Fitness Over 40

When I meet people for the first time, they're often intrigued by my work as a personal trainer, and if they've never worked with a personal trainer before, they often wonder what makes the experience so special. Some people like working with a personal trainer because it adds an extra measure of accountability, and some like working with a personal trainer because they get more interesting and varied workouts than they would on their own. But what I love about personal training is that it's personal; that is, it's a fitness program designed just for you, your abilities, your needs and your goals.

If you've considered hiring a personal trainer to help you get in shape, you've probably already given some thought about what you need to look for in a personal trainer before you hire her. But have you thought about what you need to know about yourself before you begin a new personal training program?

The Halloween candy has been in the stores for weeks, now, and if you've resisted temptation so far, congratulations! But you know that the season of temptation is just beginning, and you've got weeks of holiday parties and treats to endure. Between the parties, the family dinners and the crazy hectic schedule, it's not surprising that so many of us gain a few (or a few too many) pounds between October and January.

Staying (or getting) fit over 40 isn't the walk in the park it was in your 20s. Chances are your metabolism has started to slow down a bit, the demands on your time are overwhelming, and you may be facing injuries or illnesses that make exercise a challenge.

Making the decision to work with a personal trainer is a big one. You know you'll be in for a challenge, it's a significant financial commitment, and it's a lot of time to spend with one person. And chances are, if you're making the choice to work with a trainer, you have some very specific physical and perhaps emotional needs that you hope to address.

If you're not a natural athlete or fitness buff, getting motivated to start exercising can be the hardest part of the process. It's natural to want to do things that you're good at, but can you learn to love something that you're not yet good at?

An article by Jeannine Stein in today's Los Angeles Times reports on a new study by Kenneth E. Thorpe and Zhou Yang in the journal Health Affairs. According to the authors of the study, expanding a successful YMCA diabetes prevention program to a nationwide audience could save Medicare $1.8 - 3.7 billion dollars over the next ten years.

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.

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!