Fitness Archives - Fran's Fitness Over 50

Procrastinating increases stress

Did you ever start thinking about all the things you have to do – all the things on your list that didn’t get done last week. And all the things people are expecting you to do this week. Then all the things that you want to do to try to push just a little bit further toward whatever goal you want to achieve? And you don’t feel like doing any of it? Don’t wait. Start now. Procrastinating will only increase your stress. Life is stressful enough as it is without adding additional stress to it.

I was sitting at my desk the other day, looking at my to-do list. It never gets any shorter. And not doing any of the things listed on it. I was feeling more and more anxious, and more and more stressed. Why? By not starting a task?

So, instead of actually starting a task, I did a little research. It turns out that procrastinating really does increase your stress. I was not imagining it. A review in the National Institutes for Health indicates that procrastination is a low-resource means of avoiding aversive and difficult task-related emotions.

Yes. Instead of beginning a task on my list, I procrastinated and added more stress by researching procrastination and stress.

We know that stress is bad for our health. It tends to compromise our immunity. And as we age our immunity decreases. Not what we need.

Here’s the deal. If you’ve got something on your list that you think is too challenging, you’ll try to avoid doing it. Or if you said something to your best friend that you probably shouldn’t have, you’re going to put off calling them to apologize. On the other hand, if your dog threw up, you’re going to grab the paper towels and cleaner and do something about it. There are few immediate adverse consequences to not jumping into a challenging task. Your friend will still accept your apology a few days later. After you’ve worked yourself up about it and finally called.

So even though you know you might pay some consequences later, it’s worth it to you to put off taking the action. That action is hard. It might be worthwhile in the end (making progress on a challenging task or strengthening your friendship), but right now you’ll procrastinate. You know that the carpet will stain, though, or someone will walk through the mess, so you clean it up right away. That’s easy. And, as it turned out, my research into procrastination actually did tick an item off of my list: this article!

Procrastinating increases stress. So get to it. Start small. Take one little action. Chances are, you’ll be motivated to do more.

Little rituals keep us grounded

The other morning I was feeling out of sorts. Until I was making my coffee. And then it occurred to me that it’s the little rituals that keep us grounded.

A normal morning, but…

It was a normal morning, nothing out of the ordinary. After I took the dogs out, I prepared their breakfast and I even remembered the flax and psyllium powders. Booker gets the lion’s share of one homemade food container, Torque the rest of that one, some of the next, and Simon gets the rest of the half from that container. Then even it up with the kibble, except for Booker. I still felt out of sorts, even though it’s the same dog food routine every day. I fed them and started preparing my own. Same routine every day. Fill up the electric kettle. Measure the coffee. And that’s when it hit me.

Comfort comes first, then the grounding

It felt comforting, that little ritual of making the coffee. It keeps me grounded. The act of pushing the lever on the kettle, measuring the coffee, pouring the water. The smell of the coffee steeping. And the rest of the breakfast preparation. It sets me up for the day. I know what to expect. It settles me. Grounds me.

Then I can take all the unexpected happenings more in stride. Or, as in stride as I ever do. Which is to think, “OMG! What’s happening!” at first. And then settle down. “Okay. We got this. We can handle it.”

Those rituals add to our resilience

But the little rituals help us get there. They help us to accept minor irritations as just that. And they help us deal with the major ones a little better. Those little rituals set us up to grow more. If we’re settled first, then we can grow. And we can become more resilient. If we start in a comfortable place, then we can get uncomfortable for a bit.

How to resist the temptation of the couch

My sister said it the other day. “I understand how people just don’t get up.” It was one of those days when the knees, hips, and back were creaky. After a certain age we all have those days. You know your knees and hips are going to hurt when you start to get up. And then when you’re most of the way standing, your back feels like it’s going to give. It’s certainly tempting to just sit. Read a book. Drink a beverage. And not get up. But at some point, you’ve got to. And you know that the more you sit, the worse the pain and creakiness will be. And yet, you still sit. Here’s how to resist the temptation, get up, and be productive.

I’m not going to give you platitudes. Yes, you’re going to be creaky. That lessens, but it never disappears. But the more you move, the easier it is to move. And Newton’s first law of physics should also be our first law of getting older. A body in motion stays in motion. The more you move, the easier it will be to move. And the easier it is to resist the temptation of the couch.

And, the more active we are, the more resilient we are as well. When we think nothing of getting up and doing something, the better equipped we are to tackle hard projects. And the more we’re willing to take the extra steps to reach our goals.

If you sit at a desk working, set a timer to go off every half hour. Get up. Move around. I tend to sit for way too long at my desk. And then, even though I am quite active throughout the day (think about a 13-year-old dog wandering the house – Where’s Booker?! Is he wearing his pants?!) I still get stiff. Enter the timer.

And drink lots of water if you’re sitting. You’ll have to get up to go to the washroom. Cause, effect. It’s certainly easy to resist the temptation to stay sitting when nature has an urgent call.

And exercise. The Centers for Disease Control recommends we each should do 150 minutes of moderate to intense exercise every week. It keeps our heart healthy, our lungs filled with oxygen, our muscles and joints lubricated. Add to that a couple of days of strength work to keep our muscles and bones strong. It sounds like a lot, but if we incorporate some of that into our daily activities, it will keep us healthy and less creaky.

But, I will say that some days it’s tough to resist the couch.

You’re tracking your heart rate – what does it mean?

You’ve got a smart watch and are tracking your heart rate – now what?

I don’t have one. And I don’t really want one. Yeah, some of the things they do are pretty cool, but I’d need glasses to see what it says. Most of the people I know wear one, though. A smart watch. If you’ve got one, you know it tracks lots of things, such as your heart rate. You know your heart rate goes up and it goes down. But what does your heart rate variability really mean? And why is it important to keep track of your heart rate?

If you’re paying attention to your heart rate’s highs and lows, then you should know your average resting heart rate. The American Heart Association says that your resting heart rate should be between 60 and 100 beats per minute for a normal adult. Very active people or athletes can have normal resting heart rates as low as 40 beats per minute. But what does a higher resting heart rate signify?

Higher resting heart rates mean that your heart is working harder to circulate your blood throughout your body. And it could mean that not enough blood or oxygen is reaching your brain, organs, or tissues. AARP also indicates that a higher resting heart rate is normal with age.

A higher heart rate is common when we exercise, though. Those heart rate by age graphics about two-thirds of the way through a workout video never seem to go high enough when I’m taking my heart rate. It’s frustrating. I’m not too old to be exercising, and I want to check my status as well.

But it’s an easy formula to figure out the target your heart rate should be when exercising:

Your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age.

Your target heart rate during exercise according to the AHA should be 50 – 85 percent of your maximum heart rate.

Easy enough to calculate. Especially with one of those handy-dandy smart watch calculators. So, get up, get sweaty, and hit those targets.

Of course, if you’re concerned about your heart rate, ask your doctor. Also, before you begin any exercise program, check with your medical provider.

The sneaky reason we seniors feel the heat more

It’s not just you. We seniors feel the heat more now than we used to. Yet another thing we lose as we age (besides our hair, our eyesight, our hearing, and our sense of balance) is the ability of our sweat glands to regulate our internal thermostat. Our sweat glands become less efficient, so we feel the heat more. And some prescriptions we take can also affect our body’s ability to cool itself. In extreme heat, we can become warm without even realizing it, and that could be dangerous.

But before you vow to not leave air conditioning for the foreseeable future, know that you don’t have to stop doing the things you love to do. You may have to modify them a bit and make some accommodations to your physical reality, but don’t stop.

You’ve all heard the advice to drink more fluids when it’s hotter, and that’s good advice. It’s always wise to stay hydrated. But when it’s hot, you may not realize that you need to take a drink of water before you’re thirsty. And ask your doctor if any of your prescriptions can affect how you feel the heat.

You’ll see more folks out walking really early when it’s hot, and that’s sensible. Do your walking before it gets too hot. And you may also want to take it a little easy on extreme heat days. The Centers for Disease Control has a Heat Risk Tracker that you can check just by entering your zip code to see how your area may be affected.

The clothes you choose to wear can make you more comfortable, too. Fabrics that breathe, like cotton, help keep you cool. And clothes that fit you more loosely help as well.

So, don’t let the heat scare you. We feel the heat more, but if we’re prepared we can still enjoy the summer months.

We can be as flexible as we want to be

As flexible as we want to be

Do you look back fondly on the days you could tie your shoes without sitting down? Don’t accept as a fact that you’ll never be as flexible as that again. It might take some time, thought, and care, but we folks over 50 can be as flexible as we want to be. In fact, when done with focus, stretching can help us avoid pain. As an example, if the muscles in the front of your legs are too tight, it can lead to movement limitation in our pelvis and hips which can lead to lower back pain.

Becoming flexible can help prevent muscle and disk strains, shoulder strains, and backaches, according to WebMD. Working on your flexibility is also good for improving your balance. But don’t try to touch your toes the first time you try a stretching routine unless you’ve been doing that for a while. Start slowly and work your way up to the big stuff.

Static stretches first

You may want to start with static stretches – that is, holding a position for up to 30 seconds and then relaxing. And repeat a couple more times. But don’t bounce into the position – this can lead to injury.

Isometric Stretches

Isometric stretches are similar, but when you’re in the position, contract the muscle you’re stretching. Contract and release a few times while you’re holding. This can be hard, since we’re not always aware of the specific muscles we’re working. I know I’m not.

Dynamic Stretches

Dynamic stretches incorporate movement. Things like head rolls, leg swings, hip circles, and walking lunges are examples of dynamic stretches. Repeat for a certain number of repetitions, say 10 or 12.

If you decide that you want to incorporate stretches into your daily routine, decide when you want to do them and stick to a plan.

We’ve talked about goals and plans before – make sure that your plan is reasonable and achievable. Decide on the specific stretches you want to do, and reassess after a few weeks to make sure that you’re still getting benefits from your new routine. If you want to delve deeper, you can check out classes that focus on stretching and flexibility like Pilates, Yoga, and Tai Chi.

Use the stream for your fitness

We’re all so used to that little circle in the corner of our screens now – the commercial count-down. Those commercials are annoying, yes, but rather than be annoyed, use the stream for your fitness.

Social media calls this movement snacking – the idea is to move in the time it would take you to get a snack. This snack can counteract the effects of sitting too long. You know the feeling – when your knees and back are stiff when you stand up, you know you’ve been sitting too long. My sister and I tell each other to stand up at our desks when we’ve been deep in concentration all morning. And when we forget, if one of us gets up and our knees are stiff, we exclaim that we’ve been sitting for too long.

And these short bursts of activity can help regulate your blood sugar, boost your circulation, and enhance your focus.

Your movement snack can be as simple as just standing up and sitting down (without using your hands, of course) for the 90 seconds or so of the commercial break. Stepping from side to side is another good move. Marching in place with raised knees will get your heart rate up a little too. If the commercial has good music, dance to it. That’s a great movement snack. It really doesn’t matter what exercise you do, as long as you get up and do something. And if getting up isn’t an option, then sit up straight and move your feet side to side. Raise your arms overhead and lower them. Do some biceps curls even if you don’t have weights. Make a fist.

After consuming these movement snacks, you’ll also find that your energy level is higher. It could be that you may not fall asleep on the couch after dinner.
If there’s no commercial timer on the stream, just set your phone’s timer for 2 minutes. I’ll bet you’ll see a difference in how you feel with just a few days of using the stream for your fitness. You’re doing something good for your healthy aging and your resilience. In just a few days, you’re creating a great healthy habit. This is a good way to practice self-care. You’re making sure that you’ll be around for those who need you.

Strength or cardio first?

It’s the age-old question. Strength work or cardio first? You want to maximize your workout, and you know that you have to prioritize strength work. But you also have to get in your cardio. So, which should you do first? The experts agree – strength first, unless you’re focusing on endurance.

I don’t like to exercise – you know that – but I do want to stay fit and healthy. So I like to combine both strength and cardio in my workouts, even if I have less than an hour for my exercise session. By doing my strength work first, I’ll be fresher, and be able to focus on my form more. Chances are the exercises will be more effective, and I’ll build strength in my muscles more than if I did cardio first.

If I do cardio first, I’ll be more tired and my form won’t be as good. All good things to consider.

On the other hand, if I want to build my endurance, I’ll focus on cardio, spend a longer time on it, and just do the minimum amount of strength work.

Another thing to consider is whether one of your goals is losing weight. A small study found that doing strength training first actually burned more fat. Another point in its favor. Cardio relies on a mix of glycogen and fat for fuel, he added. “You burn glycogen when you lift weights, so if you do cardio afterward, your body has to burn more fat for fuel,” according to Danny King, physical trainer at the Life Time chain of fitness centers.

And don’t forget that body-weight exercises count as strength work. Push-ups and planks are great for strength. Lunges and burpees also count. To combine these body weight exercises with cardio work, perhaps do 30 seconds of jumping jacks, 30 seconds of planking, and so on. No need for fancy equipment.

Does your morning routine help or hinder you?

I’ve been reading a lot lately about morning routines. How do you start your day? Do you have the same routine every day? Just the weekdays? If you search for “successful morning routine,” you’ll find about a bazillion answers. That’s because what works for one person is probably not going to work for everyone. People are individuals, our brains are all wired differently. So it makes sense that my morning routine will be different from yours. The important thing is that your morning routine helps to make you as happy as possible.

My morning routine is nothing special. I wake up, get dressed, take the dogs out, feed the dogs breakfast, eat my own breakfast, wash, make my bed, train the dogs, take the dogs out again, and go to work. Lots there. One thing there makes me especially happy. And that’s “train the dogs.” I can see progress almost every day, depending on if we’re working on something specific, but my dogs always make me smile.

And that’s crucial. At least one thing in your morning routine should make you smile and be happy. Whether it’s breathing some fresh air or writing in your journal or training your dogs, something should put a smile on your face.

I read an article about the top morning routines of successful people and it’s got the usual things: wake up early, grab a good breakfast, hydrate, move your body, meditate, write in a journal, read a book, make a to-do-list. But the one thing that kind of surprised me in that list was to practice gratitude. I’ve written about it before, and I do it myself every day, but didn’t really expect to see that Marie Kondo also has a daily gratitude practice.

Being grateful helps me to be happier – it ties me to my family, friends and the world. And it’s part of every day’s routine.

How to know if the work you’re doing matters

How often do we think about whether the work we’re doing really matters? You’re plugging along and then think to yourself, “Why am I even doing this?” Does it matter to your life? Your kids’ lives? The community? That’s really the point of setting goals, isn’t it? To do work that matters. To set us up for success, the way we define it. And to leave a lasting impression.

But, before we start working on a goal, or before the work goes on too long, how do we know? For example, if I’m working on a goal, creating a report that I initially believe folks who read my work will find valuable, how do I really know that people will find value in it? Am I just writing to put words on a page (or white screen)?

Here are 5 signs that the work you’re doing is valuable from Kathy Oneto, entrepreneur and founder of Sustainable Ambition.

First, you can link your work to a valuable outcome. I’ll know my report is valuable when I can prove that if my readers follow advice given, they’ll be happier or healthier. Shouldn’t that be the purpose of a fitness blog?

Next, if people tell me that they get something out of my work, I’ve fulfilled a goal. I mostly write for myself, because there’s no assurance that anyone else will read my articles. But when people tell me that they’ve followed a point and been successful, that’s really rewarding.

If I’m making progress on my own goals, then I know my work is valuable. Much of my work is for others to see, so if more people see it and get benefits from it, I’m succeeding. And that’s motivation to move forward.

If my work aligns with my core values, then I’ll keep going. When I’m training my dog, it’s not always easy. But if the methods I use align with my values, and I see even slight improvements, then I’m encouraged and I know my work matters.

And if I’m growing, learning, and being challenged by my work, then that’s a good thing. If I’m growing and learning, then my work is probably getting better. More people will get value from it. And I’ll know it matters.

If you’re working on a fitness goal – yay! Good for you – not only does the work you do benefit your health, your healthy aging, but it also benefits your family. Haven’t you noticed that you’re in a better mood more of the time? You’ll be around to play with the dog and the grandkids. And you’ll have more fun doing it.