The Senior Walking Fitness Blog

Hello Everybody,

Eating fruit is one of the easiest ways to lose weight. It is high in fibre, low in calories, full of vitamins and, best of all, tastes nice. Fruit should be a substantial part of a healthy diet. We have been eating fruit since we came down from the trees. It was probably the reason we were up there in the first place. Fruit is about as natural a diet as you can get. There are lots of fruits available and they are all good for us. Here are five of the best to help you lose weight.

Apple. An apple a day may well keep the doctor away. They are low in calories and fat, low in sodium - too much of which can cause high blood pressure, and contain vitamins as well as fibre. I recommend buying apples in season from farmer’s markets or shops selling organic produce. Those sold in superstores usually taste like nothing at all. About 65 calories.

Banana. Best beloved of tennis players, these contain more carbohydrates than some fruit but are excellent none the less. They contain vitamins B and C - which give energy and heal wounds, fibre, potassium - which helps prevent high blood pressure, and manganese for healthy bones. About 100 calories.

Blackberries. Part of the joy of blackberries is picking them off the bush. They contain pectin, which helps keep blood sugar stable, fibre, flavonoids to strengthen blood vessels and manganese. One cup is about 50 calories.

Grapefruit. This is well known and people swear by it. Some are even prepared to eat nothing but grapefruit, boiled eggs and toast for 12 days in order to lose weight. I would rather eat grapefruit, like any other fruit, as part of a healthy diet. They are low in calories, high in potassium and high in fat burning enzymes. About 100 calories.

Peaches. Fruit of a summer day. High in vitamin A - which gives you colour and night vision, vitamin C , fibre, niacin - for good digestion, and potassium. About 40 calories.

The value of fruit in a healthy diet is really quite impressive. Like many foods it is the subject of extravagant claims. The jury is still out as to whether it improves our memory, protects against cancer and cures depression. But there is no reason to be unrealistic about its benefits. There are a lot which are known to be true and which work. Eat plenty of fruit, along with fresh vegetables, lean meat and fish, and you will lose weight. For many that is the greatest benefit of all.

See you soon,

24 August 2010

Technorati Tags: eat fruit, fruit diet, i can't lose weight, lose body weight, lose weight diet, lose weight fat, walking exercise, walking fitness, weight fat

Hello Everybody,

It is true that a natural weight loss program is suitable for all ages. But is it more suitable for some than for others? Older people begin to lose weight naturally due to muscle wastage. This can be compounded by eating less, as they take less exercise and feel the need for less food. It is a concern, but the degree of concern depends on where they started from. An obese old person is unlikely to fade away due to muscle wastage and, as long as they drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, eating a little less is no bad thing. Of course, if they are of average weight or under to begin with, they must be careful to monitor their weight in conjunction with their doctor.

So if you are over 70 and overweight what do you do? It depends on how you feel about it. There are some who say there is not much point in doing anything, just take palliative medicine for worn-out joints and heart problems and carry on as before. That seems to me to show an impressive lack of in interest in the quality of life of older people. I would suggest that if you want to lose weight just go ahead and do it.

There are people looking at the effects of natural weight loss programs on older people. Researcher Bret H. Goodpaster has shown that when Seniors diet without exercising they lose more lean muscle, compared with those that do exercise. When they combined weight loss with exercise it nearly completely prevented the loss of lean muscle mass. His study, snappily entitled, Separate and combined effects of exercise training and weight loss on exercise efficiency and substrate oxidation. appears in the Journal of Physiology and is reported in Science Daily.

Bret H. Goodpaster looked at 64 people aged 60-75. The lower age range seems to me a little too low, but that is what he did. They were divided into three groups.

Exercise only.

Diet only.

Exercise plus diet.

We are not told in the report how many people of each age were in each group, or indeed if it was possible to assemble identical groups given the availability of people of various ages. We can only presume that this did not make much difference.

The exercisers could walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bicycle. Most chose to walk. The dieters reduced their calorie intake to achieve a 10 percent weight loss. The remaining group combined both the daily exercise and the diet. The researchers measured how many calories the participants expended during a set time on a stationary bicycle at the beginning of the experiment and at the end of the four month study period.

The exercise group expended fewer calories at the end and drew more on fat stores as their source of energy.

The diet only group weighed less but calorie expenditure remained the same. Their weight loss resulted from loss of both muscle and fat.

The exercise plus diet group was the most efficient at the end of the experiment, burning fewer calories. They drew more on fat stores as an energy source.

All this just confirms what we already know, that the best way to lose weight is through a combination of a healthy diet and exercise. However it is interesting to find that older people can reduce muscle wastage through regular exercise. So if you are over 70 - or over 60 according to Bret H. Goodpaster - and would like to lose some weight do so. Check with your doctor and then start your natural weight loss program. Eat plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meat and fish and have a walk for an hour or more each day. That should do it. Enjoy yourself.

See you soon,

22 August 2010

Photo. Radonich Alexandra

Technorati Tags: best way to lose weight, mediterranean diet, natural weight loss, senior weight loss, weight loss for seniors

Hello Everybody,

Young people as well as adults want to lose weight. The forums are full of desperate teenagers asking for help. How did this happen? Traditionally young people were slim and they put on weight as they reached middle age. The secret of this was that young people were more active, they did sports, had walking holidays, swam a lot. They got out more. There was less to do in the home and they were not driven everywhere by their parents. Today’s teenagers could live quite happily with no more exercise than a walk from the car park to a fast food outlet. Some do just that.

When left alone young people have always tended to eat badly and irregularly, but with a lot of exercise this did not matter much. Now it does. We have an interesting conflict going on. There is a media which promotes slimness, particularly in women, and manufacturers and suppliers of food which promote and sell junk. It is not easy for you people growing up with all this, plus the lure of computer games to make matters worse.

So if a teenager decides that he or she is overweight, what should they do about it? The first thing is not to go for fast results. Every young person wants action, today, now. They have a holiday in a week, a party in ten days. They want to lose twenty pounds. Don’t try. Don’t even think of trying. Do not take pills or fast weight loss fad diets or colonic cleansing or detoxification. Fast weight loss equals fatigue, dehydration, muscle cramps, possible gall bladder problems and a really bad time. It won’t work long term anyway. There is also the little matter of not doing anything which may compromise your growth pattern.

Natural weight loss is the answer. What is it? Just eating a healthy diet and getting enough exercise. You eat fresh fruit and vegetables, grains, pulses, lean meat and fish. You drink plenty of water. Keep off all junk food, fizzy drinks and snacks. Never skip breakfast - you will just snack during the morning. Now that sort of diet may sound boring, but there are plenty of nice meals with those ingredients. They are the constituents of most Southern European food and Southern Europeans know how to make good food. This should be your diet long term. It is not a religion - don’t worry about the occasional big fattening meal or ice cream. Just eat your new diet most days and you will be fine.

For exercise walk, jog, cycle, swim, go to the gym, play sports, dance, do whatever you enjoy for an hour a day. That’s it. With your new lifestyle you should lose a pound or two a week. That’s natural weight loss and it is all you need to lose each week. Of course, it is your decision what weight loss plan you try. Look at those which offer quick weight loss and decide what to do, but be careful. Whatever you choose have a goal, reach it and stop. The aim should be to reach a suitable weight for your height and age and maintain it, maybe by eating a little more and exercising a little less. Do not go from being over weight to an ideal weight and then under weight. This can become a dangerous illness, never do it. Just take care, keep going, don’t give up and you will see results.

See you soon,

15 August 2010

Photo. Anamano (Flickr)

Technorati Tags: best way to lose weight, mediterranean diet, natural weight loss, teenage weight loss, weight loss for young people

Hello Everybody,

Not too many Italian women need to lose weight. Italy has one of the lowest obesity rates in the world. Only 10 percent of Italians are obese compared with 34 percent of North Americans and 23 percent British. So 90 percent of Italians must be doing something right.

They are doing a lot right. Not only do they enjoy their food they eat the right food.

This is how they do it.

Breakfast. This is always eaten, but it will be a small meal. Just coffee and a roll with jam or maybe a small biscuit.

Mid-morning. Just coffee. Italians know a lot about coffee, but they do not always drink a high calorie- laden latte or cappuccino. A small coffee with milk - not cream - or an espresso is often preferred.

Lunch. This is eaten sitting down. It will consist of a salad or pasta followed by fish or chicken and vegetables.

Dinner. A family meal, it is similar to lunch. Pasta with a tomato or vegetable sauce, a second course of lean meat or fish with vegetables and fruit to follow. Red wine or mineral water is enjoyed with the meal.

Italians take their time. Meals are social occasions not to be rushed. Portions are small and people stop eating when they are full. Snacking is not common, but snacks are likely to be fruit, or a handful of nuts or a few olives. Of course, Italians do not eat just one type of food. There are many regional dishes. In Tuscany the food is rich in beans, in the south more fish and lemons are eaten, but there is always olive oil for garnishing and cooking.

Italians do not think exercise equals pumping iron at a gym. There are plenty of keen cyclists and skiers. Swimming is easy enough, as the sea is mostly not far away. Football is a national passion. But for many a postprandial stroll is as much exercise as they get. Given the food they eat, and perhaps the energy put into a conversation between friends, it is enough.

I generalise, but there seems to be an Italian attitude of mind that appreciates good health and with it good appearance. The North Americans and British want to look attractive when they are young. But many over 40 do not care what they look like or conceal the results of over-eating with a good tailor. In Italy there is a tradition of the attractive older man and woman. Of course they cannot all afford to dress in Armani and drive fast red cars , but they would like to. So there is the motivation to keep slim and fit and the good fortune to live the lifestyle to achieve it.

What does this tell people in those countries on the junk food route to mass obesity? It tells them that it may not be easy to live like the Italians, the culture is just not there. But we can try to eat their diet. We can have small breakfasts, cut out snacks and high-calorie coffee, eat more fruit, vegetables, lean meat and fish. When we eat out we can order small portions at an Italian restaurant and not patronise the kid’s favourite fast food outlet. Exercise will be needed every day, as we cannot rely just on diet to keep us slim. Have an hour’s walking should take care of that.

It is possible to lose weight and stay slim like the Italian women. We know how they do it - now we should just do it ourselves.

See you soon,

8 August 2010

Photo. Dudrinovman (Flickr)

Technorati Tags: i can't lose weight, lose body weight, lose weight, lose weight diet, lose weight fat, walking exercise, walking fitness, weight fat

Hello Everybody,

We all want healthy weight loss. There are too many fad diets and pills out there and they should be avoided. But what about healthy exercise? Diet and exercise should go together and there are many exercise programs to choose from. How do you choose?

Most exercise is healthy, so long as you do not have a health problem to begin with and do not go too far too fast. It is a good idea to talk to your doctor before you start any weight loss program. He will probably be delighted you propose to get fit at last.

So what kind of exercise should you be taking? To a certain extent this is age related. Young people can enjoy almost any exercise they want. But as we get older ability, and with it interests, change. We do get the occasional paragliding grandmother or octogenarian mountaineer - proving that being too old is often in the mind - but there are a lot more basket-ball playing teenagers around. So it is a case of doing what you feel you are able to do.

Walking is about the most flexible of all exercises. You can do it anywhere and at any age. You can have an easy stroll in the park or spend an hour’s power walking, burning off the maximum calories. What if it’s raining? Take a waterproof. What if it’s too hot? Walk early morning or late evening. In most places there are few days of the year when you cannot walk.

Another advantage is that you can walk every day. It may be more impressive to tell people you are off to the gym for a workout, but how often do you go? Or are likely to go? I am amazed at the assumption of those giving fitness advice that everybody has a gym just round the corner. I have news for these people - most of us don’t. Gyms are associated with larger towns. Not everybody who lives out of town spends their days on horseback herding cattle and getting mega fit in the process. They need exercise, and have to do what they can to get it. Walking is the perfect exercise for everybody, everywhere.

There are several levels of walking and you can aim for whatever level you want, but start slowly, walking at a steady pace. Just walk for 15 minutes a day, then after a week or so increase this to half an hour. Take your time and when you find this easy increase to an hour. That can be half an hour’s walking morning and half an hour in the evening. If you enjoy your walking you may want to try brisk walking or even power walking. The calories you burn off varies with weight. But if you weigh 160 pounds, half an hour’s slow walking burns 91 calories, half an hour’s brisk walking 182 calories and half an hour’s power walking 290 calories.

Brisk Walking. You should walk with your heel hitting the ground first and then using your whole foot before pushing off with the toes. Keep your hips still, loosen your shoulders. Walk with bent arms. This will exercise your whole body and not just your legs as in slower walking.

Power Walking. You can burn as many calories as jogging but it puts less strain on the joints. Concentrate on really active arm movements. Swing them back so that your hand is level with your waist and then forward so that it is nearly at shoulder level. Use the feet as in brisk walking. Do this and you should be walking fast, but not getting so out of breath that you cannot hold a conversation.

So walking for healthy weight loss is easy, you can burn off as many calories as you want depending on how fast and how long you walk. Half an hour a day should be your minimum, but do what you can - after a few weeks you will see the benefits. You need good boots and suitable clothing for the climate, but walking is a lot cheaper than going to the gym. Many people think it is more fun too.

See you soon,

5 August 2010

Technorati Tags: fitness tips, fitness walking, heart health, over fifties, senior walking, walk fit, walking exercise, walking fitness, weightloss

Hello Everybody,

Those who are seriously considering how to lose weight can be swamped by conflicting advice. But before you begin it is helpful to know what you should not do. So here are five pitfalls

Fad diets. Do not think a fad diet will make you slim this time next year. They are short term and you will put on weight again if you stick with your old eating habits. They can also be dangerous. There are plenty of Fad Diets out there and many are well known. The Palaeolithic diet, based on a lifestyle not famous for the longevity of its participants, the Hallelujah diet, with Biblical overtones, although a reported lifespan of 969 years may require adjustment of a decimal point, the Hollywood diet, the Tiger diet, the Atkins diet. All of these have been shown to have potential dangers (Professor Hawkey - Gastro 2009 Conference, London). Change your lifestyle, bin the Fad Diets they are not worth the risk.

Pills. There is gold in them there pills. For some, being able to lose weight by just taking a pill must be hard to resist. Like Fad Diets there are plenty of pills around and plenty of suppliers only too happy to take your money. But pills can be really dangerous. Do not be taken in by labels of ‘natural’ or ‘organic,’ some contain harmful substances. Fake pills, containing who knows what, are on the market and the FDA have banned a number of products, but legislation is still weak. Prescription appetite suppressants for the obese do have their place. But that is for your doctor to decide. Never take over-the-counter pills.

Detoxification. There is no scientific evidence that products promoted as helping the body detoxify work. What is detoxification anyway? The dictionary defines detoxify as ‘to remove harmful or toxic substances from something’. In the marketplace it can be anything from a face wash to a dietary supplement. Don’t bother with any of them.

Colon Cleansing. With any luck the colon cleanses itself every day. If you eat a healthy diet containing fresh fruit, vegetables, grains, lean meat and fish as well as drinking plenty of water and exercising regularly your colon should be just fine. If not talk to your doctor. Do not waste money on products which clean your colon.

Testimonials. We have all seen testimonials. Most products have a few. Charity from Alabama, Hannah from London, Garth from Sydney, are all delighted with their latest diet. There are pictures - some before and after - all of attractive looking people. How do we find out if these testimonials are real? We don’t. There should be a link, so that a reader can contact the writer of the testimonial to confirm he or she exists. But if there is a link we have no guarantee that the person does not sell the product as an affiliate, or that the link does not lead to a site owned by the seller. As for the before and after pictures. Even if these are not a testimonial for Photoshop we have no means of knowing how long it took to achieve the remarkable success shown. Always distrust testimonials.

The bottom line is be realistic, we must treat sellers of weight loss products, along with those of beauty products and used cars with deep suspicion. Just think about it. Anyone who wants to lose 40 pounds in 3 weeks because of a wedding (check the forums, some do) is expecting the weight of a 4 year old boy to vanish into thin air from their body in under a month. Fast weight loss is possible, but not that fast with any safety at all. But if you have forgotten you are getting married next week or need to lose weight fast for some other reason it can be done. Just be aware that there are risks and do not expect it to last without a lifestyle change. There is much argument about the best way to lose weight, not everybody would agree with my thoughts on the matter. So look around, do your research, ignore the testimonials and good luck.

See you soon,

1 August 2010

Photo. Stoke (Flickr)

Technorati Tags: i can't lose weight, lose body weight, lose weight, lose weight diet, lose weight fat, walking exercise, walking fitness, weight fat