start exercising, but they just can't take that first step. Here are seven simple tips to motivate you to get off the couch and get moving!

If you’re approaching or in the thick of menopause, you’ve probably already discovered that managing your weight is not as easy as it used to be. You may be seeing that your lovely curvy shape now looks more like a round apple. So which is better for weight management in menopause: exercise or diet? In a word, both!

If you've found your way here, you're probably thinking about starting a program of regular exercise and healthier eating. And if you're like most people, getting started for the first time or getting started again after a long layoff can be pretty intimidating. Well, writing the first of many blog posts is like that for me. I have so much to say, but where do I start?