The Senior Walking Fitness Blog

Hello Everybody,

If you want to lose weight without exercise you can. But it is not easy. To lose weight you must burn fewer calories than you eat each day. If you burn 500 calories a day less you will lose 1 pound a week. With exercise it is not too difficult. Half an hour’s jogging will burn off half of it and if you cut out a large latté at Starbucks you have lost the rest. But if you try to give up eating 500 calories a day it is more difficult. Maybe 1 pound a week is too little for you. How about 2 pounds a week? That is a 1000 calorie deficit each day. Rather a lot to lose just by dieting.

You can do it. Just one thing to ask yourself first. Why do you not want to exercise? If it is a medical condition fair enough. If it is just because you hate exercise and do not want to look silly doing it, remember that exercise does not necessarily mean going to the gym. Jogging, walking, cycling, swimming, dancing, even climbing stairs, is all exercise. Maybe not liking exercise is the reason you are overweight. But if you have really decided exercise is not for you this is how to lose weight by diet alone.

To lose weight without exercise you will be eating the same diet you would eat if you were exercising. Plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, eggs, lean meat and fish. Drink black coffee, or coffee with low fat milk, and do not take sugar. I do not usually suggests counting calories, as it can become an obsession, but at first you will have to.

Keep a calorie journal. If you were exercising you would eat a healthy diet, do some exercise and lose weight. Calorie counting would more or less take care of itself. But to lose weight by diet alone you will need to know your calorie intake more precisely. You can find out what calories are in the food you eat by looking at the labels, or checking on the internet. The first week will be the worst. After that you will know what calories are in a meal and you can just put it into your journal the next time you have the same meal.

Always eat breakfast. Try to have a light breakfast each morning. If you skip breakfast you will just get hungry and snack, or go to Starbucks to have a coffee and croissant. Which is what you had decided to leave out to reach your daily 500 calorie deficit.

Drink a glass of water 20 minutes before a meal. Make this a big glass as the water will fill you up, which is the idea.

Eat off smaller plates. It is amazing how much less you eat if you have smaller plates. You can pile them high and still eat less.

Have more frequent meals. Not always easy if you are working. But try to eat five small meals a day (off your smaller plates) rather than three big ones. This will speed up your metabolism and burn fat faster.

Do not eat late. If you have a big meal immediately before going to bed you will not only stand a chance of heartburn and acid reflux, you will also be putting on fat as your metabolism slows down.

That is all you need to know about how to lose weight without exercise. There are plenty of recipes for healthy meals using the basic ingredients I have given you, in books and on the internet. It may take longer than if you were to exercise. The calorie counting may turn out to be harder work than a daily walk in the park. But if you want to lose weight without exercise there is nothing to stop you achieving your goal.

See you soon,

Peter Stockwell

Cambridge UK

29 March 2011

Photo. Pyrogenes Gruffer (Flickr)

Technorati Tags: best way to lose weight, how to lose weight, lose weight without exercise, weight loss diet, weight loss no exercise, weight loss tips

Hello Everybody,

Most superstores and chemists have shelves of natural vitamin supplements. There is good reason. Because they are popular. There is something of a feel good factor about popping a couple of pills before you go to bed. You have had your vitamin C or omega 3 and all is right with the world. Maybe it is, but don’t expect too much from pills. Do you eat a healthy diet of fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean meat and fish? If so you are probably getting enough vitamins anyway. If you eat junk food all day and have a couple of multivitamin pills at night you may as well give them up. What you should be doing is junking the junk food.

Do not believe extravagant claims for natural vitamin supplements. They are unlikely to protect against cancer. The latest research has found that neither do they prevent heart attacks and strokes or reduce overall mortality. So if they do not stop the big killers and do not help us live longer why do we take vitamins anyway? Part of it is tradition. Your parents probably took vitamins in one form or another and their parents as well. There was a time when the available diet was not as good as it now is and vitamins actually did help people stay healthy.

Today there is still a place for natural vitamin supplements. For those of us living in climates which lack sunshine vitamin D supplements are well worth taking. There is some evidence that vitamin C can help prevent colds - although whether you do it through eating oranges of swallowing pills is up to you. There are also several groups of people who can benefit from natural vitamin supplements.

Pregnant and breast feeding women. Folic acid before pregnancy and until the 12^th week protects the baby against spina bifida. Vitamin D keeps the mother’s bones healthy and is passed on to the baby through breast milk.

People at risk of osteoporosis. Generally these are older people. The use of calcium supplements and vitamin D can reduce by one quarter the risk of bone fractures.

People with B12 deficiency. These are often older people or vegans who do not eat eggs or dairy products, both can be helped with vitamin B12 supplements.

Those with age related macular degeneration of the eyes. A combination of antioxidants and zinc is often prescribed.

There is nothing wrong with natural vitamin supplements. But if you are not in any of the above groups do not just decide to take few vitamins. Work out what the reasons are - to prevent colds or top up vitamin D levels in the winter is fine. Otherwise it may be a good idea to talk to your doctor.

See you soon,

Cambridge UK

27 March 2011

Photo. Munded (Flickr)

Technorati Tags: natural health supplements, natural supplements, natural vitamin supplements, vitamins and supplements

Hello Everybody,

If you need quick tips for weight loss you must first decide on your goal. The tips may be quick, but what about the weight loss? How quick? Safe and long term weight loss would lose you about 16 pounds in two months. That would drop you a dress size, maybe two sizes. A man would need a new pair of trousers. All in two months. I call that quick. Some of you will need to lose a lot of weight in a few weeks. You won’t feel too good while you do it, and the weight will probably come on again when you stop, but it can be done. Do think in weeks rather than days - to try and lose weight in a few days is a really bad idea. As ever I recommend a lifestyle change rather than a quick fix. But here are five quick tips for weight loss that will work.

Jogging. Daily exercise should be part of any weight loss program. But you will find it hard to lose weight by exercise alone and should eat a healthy diet as well. Jogging is one of the best ways to burn off some calories and it all helps. So start slow and work up to longer distances, if at any time you feel you are doing too much stop and drop back to a shorter distance. If you jog for 1 hour you will burn about 450 calories. To lose 1 pound in a week you must burn 500 calories less than you normally burn each day. So to lose those 16 pounds in 2 months you will need a 1000 calorie deficit each day. This is a lot to achieve just by jogging.

Breakfast. Never skip breakfast. You have not eaten for 7 hours and then you are delaying food until you start snacking half way through the morning. Find time for a reasonable breakfast - maybe toast or wholegrain cereal with low fat milk, orange juice and a cup of black coffee. Try to avoid grabbing a quick coffee, then stopping off at Starbucks on the way to work. You might well have a cheese and ham croissant and a latte and find you have eaten 600 calories without noticing. That is not a breakfast - it’s a lunch.

Smaller Portions. Not easy if you are working, but five small meals a day are better than three big ones. Your metabolism speeds up and you are burning calories faster. If you are able to eat only three meals a day use smaller plates. The bigger the plate the bigger the helping. If you drink a glass of water before you eat, and have a smaller plate as well, you can convince yourself you have eaten enough. You have.

Less Alcohol. A glass of wine contains about 100 calories, beer and spirits more. It adds up. On an evening out the more you drink the less you will be avoiding unhealthy food. Even if you are not eating much there are still the crisps and peanuts - bar food rich in fats and salt. Have too many alcoholic evenings and you can forget your weight loss program - as you probably will. But all is not lost, not completely anyway. Red wine contains antioxidants which repair cell damage. It is said to be good for the heart and may even minimise the risk of some cancers. Drink a glass a day for your health - doctor’s orders.

Best Diet. I reckon the best diet is the Mediterranean diet. I have written plenty of posts about this and will probably write plenty more. Briefly it is the healthy food the Mediterranean people eat. There is a mountain of research which says it improves longevity and protects against many common illnesses such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The Mediterranean diet tastes good and will help you lose those 16 pounds in 2 months without a struggle. Best of all it goes perfectly with a daily glass of red wine.

So there we have our five quick tips for weight loss. The speed of weight loss depends on you. I think losing 16 pounds in 2 months is dramatic enough. If you want to lose weight faster check out things like Acai Berry, Hoodia or Calorie Shifting as well as other options. But remember take care and be aware that they are not long term solutions.

See you soon,

Cambridge UK

20 February 2011

Photo. Let’s Shine

Technorati Tags: how to lose weight, mediterranean diet, quick tips for weight loss, weight loss tips

Hello Everybody,

Trying to lose weight is not always fun. You are giving up eating what you like to eat what you don’t like. That has to be bad news. Or does it? You don’t have to eat nasty, boring, food. There are diets which taste even better than a Big Mac with fries on the side. Have you been to the Mediterranean? Everybody should go at least once. The sun, the history, the beaches, the people, the food. It is all a delight. Particularly the food.

For many thousands of years Mediterranean people have been eating a diet low in cholesterol. The benefits of the Mediterranean diet have been known for a long time, but in 1970 the University of Minnesota established that people in Mediterranean countries had the lowest cholesterol consumption and the lowest percentage of deaths from cardiovascular diseases out of a list of seven countries. These were Finland, Greece, Italy, Japan, Holland, USA and what was then Yugoslavia.

Mediterranean people tend to be slim and to live long and active lives. Of course, not all Mediterranean people are fit and slim - the fittest tend to be those who take regular exercise. People such as fishermen, farmers and those who swim, cycle or play sports. But there is no doubt that, although some do need to lose weight just like the rest of us, the average Mediterranean person is a whole lot more healthy than one from the USA or the UK.

This has been going on a long time. We think that our ancestor’s lives were short. But consider Socrates - he was a sprightly 70 years old when his life was ended in 399 BC due to a brush with the law. His pupil Plato died when he was 81 and more recently Picasso died at the age of 92. They would all have eaten a Mediterranean diet. This works and it tastes good as well. What does it consist of? Here are a few things.

1. Fresh fruit.

2. Vegetables.

3 Virgin olive oil.

4 Wholemeal pulses.

5 Oily fish, like mackerel.

6 Lean meat.

7 Eggs.

8 Nuts.

9 Red wine.

These are just ingredients. There are numerous recipes available in books and on the internet. You will never be short of ideas for your diet - or new lifestyle as it should really be called.

Research is ongoing and new benefits of the Mediterranean diet are constantly being found. As well as protecting your heart and increasing longevity it is said that it can protect against some cancers, Alzheimer’s disease and asthma. We should beware of extravagant claims. But add regular exercise to the Mediterranean diet and you will get fit and lose weight as well.

How long will it take to lose weight? A while This is not a crash diet. If you want to lose weight fast there are other ways of doing it. But if you are prepared to give it time and lose a pound or so a week while enjoying your food this is the diet for you. But for the best results don’t forget to exercise.

See you soon,

Cambridge UK

13 March 2011

Photo. Pinobarile (Flickr)

Technorati Tags: best diet, healthy living, lose weight, mediterranean diet, senior fitness, senior health, weight loss

Hello Everybody,

Exercise is the last part of your weight loss program. I have discussed healthy meat and vegetables in the previous two posts. You need exercise whatever your age, but the type of exercise changes as you get older. There are a lot of 70 year old walkers but not many 70 year old basket ball players. We must be realistic about what we can achieve and cannot all be super fit. But we must be reasonably fit if we are to live long and active lives.

Exercise should be regular. That is every day. There are some who suggest taking a day off each week. But you may enjoy the rest so much one day becomes two and two days become three. If you make daily exercise as routine as brushing your teeth you don’t have to worry about your day off. If you make it fun you will want to do it every day anyway.

So what are the best exercises for your weight loss program? If you are going to exercise on a regular basis you need something easy and accessible. Mountaineering is great exercise, but if you live in the Netherlands it is not the best choice. You must be able to just go and do it. So here are some easy options.

Walking. This is one of the best exercises for a weight loss program. You can start outside your front door - it doesn’t get more accessible than that. You can walk at any speed you like. It is best to start slowly and work up to brisk walking at about 4 mph after a few weeks. Do it for a minimum of 30 minutes a day. In that time brisk walking will burn off about 160 calories.

Jogging. More dedicated than walking, but a good way of getting fit and burning calories. You could work up to jogging after a few weeks brisk walking, if you wanted more of a challenge. You could also spend a few minutes jogging, a few minutes walking, a few minutes jogging and so on. If you jog for 30 minutes you will burn off about 230 calories.

Swimming. Not usually available outside your front door, unless you have a pool in your garden or live on a beach. A daily swim is good exercise if you have access to the sea or a pool. Swimming at moderate speed for 30 minutes will burn off about 190 calories.

Cycling. The only easily available exercise that needs equipment - a bicycle. It is excellent exercise and you can even save the planet and cycle to work. Cycling at 12-14 mph for 30 minutes burns off about 280 calories.

The calories burnt off I have shown are average, the heavier you are the more calories you will burn in the same period. Your 30 minutes a day exercise is not a substitute for a healthy diet, it is part of your new lifestyle. The calories you will burn in 30 minutes are no more than those in a bar of chocolate. It is through your diet that most  weight will be lost - but your weight loss program will take longer without the exercise.

Of course these are not all the exercises you can do. You can exercise with weights at home or in a gym, you can dance, play games, ride, sail. You can also mix up exercises in the week, one day walk, one day cycle, one day swim and so on. Do make sure you exercise on a regular basis. But most important of all - have fun.

See you soon,

Cambridge UK

5 March 2011

Photo. Jawbone54 (Flickr)

Technorati Tags: healthy exercise, lose weight, lose weight walking, senior exercise, walking fitness, weight loss program