The 10 Habits of Reasonably Fit Women Over 40

Defining fitness is not an easy task. Everyone it seems has their own interpretations and definitions. There are lots of lists which promote the best habits of those who are already fit. Basic ideas such as “eat breakfast and or make sleep a priority” are not on this list because I wanted to move past the basics.

We are a holistic ecosystem, so the focus here is on women becoming strong in body, mind and beliefs.

1. Embrace Strength Training.

Being strong is essential for Women Over 40. Your muscles naturally grow in strength and mass until you reach 30. However, once you’re in your 30s you begin to experience sarcopenia, the natural loss of muscle mass and function.

Each decade after that if you are inactive you may lose as much as 5 percent of mass. This loss may speed up as you reach 65. In a large study, researchers discovered those who incorporated strength training experienced a 23 percent reduction in all-cause mortality.

Strength training benefits your cardiovascular system, reduces your risk of osteoporosis, improves your mood and self-perception and helps control your blood sugar. Lifting weights has been shown to lower blood pressure and increase bone density.

Strength training also stabilizes your core muscles around your abdomen and back, that provide balance and stability to your hips, abdomen and lower back. This helps prevent injury and reduces your risk of falls while improving your overall balance.

Perhaps most importantly becoming strong increases your mental and emotional well being. Women who strength train don’t all have to become bodybuilders or powerlifters. You can reduce your risk of depression, elevate your mood and self-esteem and enjoy an improved body image all from having toned muscles. Simply becoming more physically strong can be an amazing boost to your self confidence.

2. Do not believe the myth that women will get bulky if they lift heavy things.

It’s just not true. Women bodybuilders work, eat and train for years to look like they do. The truth is lifting heavy weights will make you stronger not necessarily bigger.

When you strength train, your muscles are broken down, and then rebuilt over the next 24-48 hours. While your body is rebuilding those muscles, it’s recruiting more calories and energy to make the process happen (generally referred to as the ‘afterburn’ or “burn the fat” effect). What this means is that your metabolism operates at a faster level even while you’re sitting on the couch after a workout.

If you are looking to lose weight, strength training will produce a more efficient weight loss effect than an equal amount of cardio.

3.Don’t rely on cardio.

If you are looking to lose weight, strength training will produce a more efficient weight loss effect than an equal amount of cardio. There’s no reason you cannot be incredibly healthy and look amazing, even if you never run another mile in your entire life.

Despite what you might think, and what you might see in a gym, you will never need to step foot on another cardio machine again. If the thought of running on a treadmill for four hours sounds miserable to you, don’t do it. Again listen to your body, if running makes you feel great then go do it, but if you slog thru a spin session just to get it done then reevaluate what you are doing and why.

4.Stop obsessing over the number on your scale.

Instead celebrate the inches lost and strength gained. Refocus your health goals toward zeroing in on your fitness and not just weight. Body weight is a combination of several factors: water, muscle, and fat. It can be deeply frustrating to rely on a traditional scale to detect fat loss.

Most scales just measure overall body weight without pinpointing whether you’re losing water, muscle, or fat. It’s becoming common knowledge that the number you see on the scale isn’t the only thing that matters when it comes to health. “One pound of muscle and one pound of fat may weigh the same, but they look and function entirely different in the body. Unfortunately, the scale cannot tell the difference.”says Chelsea Axe, C.S.C.S., D.C., fitness expert for Dr. Axe.

5.Eat Real Food. Eat for your body type.

Your body is unique. There’s no such thing as a one-size fits all eating plan. Wellness means prioritizing a healthier diet based on your unique biology. There are tests available which look at how efficiently your body processes carbs, fats, and proteins. Analyzing your DNA for certain biomarkers could give you valuable information on your own particular metabolic processes. Buy Organic. Avoiding pesticides is the No. 1 reason people buy organic.

6. Listen to your body.

There is no “one master plan fits all” approach that will work for everyone. Don’t fall for the next new fitness craze geared towards women. Do you want to make fat disappear faster? Eat better. Your diet is responsible for 80-90% of that fat loss. Strength train not with targeted spot exercises, but with big compound movements that use your entire body.

7. Ask for help.

Join a fitness group or get a workout partner. No one will push you into discomfort better then a workout buddy, coach or trainer. Being active is a lifestyle change. Be consistent. Show up everyday. It usually takes 21 days to change a habit. Find ways to be accountable to a workout buddy. Join our private Facebook group to become part of the Fit Women Over 40 online tribe.

I have found that 80% of the battle is being self motivated and disciplined. So work out with a team, then you’ll have a good reason to show up everyday. I love the support and camaraderie of having women to compete against at my training sessions. They have become my motivation. Success in any endeavor is small constant steps over time equals results. Fitness is no different then sticking to a savings plan. Over time the benefits add up once your habits become grooves in your track.

8. Fitness is a lifestyle choice so Have Fun.

Strength training can be done outside of the gym and be incorporated into your everyday life. Do bodyweight exercises, yoga or just pick up some heavy things. Try swinging some kettlebells, using a climbing wall, or simply taking the stairs more will make you use your muscles in different ways that can have the same benefits without the need for rushing to the gym all the time.

9. Track your Progress.

“Progress is very motivating. Lack of it is not.” says Open Ocean Rower Roz Savage. Start keeping a workout journal. The results you will be able to see can give you tremendous satisfaction. Data is a powerful motivator, showing you not just the pounds lost, but the increase in weights you can lift and the decrease in time it takes you. A sense of accomplishment can NOT be underestimated.

10. Embrace Discomfort. Learn to get outside of your comfort zone.

Becoming fit isn’t easy. It’s probably safe to say that most people just want to be comfortable, be it physical, psychological, or emotional comfort.

To make significant changes happen, “You must do the thing which you think you cannot do”, as Eleanor Roosevelt once famously said. Be unstoppable. Always keep moving. Practice Gratitude. Work out with laughter when necessary. Even when it’s tough, stay committed. Keep on your program.

This is a way of life, not a temporary fitness regime.

Be strong and get healthy!

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One of the reasons why people continue to struggle with their weight despite engaging in regular exercise is because they’re not doing the right kind of exercise! Studies have confirmed that exercising in shorter bursts with rest periods in between burns more fat than exercising continuously for an entire session.

By doing Cross Fit or another high intensity workout, such as TRX Training, you can cut the duration of your exercise session in half and still burn fat! One study showed you can burn more fat exercising for 20 minutes than for 40 minutes. In the study, women either exercised for 20 minutes, alternating 8 seconds of sprinting on a bike with 12 seconds of exercising lightly, or exercised at a regular pace for 40 minutes. After exercising three times a week for 15 weeks, those who did the 20-minute, alternating routine lost three times as much fat as the other women.

This type of exercise works because it produces high levels of chemical compounds called catecholamines, the so called “fight-or-flight” hormones, which allow more fat to be burned from under your skin and within your muscles. The resulting increase in fat oxidation is thought to drive the increased weight loss.

High Intensity Exercise Increases Growth Hormone Production

The higher your levels of Human growth hormone (HGH), also called “the fitness hormone”, the healthier and stronger you will be. After age 30, your levels of human HGH begin to drop off quite dramatically, this is called “somatopause and leads to the dreaded “middle age spread”. Maintaining your HGH levels is increasingly important as you age. You will experience vibrant health and strength the longer you can keep your body producing higher levels of HGH.

You must engage your super fast muscle fibers in order to naturally increase your body’s production of HGH. Regular aerobic cardio such as running only works your slow muscle fibers, and can impede natural HGH production by causing your super fast fibers to atrophy from lack of use. Only high-intensity power burst cardio training, such as Cross Fit exercises, TRX Training or others, will engage your super fast fibers and promote HGH production.

The Benefits of Strength Training

Women tend to avoid exercises that will increase muscle mass, but carrying more muscle has many health benefits, including:
• Improved blood circulation
• Increased metabolism
• Increased bone density
• Increased energy
• Decreased body fat
• Improved posture
• Increased range of motion
• Increased body functions

Strength training is recommended for women of all ages, including seniors. Retaining your skeletal muscles is one of the most critical elements of human fitness to keep you strong, functional and healthy. Your muscles also help regulate glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity, which protect you against obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Cross Fit and high-intensity interval training which have intense speed and power exercises trigger a mechanism in your muscles that actually promotes muscle growth.

TRX Suspension Training – Total Body Workout

Exercise Slows Down Your Aging

Exercise also has other anti-aging benefits such as it can prevent or delay the onset of heart disease, hypertension, obesity, and osteoporosis, which are all common ailments associated with advancing age.

Also, if you can control the aging process inside your cells, as one anti-aging theory suggests, you should be able to control your rate of aging. Telomeres are part of your chromosomes which are inside each of your body’s cells. When your cells divide, these telomeres shorten and when they get to a certain level you will die of old age.

Exercise can not affect the telomere shortening process, but it can be accelerated by an unhealthy lifestyle. Exercise plays an important part in the prevention of aging. So, lack of exercise, obesity, stress, and smoking, all cause production of free radicals that speed up cells splitting and the telomere shortening process.

Need more ideas for Cooking Healthy Meals, then check out: The Healthy Urban Kitchen Cookbook The Healthy Urban Kitchen is a simple, step by step system for shopping, cooking and eating the world’s healthiest foods. It was created for busy people who want to improve health, have more energy, and prevent disease.

The One Simple Fitness Habit You Should Absolutely Start Today

by Fit Women Staff

We all do one thing everyday that sabotages all of our health and fitness goals.

Can you guess what it is? Its Sitting.

Simply said, Sitting Kills.

Even if you are very fit, if you SIT uninterrupted an extended period of time, you’re at risk of dying prematurely. Research by NASA scientists has found while monitoring the astronauts, that your body declines rapidly when sitting for long periods.

If you must sit at work, taking a standing or stretching break every 20 minutes, that’s about 30 times per day, has been found to be More effective then walking. Movement is key and there are virtually unlimited opportunities for movement throughout the day, from doing housework or gardening, to cooking and just standing up. You must interrupt your sitting that is what is GOOD for you. Beneficial molecular effects are activated simply by carrying your bodyweight upon your legs. Those cellular mechanisms are also responsible for pushing fuels into your cells.

Your Chair is Killing You
Scientific evidence has shown that prolonged sitting is devastating your health. Even if you are very fit, Sitting actively promotes dozens of chronic diseases, including overweight and type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Levine author of Get Up!: Why Your Chair is Killing You and What You Can Do About It
is also the co-director of the Obesity Initiative for Mayo Clinic/Arizona State University, he writes: “Because we’ve become so used to being seated… we’ve failed to realize that this is a major health concern.”

Get Up!: Why Your Chair is Killing You and What You Can Do About It

Add in More Non-Exercise Activities to Your Lifestyle

Get Up!: Why Your Chair is Killing You and What You Can Do About It

Holistic Tips for Fighting off the Flu

by Fit Women Staff

This year has seen a disturbing increase in the number of flu-related deaths in California, and it is a cause for concern, but certainly, not panic. The purpose of this article is to educate and arm you with simple, effective, natural and holistic methods to prevent or recover from a cold or flu. With the information presented in this article, you will know what to do for yourself, and your family to prepare for and breeze through the cold and flu season.

Prevention:

Of course, the best answer to cold and flu season is not to come down with one in the first place. So, the first part of this article is on prevention. There are many, many things that you can do to help yourself out; and, I’m not talking about getting a flu vaccine. I’m not a proponent of injecting disease, contaminants, and even heavy metals into my body – in the name of prevention. Medical journals have published thousands of articles revealing that injecting vaccines can actually lead to serious health problems including harmful immunological responses and a host of other infections. This further increases the body’s susceptibility to the diseases that the vaccine was supposed to protect against. For more information on the hazards of flu shots, check out this enlightening article – Flu Shot More Dangerous than Flu. There are much safer, effective, and simple steps that can be taken. In fact, they are so simple that they fall into the Duh Category. But, SOOO FEW of US actually do them. Anyway, here I go…

1] Get enough sleep:

Oh my goodness, if there’s one thing on the list that could wipe out half the colds and flus in the world, it would be everyone getting enough sleep. Our bodies are amazing at fighting off viruses and bacteria, but only if we’re in top physical condition. So, if you feel like something is trying to get you, take heed and hit the sack for some shut eye. During sleep your body can devote all of its resources to fighting off whatever is trying to take hold inside of you.

2] Eat the right foods:

Well, I could go on ad nauseam about getting proper nutrition and all that, but I’ll restrain myself for the moment. Good nutrition is the ammunition your body needs to fight anything, it’s more important than any drugs you can take. If you’re feeling vulnerable to a cold or flu, there are foods that will help you stay strong, and foods that will send out flyers inviting a cold or flu to come and party in your body. Which do you want to eat? So, when you’re feeling vulnerable to getting sick start implementing the tips below until you feel stronger again.

First, eat warmer foods that are easily digestible. Cold foods are harder to digest and will drain your body’s resources. Things like salads and sandwiches. This also means that you should not drink cold drinks, but have them at room temperature instead.
One of the biggest no no’s, and a direct invite for a cold or flu is to eat dairy products. Dairy creates mucus, lowers your immune response, and slows your digestion to a crawl. So, NO milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, yada yada…
The right soups are fabulous. This means thin stock soups, like vegetable, minestrone, and miso soup are wonderful. A little bit of meat in your soup is ok, like fish, chicken or even an egg, but avoid red meat; it’s really hard on you, hard to digest, drains your resources, and lowers your immune response; absolutely, no cheese in your soup, ok? It’s a mucus making machine, all dairy products are.
Drink tea, not coffee. Coffee depletes your immune system. It’s hard on your adrenals, kidneys, and heart. Green tea however is good. It is fabulous for boosting your immune system, and is full of antioxidants. Now If you really want to strengthen your immune system, one of the best teas to drink is rosehip tea. Not from a teabag though. Go to a health food store and ask for dried rosehip pieces, not whole rosehips. Why not? Because you’d have to take a hammer and smash them up, that’s why. To make the tea, boil water and pour it over about 3 tablespoons of rosehips and let steep for at least ten minutes. You can use RAW, UNHEATED honey as a sweetener which is full of antibacterial and antiviral enzymes. Good stuff.
It’s so obvious, I shouldn’t have to say it, but oh well. NO fried foods and NO processed sugar! You might as well inject yourself with staphylococcus and save some time.
Avoid pastries, pastas and any other wheat products, they are cold and flu factories.
Basically, the rule is to keep your food simple and easy to digest, and for goodness sake, chew before you swallow, that way you actually get some of the nutrition out of it.

3] Drink enough Water:

Water is the most important cleansing medium for your body to eliminate unwanted garbage. A reasonable estimate would be to say that more than 75% of us are chronically dehydrated. That’s fairly astonishing, but not surprising given our busy, lifestyle. Water is life, our bodies need it to for well, everything. Do yourself a favor, and drink more of it.

4] Preventative Herbal Formulas:

There is one gentle herbal formula that I do recommend to my patients if they are motivated to gradually build their immune system over time, or take preventative herbal measures for an upcoming cold and flu season. It’s called Yu Ping Feng Wan or Jade Windscreen. I’ve taken Yu Ping Feng Wan myself for many years, and it’s been many years since I’ve come down with a cold or flu. If you want to do yourself a favor, and prep for the cold and flu season, I recommend taking Yu Ping Feng Wan beginning in August, and continue taking it throughout the season. You can discontinue when you feel the danger is passed. You can also take Yu Ping Feng Wan for a much longer term, years, if desired. It’s a great way to gradually build your immune system up. It’s subtle, but eventually, (especially if you’ve fixed your nutrition and sleeping habits) colds and flus will be a thing of the past. I do have one caveat; stop taking Yu Ping Feng Wan if you do catch a cold or flu for as long as you’re sick and then wait to start up again until after you’re well. Since Yu Ping Feng Wan is tonifying it could strengthen a cold or flu if you continued taking it while you’re not feeling well.
If you’re going to put yourself in harm’s way of a cold or flu – such as, visiting your tiny nieces or nephews or flying on a plane or must be around someone who’s hacking their lungs up – then you can take Gan Mao Ling or Yin Chiao Wan, as extra protection and prevention during your time of exposure. Either one is just as effective.

For convenience, I do have these formulas available through my website at www.inspirewellnesscenter.com

Article by: Holly Reese, MSOM, L.Ac. She is an acupuncturist, herbalist, wellness coach, food-healing expert, founder of the Inspire Wellness Center, which specializes in natural and holistic health alternatives for the recovery of chronic illness. Holly Reese is also author of Rising from the Abyss: My Journey into and out of Chronic Illness a gripping memoir that details Holly’s personal descent into and eventual rise from a nearly fatal auto-immune disorder using all the natural and holistic health methods that she espouses and uses for her wellness practice. Feel free to contact her at: holly@inspirewellnesscenter.com.

The High Fructose Corn Syrup Story

by Fit Women Staff

sHave you seen the ads by the agribusiness public relations departments describing high-fructose corn syrup as “healthy” and “all-natural”?

According to the Corn Refiners Association, high-fructose corn syrup contains the same amount of calories as cane and beet sugar, is metabolized by the body the same way as these sweeteners are, and is an all-natural product.
So why are the Corn Refiners Association, spending up to $30 million to convince consumers it’s inherently safe to eat?

There is something missing from these ads if they are defending corn syrup as a natural, healthy, and safe sweetener.

Even more alarming is when the American Medical Association issued a statement explaining that “high-fructose syrup does not appear to contribute more to obesity than other caloric sweeteners” … but of course they qualified it by adding that they also said that “consumers [should] limit the amount of all added caloric sweeteners to no more than 32 grams of sugar daily.” Most sodas contain about 40 grams of high-fructose corn syrup.

Why High Fructose Corn Syrup IS Worse For You than Sugar

According to Dr. Elizabeth Parks, associate professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and lead author of a report in the Journal of Nutrition:

“Our study shows for the first time the surprising speed with which humans make body fat from fructose. Once you start the process of fat synthesis from fructose, it’s hard to slow it down. The bottom line of this study is that fructose very quickly gets made into fat in the body.”

So if you need to lose weight, or if you want to avoid diabetes and heart disease, fructose is one type of sugar you’ll want to avoid, particularly in the form of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

HFCS metabolizes to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar, making it the worst sugar you can eat. One of the best things you can do right away is to STOP drinking soda and processed fruit juices that are sweetened with about eight teaspoons of fructose per serving! Switch to reverse osmosis pure water as your beverage of choice.

Need more ideas for Cooking Healthy Meals, then check out: The Healthy Urban Kitchen is a simple, step by step system for shopping, cooking and eating the world’s healthiest foods. It was created for busy people who want to improve health, have more energy, and prevent disease.

Your life will be better if…

by Fit Women Staff

How many times have you said, “My life will be better if…?” My life will be better IF I had more time to workout, or IF I could lose 40 pounds, or IF I could stop feeling tired all the time or IF I could get motivated to start working out again. What is your IF?

Whatever your IF is,

Your life will be better if…you take action in creating your own story.

Here, in the Northern Hemisphere, daylight is fading into the darkest time of year called the Winter Solstice. It is a time of less activity and hibernation but also one of review and renewal.

Our ancestors sat around their campfires and hearths during this time of year and made sense out of the past by telling stories. They shaped and crafted their adventures, and their successes and failures into meaningful tales. They sought to understand and then transform what had happened to them. As they shared their stories, many rewrote and reshaped what they wanted to change.

The New Moon will arrive on Nov 29th. New moons bring in more introspective, solitude and a deep desire to seek out quiet places in nature. They are also the time to plant the seeds of change within YOU. Who are you now at this point in your life and what can you become?

This new moon brings in the opportunity to craft, reshape and then give Voice to the story YOU want to tell to the world. We are the authors, the designers of the stories of our lives.

How can you reshape and rethink YOUR own story?

Take the time to reflect how you want the story of your life to look. Then ask yourself WHO you must become to create that result. You have a choice. Now is the time to be Bold and find the Courage to be who you want to become.

5 actions you can take right now to Design Your Own Story:

1. Start where you are. Everyone has a story and we all are in this together. The world needs more role models and more women who are ready to take charge or their lives and their health. Go to the FitWomenOver40 FB page if you need some inspiration or role models. The one thing I know for sure is that I only have control over ME. And so do you. Start with you. Do it now.

2. Tell someone about it. I want you to tell someone in your real life what idea or goal is that you’ve been procrastinating about, or have a fear about or just simply want to DO. You can tell somebody in your real life but also want to encourage you to come over to our new Fit Women Over 40 Private Facebook group, and introduce yourself (use the hashtag #introduction) and tell us who you are and what you want. Tell us what is the one thing you’re going to do in the next week or month or 3 months or year.

3. Which leads to: What is your One Big Audacious Goal? In the previous step, you told somebody your idea. In this step, you take it even further. Think thru what that really looks like to you. Flesh out the details. Maybe you have to lose 20, 30 40 lbs first, maybe you need to stop eating sugar and junk food and maybe you need support and motivation starting a strength training program. Focus on it. Define it. Shape it, envision it, give it parameters and boundaries. Identify what it’s going to be. Come over to the Fit Women Over 40 Private Facebook group and tell us about your new story. Use the hashtag, #MyOneBigAudaciousGoal.

4. Put a date on it. Tell us when you’re going to do it by and tell that person that you’re telling as well. Tell someone about your goal and put a date on it and then get to work. I want you to come back and report when you’ve done it as well in the Facebook group. Pay particular attention when you’re choosing the thing that you’re going to do. If you’ve been avoiding something difficult and it’s still in your mind, it’s probably a very important issue. It’s probably something that you really should do.

5. Decide that you are good enough. Pay attention particularly to the things that you’ve got a bit of fear about. Stop listening to that little voice in your head that says, “You can’t do this. You’ve tried this before. Who do you think you are? What will my kids, or husband/partner or best friend say? What happens if I fail? How will I be able to make this happen?” All of these little voices made this thing a bigger thing than it needed to be.

Start Today, Start Now.

Let me tell you my story:

I started Fit Women Over 40 back in 2007 because I wanted to read about and be inspired by women over 40 who had muscles and who were using high intensity strength training as their fitness regime. Well as many of you know who have been following our Facebook page for years I managed to find hundreds if not thousands of Fit Women Over 40. Their ages range from almost 40 to 50 to 70 to 90 something. I’ve even had many under 40 out of shape women ask if they could join our “tribe”. Yes of course you can. Our wisdom and experience as “older” women is valued and listened to in so many ways now. I find that women who are doing amazing things love to simply show what they’ve accomplished and I’m proud to have built a special place for them to stand on their own stage and tell show us what they did and how they did it.

Start where you are. Everyone has a story and we all are in this together. The world needs more role models and more women who are ready to take charge or their lives and their health. If that’s one thing I know for sure, is that I only have control over ME. And so do you. Start with you. Do it now.

I really do look forward to seeing new stories we can create as a result of this email. Also, I encourage you to contact me at deb[at]fitwomenover40.com or leave a comment on the article page at or simply come join our FB group and share your story there with us. I look forward to celebrating your stories and your goals and maybe helping out in any way that I can.

Thanks for listening, I look forward to hearing from you all and being part of your incredible fitness journeys.