How to stick to your fitness goals

When was the last time you set an exercise or weight loss goal?  An even more important question is ....when was the last time you reached an exercise or weight loss goal?

If you are like alot of us, you set those kinds of goals all the time.  Just the idea of accomplishing something gets us motivated, but I think what we're imagining is what we'll look like or feel like at the end of all this hard work - not how the hard work is going to feel.

That's the not-so-fun part.  Even more not fun is setting the same goals over and over and never reaching them.

The key to sticking with your exercise goals and actually reaching them involves the most complex, often crazient, part of your being ...your mind.  The mind is hard to wrangle at times, but you can put some mental strategies in place to help you stay on track.

1. MOMENTUM:  Momentum is a key part of consistent exercise.  It's normal to have those weeks when everything goes right ...you do all your workouts, eat properly and start to think, "I can totally do this!"  Then "it" happens.  "It" might be a holiday, a vacation, an illness ....something that throws you off your game.  Getting back is always tough, partly because you've lost that momentum.  So getting moving again is the only way to get your momentum going.  Think of yourself like a stalled car - once you start pushing it, it'll pick up speed and you won't have to work hard to keep it moving.

2.  STAY IN THE MOMENT:  Picture this - you're at a party and you've promised yourself you won't attack the buffet like a starving lunatic.  Then you see a giant platter of the prettiest, most perfect cubes of cheese you've ever encountered.  Several hours later, feeling your cheese hangover begin, you vow to make up for it tomorrow with a two-hour workout.

There are a couple problems with this approach ....first, you can't "un-eat" what you ate the night before and second, killing yourself with a workout is not a great solution since it could lead to you hating exercise.

If you're busy living in yesterday's mistakes, many of your decisions will be based on guilt and shame rather than what you genuinely want (and need) to do to reach your goals.  True change comes from daily choices and being mindful and basing your choices on what you need now (instead of what you did or didn't do yesterday).  This will make your exercise life much more tolerable.

3.  GET INSPIRED:  A couple times a week my 82-year old mother goes to the pool and does water aerobics.  She also just finished digging all her yard waste into her vegetable garden to compost over winter.  She's a great inspiration to me ....if she can exercise, there's definitely no good reason I can't do my workout either.  So, what or who inspires you?  Is it the older man you see walking every day, rain or shine?  Or maybe a friend training for her first marathon.  The next time you're thinking of skipping your workout, think of the person who inspires you ....or think of my Mom.  If she can exercise, so can you.

4.  GET BACK TO THE BASICS:  Sometimes we do very well on our exercise programs for months.  Then the holidays hit and, before we know it, our intense workouts are out the window.  We even admit to actually scrubbing our bathroom floors with a toothbrush to avoid working out.  Happened to you?  To get back into some kind of routine, simply your workouts - making them short, accessible and much less complicated than before.  Before you know it, you'll be going strong and ready to add more complexity to your workouts.   Remember ....simplify!

5.  GET TO KNOW YOURSELF:  If you've never been much of an exerciser or athlete, now is the time to discover a few new things about yourself.  Think of this as a learning period.  If you've fallen off track because you're completely bored with your routine, you've just learning something important about yourself.  Spend some time asking and answering these questions:

• What do you like about your workouts?
• What do you hate about your workouts?
• What's your least favourite exercise or activity?
• When do you most enjoy exercise?
• If you could choose any physical activity to do, what would it be?
• Do you enjoy working out with others or alone?

Now take the answers to those questions and look at your workout routine.  Does it include activities you enjoy?  Is your schedule in line with your body clock (or as close as you can get)?  What could you do to make your workouts fit you better?  Make a list of ideas and choose one to implement today.  There's no right way to exercise.

Staying on track with your exercise program probably requires more mental work than physical work.  It means checking in with yourself to see how you're doing, how the routine is working and making whatever changes necessary to keep you moving.  It means finding inspiration wherever you can and being willing to try new ideas if the old ones aren't working.  Most of all, it means not giving up.

If you've got a minute (actually 3 minutes), you might want to watch this very inspirational video clip.  Certainly an inspiration to many of us who still keep going to the rink....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REynXnZAITk&noredirect=1

Butt really....

As older adults, most of us are not looking at achieving a bikini butt ....but rather at fighting gravity and preventing the descent south of our gluteals - AKA butt muscles.

You've all heard the saying "use it or lose it" and this certainly holds true for our gluteal muscles.  I am talking about gluteus maximus, minimus and medias.  These are some of the largest muscles in our body and require a substantial amount of work to keep them in shape.  Fortunately, we use these muscles all the time - walking, climbing stairs, running, sitting down and getting up ....so exercising our glutes is not hard. 

Squats and lunges (and variations thereof) continue to be considered two of the best exercises for our butts.  In addition to your daily activities, try to fit in a couple sessions a week - just for your butt.  The results will be amazing!  Not only will your butt look better ....but you will soon be able to run up the stairs two at a time.

SQUATS are one of the best exercises you can do for your hips, butt and thighs and they're also a functional exercise, helping us build strength for a variety of daily activities.

 

How to:

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart and, for added intensity, hold weights at shoulder level or at your sides.
2. Bend the knees, and lower into a squat, keeping the knees behind the toes. Imagine that you're sticking your butt out behind you, but keep the torso upright and contracted.
3. Press into the heels to stand up.
4. Repeat for 2-3 sets of 8-16 reps

LUNGES are a challenging exercise because they work so many muscles at the same time. On the front leg, you'll work the glutes and hamstrings and, on the back leg, you'll work the quads and calves.

Core Exercises 101

Core exercises have, if you will pardon the pun, moved to the center of the fitness world.  If your core is strong and flexible, stresses will be distributed throughout your body better, your spine will be supported, and you will be able to move with greater efficiency.  But here is what you need to know about core exercises ....you need to know what the core is!

Too many people point vaguely to their bellies, announce they are going to do core work, then slam out some crunches and think they've done core.  Not really.

In the broadest definitions of the core, fitness experts include the whole central section of the body all the way from the pelvis and hips up through the midsection.  A big list of core muscles might look like this:

• deep back muscles like the erector spinae and multifidus
• hip flexors and spine stabilizers like the Psoas, iliacus, and rectus femoris
• hip adductors and abductors
• gluteus muscles (butt muscles)
• abdominal muscles from the surface rectus abdominis to the deep transversus abdominis

My guy below (who has fabulous muscle development....) will show you the muscles identified above.


The Core of the Core
The core muscles that are truly core are those that lie close to the center of the body.  The psaos, a long muscle that runs down the front of the spine and attaches at the top of the femur; the multifidus and erector spinae, both deep spine muscles; and transversus abdominus, the deepest abdominal muscle are examples.  Their actions have more to do with stabilizing than with the heavy work some of the more surface muscles do.

Refer to the Workouts and Resources page for a few examples of core exercises.

"Fit Over 50" class starting up again

Not sure what happened to August, but we are only a couple weeks from the official end of summer ....and we are all starting to think about plans for the fall.  We will be running our "Fit Over 50" class once again, starting Sept 28th.  This class is for those what are new to exercise, or have been away from regular exercise for quite sometime.  These are educational classes where we discuss aging and the different components of a workout.  Our goal is to have you finish the 5-class series knowing how to get started, monitor and challenge yourself as you begin to include fitness and exercise into your day-to-day routine. 

It's never too late!  Classes take place in the upstairs Multi-purpose room at the Memorial Arena in Cranbrook, starting at 7 pm.  Registration is handled by Leisure Services at the RecPlex.

Zucchini .....zucchini .....and more zucchini!

I planted just one zucchini plant this year (I've learned from experience to limit the number of seeds planted in spring!); yet this one plant is very prolific (our rainy start to our summer seems to have contributed) and today I harvested several. So what to do with them? In the past I have baked zucchini bread in all shapes, sizes and flavours, froze several packages to be used later in soups and stews ....or more zucchini bread, given it away ....only to have more given to me! This year I decided to let google help me out and found several recipes that look awesome. Now I can't say I've tested all these recipes but have tried a couple already - they were great so want to share.

I also researched the health benefits of zucchini (which I learned is actually a fruit). Some of these claims seem somewhat inflated, but this vegy/fruit certainly isn't going to hurt us and if it does all that it says below, we better start eating!

• Zucchini helps cure asthma, as it contains Vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties.
• The vegetable is known to help prevent diseases like scurvy and bruising, caused by the deficiency of vitamin C.
• Regular intake of zucchini effectively lowers high homocysteine levels in the human body.
• The vegetable can help prevents risk of having multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Zucchinis have high water content (over 95%), high nutritious value and contain a very low amount of calories, so they make the perfect snack item for people on diet.
• The vegetable contains useful amounts of folate, potassium, and vitamin A, necessary for proper functioning of the human body.
• Zucchini contains Vitamin C and lutein, both of which are known to be good for the eyes.
• The vegetable is a good source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, manganese and a lot of other nutrients.
• Eating zucchini is known to help the body in supporting the arrangement of capillaries.
• Regular consumption of the vegetable can help protect the body against colon cancer.
• Zucchini is believed to be beneficial in preventing heart disease and related symptoms, such as high cholesterol.
• The rind of zucchini contains the nutrient beta-carotene, which is known to be full of antioxidant properties and thus, helps protect cells against oxidation damage.
• The vegetable proves to be a good source of magnesium and phosphorus, the nutrients essential for building and maintaining healthy bones.
• Zucchini is rich in vitamin C, another powerful antioxidant that can provide protection against cardiovascular disease.

These simple zucchini recipes will make quick work of even the most prolific zucchini and summer squash plants. They have the ease and lightness needed during the hot months with zucchini is in season.

1. Zucchini Frittata

Photo © Molly Watson

This Zucchini Frittata – an Intalian-style omelet – is simple and tasty. Make it as the centerpiece of an elegant brunch, a healthy lunch, or quick dinner. Just add a fresh salad and a bit of bread to complete the meal.

2. Zucchini Fritters

Photo © Molly Watson

Zucchini Fritters are a quick and tempting appetizer – although I've been known to make a salad and call the whole thing dinner!

3. Grilled Zucchini

Photo © Molly Watson

Small and medium zucchini can be simply halved lengthwise, brushed with oil, sprinkled with salt, and set on the grill. Larger specimens can be but into thick diagonal slices. Serve drizzled with balsamic vinegar or a bit of basil dressing to great effect.

4. Zucchini Pickles

Photo © Molly Watson

These Zucchini Pickles are inspired by the ones made and served at Zuni Café in San Francisco. They are easy, refrigerator pickles, so there is no need to boil or "can" them. A bit of turmeric is responsible for the brillirant chartreuse color.

5. Zucchini Mint Pesto

Photo © Molly Watson

Zucchini Mint Pesto is delicious on hot pasta, as a dressing for pasta salad, or spooned over simply cooked chicken or fish. It freezes beautifully, so it's a great way to use up those piles of zucchini that start to show up in some gardens come August and September.

6. Zucchini Salad

Photo © Molly Watson

Shaved Zucchini Salad is quick and impressive. Bonus: it can be prepared a bit ahead of basic tossed salads with no ill effect. Mix things up a bit and make this Zucchini Mint Salad, too.

7. Zucchini Pasta

Photo © Molly Watson

Strips of zucchini tangle up with the twists and turns of fussili (corkscrew) pasta in this easy, tasty pasta dish.

8. Early Summer Ragout With Zucchini

Photo © Molly Watson

The key to this ragout is to use very tiny carrot and zucchini. Ideally, you would only need to quarter them lengthwise to get "bite-size" pieces. Larger specimens will work just fine, but the stew (oops, I mean ragout) will have a less refined air and it will involve a bit more prep work as you cut the vegetable to the right size.

9. Mid-Summer Vegetable Pesto Soup With Zucchini

Photo © Molly Watson

This pesto soup (or soupe au pistou to be French about it) simmers the ripe vegetables of summer into a light soup flavored with a dollop of fresh made pesto.

10. Late Summer Vegetable Stew With Zucchini

Photo © Molly Watson

When the garden goes crazy or you haul home just a few too many veggies from the farmers market, try this Late Summer Vegetable Stew to make quick and tasty work of your bounty. It's delicious on its own, it doesn't mind being turned into a topping for polenta either.