Eating Low Glycemic Carbohydrates Is Important For Losing Weight

Maintaining a steady blood sugar level is very important component of your dieting effort. While your body breaks down all digestible carbohydrates into blood sugar, some are converted into blood sugar faster than others. Thus, some carbohydrates cause a spike in your blood sugar level which causes you to feel hungry faster and to crave more sugary foods. While other carbohydrates are converted into blood sugar more slowly leveling out you blood sugar resulting in less hunger and less food cravings.

For this reason, the Glycemic Index (GI) was developed to classify how quickly your body converts carbohydrates into blood sugar as compared to pure glucose. Glucose has a GI of 100 and all other carbohydrate based foods are ranked against it. Foods with a score of 70 or more are defined as having a high GI while those with a score of 55 or less are considered as low.

Eating lots of food with a high GI causes spikes in your blood sugar level which can lead to many health issues such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. While eating low GI foods causes your blood sugar level to stay even thus, keeping your energy level balanced and causing you to fill fuller longer between meals. The following are some additional benefits of eating low GI carbohydrates.

· Helps you to lose and manage weight your weight.
· Increases your body's sensitivity to insulin.
· Decreases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
· Reduces your risk of heart disease.
· Improves your blood cholesterol levels
· Reduces hunger and keep you fuller for longer.
· Helps you prolong physical activity.
· Helps you to re-fuel your carbohydrate stores after exercise.

The GI is very interesting because some foods that you intuitively think would have a high rating do not. For instance, fructose which is fruit sugar has a minimal effect on blood sugar while white bread and French-fried potatoes are nearly converted to blood sugar as fast as pure glucose. In other words, you can’t classify foods as having a high or low GI according to the sweetness of taste. Many factors affect a foods GI such as:

· Processing: Grains that have been milled and refined have a higher GI

· Type of starch: Starches come in many different configurations. Some are easier to break into sugar  molecules than others. For example, starch in potatoes is digested and absorbed into the bloodstream relatively quickly.

· Fiber content: The sugars in fiber are linked in a way that is hard for your body to break down. Thus, the more fiber a food has, the less digestible carbohydrate, and consequently the less sugar it can deliver into your blood stream.

· Fat and acid content: The more fat or acid a food contains, the slower its carbohydrates are converted to sugar and absorbed into your bloodstream.

· Physical form: Finely ground grain is more rapidly digested, and so has a higher GI than more coarsely ground grain.

The basic technique for eating the low GI way is simply a "this for that" approach - i.e., swapping high GI carbohydrates for low GI carbohydrates. You don't need to count numbers or do any sort of mental arithmetic to make sure you are eating a healthy, low GI diet. Follow these easy to implement suggestions.

· Use breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran
· Use breads with whole-grains, stone-ground flour, sour dough
· Reduce the amount of potatoes you eat
· Enjoy all other types of fruit and vegetables
· Use brown rice
· Enjoy whole-wheat pasta and noodles
· Eat plenty of salad vegetables with a vinaigrette dressing

Health and Strength Over 50, Cardiovascular Exercise

Cardiovascular exercise known as cardio by most in the fitness profession is associated with numerous health benefits; therefore, it is an invaluable part of any fitness program. Cardio exercise is any activity that increases the work of the heart and lungs. Activities such as brisk walking, running, training on the elliptical machine, biking, and working on the Stairmaster, are some of the more well-known forms of cardio. 

During cardio exercise you repeatedly move large muscles in the upper and lower parts of your body. Your body responds by breathing faster and more deeply providing increased blood flow to these muscles and back to your lungs. Your small blood vessels widen to deliver more oxygen to your muscles and carry away waste products, such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid. Your body also releases endorphins which are natural pain killers that promote an increased sense of well-being.

Regardless of your age, cardio exercise is good for you. As your body adapts to a cardio routine your heart and lungs will become stronger and more efficient in performing their activities. The following are additional benefits of cardiovascular exercise:[1]

·        Helps to lose and maintain a healthy weight. Combined with strength training and a healthy diet cardio helps you to lose weight and to keep it off.

·        Increase your stamina. Cardio may make you tired in the short term, but over the long term, you will enjoy increased stamina and reduced fatigue.

·        Ward off viral illnesses. Cardio activates your immune system, thus making you less susceptible to minor viral illnesses such as colds and flu.

·        Reduce health risks. Cardio, combined with strength training, reduces the risk of many conditions including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis, and certain types of cancer.

·        Manage chronic conditions. Cardio, combined with strength training, helps to lower blood pressure and to control blood sugar.

·        Strengthen your heart. A stronger heart doesn’t need to beat as fast and pumps blood more efficiently. Consequently, blood flow is improved to all parts of your body.

·        Keeps your arteries clear. Cardio boosts your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good” cholesterol and lowers your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol, which results  in less plaque build-up in your arteries.

·        Boost your mood. Cardio can ease the gloominess of depression, reduce the tension associated with anxiety and promote relaxation.

·        Stay active and independent as you get older. Cardio, in conjunction with strength training, keeps your muscles strong, helping you maintain mobility as you get older. Cardio also keeps your mind sharp. At least 30 minutes of cardio three days a week seems to reduce cognitive decline in older adults.

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[1] MayoClinic.org

Strength Training Over 50, You Must Lift Weights

As you age strength training is the best thing you can do to improve your health and fitness level. Strength training is important because around age 40 you start to experience muscle loss. “If you don’t do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose, you’ll increase the percentage of fat in your body,” says Dr. Edward Laskowski, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Left unabated, you can lose up to 10 pounds of muscle each decade starting at age 40.

 

Losing muscle is detrimental to your fitness because muscle is the component of your body that burns the majority of the calories you consume each day. Therefore, when you lose muscle your body requires fewer calories to function. Consequently, those extra calories you consume are stored as fat around your waist, hips, and other places.

Your body constantly burns calories, even when doing nothing. This resting metabolic rate is much higher in people with more muscle. Every pound of muscle uses about six calories a day to sustain itself, while each pound of fat burns only two calories daily. This small difference can add up over time. In addition, after a bout of resistance training, muscles are activated all over your body, increasing your average daily metabolic rate.

Increasing your metabolism isn’t the only benefit of strength training. It also helps: [1]

·        Develop strong bones. By stressing your bones, strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.

·        Control your weight. As you gain muscle, your body burns  calories more efficiently which can result in weight loss. The more toned your muscles, the easier it is to control your weight.

·        Reduce your risk of injury. Building muscle protects your joints from injury. It also helps maintain flexibility and balance which are crucial to remaining independent as you age.

·        Boost your stamina. Building muscle helps to increase your energy level while improving your sense of well-being. Strength training can boost self-confidence, improve body image, and reduce the risk of depression.

·        Sleep better. People who strength train on a regular basis are less likely to have insomnia.

·        Manage chronic conditions. Strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, including arthritis, back pain, depression, diabetes, obesity, and osteoporosis.

A good strength training program should consist of exercises that target all the major muscle groups and should be performed two to four times each week.  I suggest you have a certified fitness profession design a customized program for you.

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[1] MayoClinic.org

Strength Training Over 50, Age is Only a State of Mind

Many people believe that once you reach the age of 50 your health and fitness start to decline.  That's an urban myth and here's why.  People who perceive themselves as old and feeble are more likely to stop participating in the activities that keep them healthy and fit, such as regular exercise.  On the other hand, people who have a positive attitude about aging tend to do the things that lead to life-long health and fitness.

Here's the truth, regardless of age every worn-out cell in your body is replaced every 11 months of your life.  So, every year your body is completely renewed.  Thus, your body is doing all it can to help you stay healthy by replacing old cells with new ones.  Now the question is do you have the right mental attitude to additionally aide your body in it's life-long effort to keep you healthy and fit?

The right mental attitude about aging leads you to do the things that help you stay healthy and strong your whole life, such as exercising on a regular basis, and having a healthy diet.  These are the things that help you thrive and not merely survive as you age.

The benefits of regular exercise as you age are many.  Here's some of the most important. (1)

• Exercise helps older adults maintain or lose weight. As metabolism naturally slows with age, maintaining a healthy weight is a challenge. Exercise helps increase metabolism and builds muscle mass, helping to burn more calories. When your body reaches a healthy weight, your overall wellness will improve.
• Exercise reduces the impact of illness and chronic disease. Among the many benefits of exercise for adults over 50 include improved immune function, better heart health and blood pressure, better bone density, and better digestive functioning. People who exercise also have a lowered risk of several chronic conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis, and certain cancers.
• Exercise enhances mobility, flexibility, and balance in older adults. Exercise improves your strength, flexibility and posture, which in turn will help with balance, coordination, and reducing the risk of falls. Strength training also helps alleviate the symptoms of chronic conditions such as arthritis.
• Exercise improves your sleep. Poor sleep is not an inevitable consequence of aging and quality sleep is important for your overall health. Exercise often improves sleep, helping you fall asleep more quickly and sleep more deeply.
• Exercise boosts mood and self-confidence. Exercise is a huge stress reliever and the endorphins produced can actually help reduce feelings of sadness, depression, or anxiety. Being active and feeling strong naturally helps you feel more self-confident and sure of yourself.
• Exercise is amazingly good for the brain. Activities like Sudoku or crossword puzzles can help keep your brain active, but little comes close to the beneficial effects of exercise on the brain. Exercise benefits brain functions as diverse as multitasking and creativity and can help prevent memory loss, cognitive decline, and dementia. Exercise may even help slow the progression of brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

I can personally attest to the fact that age is only a state of mind.  I'm in my late 50s and I've been weight lifting on a regularly most of my adult life.  I'm still stronger than I was in my twenties.  Here's the key, I never let any negative thoughts about age linger and take root in my mind, and neither should you.

(1) HelpGuide.org, Exercise and Fitness as You Age

Strength Training Over 50; The Benefits

While I can personally attest to the benefits of strength training in my life, below is additional information from the Fitness Professional's Guide to Strength Training Older Adults by Thomas R Baechle, and Dr. Wayne L Westcott.  After reading this, you will not have any doubts about the value of incorporating a regular strength training program has in your life.

Research indicates that older adults may experience many health-related benefits from a sensible program of strength exercise that is performed at a relatively high effort level.  Some of the possible benefits include the following:

• Better body composition with up to 4 pounds more lean weight, and 4 pounds less fat weight after 2 months of regular strength training.
• Increased metabolic rate of up to 7 percent higher resting metabolism and up to 15 percent greater daily calorie requirements after 3 months of regular strength training.
• Decrease low-back discomfort, as evidenced by approximately 80 percent of patients reporting less or no pain after 3 months of specific low-back strengthening exercise.
• Reduced arthritic pain, as indicated by subjective ratings of symptoms in strength trained adults who have arthritis.
• Increased bone mineral density that minimize age related bone loss and offer protection against osteoporosis.
• Enhanced glucose utilization that may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Faster gastrointestinal transit that may reduce the risk of colon cancer and other motility disorders of the gastrointestinal system.
• Reduced resting blood pressure, including lower diastolic readings and lower systolic readings.
• Improved blood lipid profiles, including lower levels of LDL cholesterol and higher levels of HDL cholesterol.
• Improved postcoronary performance resulting from higher muscular functional capacity and lower cardiovascular stress from routine and unplanned physical activity.
• Enhanced self-confidence, as reported by previously sedentary men and women following 2 months of regular strength training.
• Relieved depression in older adults clinically diagnosed with mild to moderate depression.

Strength Training Over 50; Exercise Reduces Low-Back Pain

Here's another great benefit of starting and staying on a regular strength training program.  Medical professionals estimate that four out of five American adults experience occasional or chronic low-back discomfort.  Low-back pain is responsible for more employee absenteeism and medical expense than any other ailment except cold and flu.  However, you can reduce your risk of developing lower back pain with low-back strengthening exercises.

Exercise is so effective because there is a strong, positive relationship between weak low-back muscles, and low-back discomfort.  Several years of low-back pain studies conducted at the University of Florida demonstrated that systematic strengthening of the lower back muscles significantly reduced or eliminated discomfort in up to 80 percent of their patients.

The University of Florida strength training program for the lower back was simple.  All the participates performed one set of low-back extensions on a machine using a resistance that permitted between 8 to 15 repetitions.  And, on average each participant trained 3 days per week for a 10 week period.  Furthermore, other studies have shown that developing a strong mid-section ( abdominal, internal, and external obliques) also compliment stronger lower back muscles and further reduce the risk of low-back discomfort.

Although low-back pain is a complex medical issue, an appropriate program of lower back, and abdominal strengthening exercises appears to provide better musculoskeletal  function, support for vertebral column components, and shock absorption which reduces stress and excessive wear and tear on the overall low-back structure.  Consequently, all of this reduces the risk of low-back injury, and structural degeneration that leads to lower back pain and discomfort.

The above information is from Fitness Professional's Guide to Strength Training  Older Adults by Thomas R. Baechle, and Dr. Wayne L. Westcott.

Sharon Simmons, Former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Hopeful, Gives 8 Lessons On Aging Well

Sharon Simmons, Former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Hopeful, Gives 8 Lessons On Aging Well

A very inspiring article from the Huffington Post written by Anthonia Akitunde.  Below is an excerpt.

Last year as hundreds of beautiful and talented women auditioned for a spot on the Dallas Cowboys’ cheerleading team, only one warranted a number of stunned headlines: Sharon Simmons.

Simmons, then 55, tried out for a spot as a Dallas Cowboys’ cheerleader. “I thought, that’s something I never tried,” she told CBS DFW at the time. “I always wanted to try out. I got real close in my early 20s, but got busy raising my daughter. And I thought, why not now?”