Eight years ago, when Stephanie was 40, she was 25 pounds overweight, a “certified couch potato.” She was motivated to lose it to be in a family wedding, and to be in a triathlon with friends.  She also did it because there is heart disease and diabetes in her family, and she was concerned about her health.
In the past 8 years, she has kept the weight off, and has increased her fitness level.  She is aware of everything she puts in her mouth.  She realized she couldn’t eat a lot of carbs and lose weight, so she went on a low-carb diet featuring meat and vegetables, some dairy products and fruit, mostly berries.  She said to herself, “I can’t eat that” and then didn’t!
Her training for the triathlon started by running one block, walking 7 blocks. Gradually she increased the running.  It was a slow process.  The aerobic part was easiest for her, but she knew she needed weight training too. That was the hard part. She joined a boot camp, 5 days a week, in early morning.

Tips to start a new fitness program:
Internal motivation is key, but motivation of a group is helpful too.  Most people who turn fitness around have a real motivation, like their health, or a big event.
Set realistic goals, not too hard, or you won’t feel that you can do it.
But, if goals are too low, you don’t make progress. So, the goal should be just right.
Best exercises: Crunches, push-ups, step-ups, running, and stretching.
Choose what you really like to do – walking (fast), swimming, cycling, a class with others, Pilates, yoga, spinning, water exercises, golf.  Find more than one thing to do because your muscles get used to doing the same thing, and you don’t progress.
Ease into a new program at first. You’ll be sore, frustrated, uncomfortable.  Some people like that (no pain, no gain). However, if you can’t get up off the toilet, that’s bad.
Exercise daily, but don’t work the same muscles every day. Cardio is okay to do every day, working with as much intensity as you can handle. 

Rule of thumb: Work out for one minute for every year of your age every day.  (At age 50, that’s 50 minutes a day, every day -- 30 minutes is not enough.)
Mix up your exercise routine -- High-impact work is hard on joints, so alternate with weight training.

Exercise outside -- in California, you can all year --  and exercise with a friend
You don’t have to join a gym.  If you want to, a place like Curves, with its controlled program, is a good place to start, but it’s not best for the long term.
Exercise at the same time every day. Get into a routine. Make the commitment. If you’re a morning person, do it at 7:00, then it’s done. If you’re a night person, start at 10:00 -- go out and walk the dog.
If you’re over 40, get medical clearance before you start an exercise program. Check for any pre-existing conditions.
Find something you can stick with.

All-around conditioning requires working on:

1. Balance

2. Aerobic / Endurance

3. Strength training

4. Flexibility

5. Posture

Each of these 5 fitness components can break down with age.

8 simple questions to ask yourself, and things to watch for, as you age…

1. Are you standing as tall as you always did?

2. Is walking uphill or stairs very difficult?

3. Are you getting up from a chair or the toilet more slowly?

4. Is it harder to look over your shoulders?

5. Do you get stiff when you sit for a long time (during a movie, a flight, work at the computer)?

6. Can you stand up on one leg as you tie your shoelaces?

7. Do you easily trip or lose your balance?

8. Does walking take you longer?

There are exercises and activities you can do to counteract each of these issues of aging.

For balance: Strengthen the “core” (all the muscles between the shoulders and the pelvic region, front and back). Keep your tummy tight.  The core deteriorates over time, impacts circulation to the brain.
An exercise to improve balance: Stand on one foot while you tie your shoe laces, or brush your teeth; try it with your eyes closed. 
Other exercises to do are to sit on a stability ball, or stand on a balance board.

For posture: Balance and good posture go together. Posture gets worse over the years due to carrying a purse, wearing a backpack, sitting at a desk for long periods of time. Computer usage effects the neck. Weak core muscles effect posture because the disks in your back compress. 
Consciously think about posture all the time.  The “Alexander Technique” teaches body awareness.

Strength naturally decreases with age. Why do strength training?
It assists in losing body fat (muscles use more fat), and
You gain strength to perform the tasks of daily life. Women usually do not “bulk up.”
Decrease risk of osteoporosis.

To build bones: Add calcium to your diet; do weight training.

Do functional exercises: 
Squats and lunges are best for building lower body muscles.
Free weights: better than machines because they work more parts of the body during the moves. Stability ball: Lifting weights while you are on a stability ball is most effective.  Use a bosue (a half-ball) if you have motion sensitivity.
Exercising fights heart disease, depression, reduces the risk of injury and back pain

It’s never too late.
Do two strength-training sessions per week. One hour twice a week is fine. A woman needs a full body workout for life. 
If you reach a plateau, switch exercises and/or work harder.

Flexibility – Effects the body’s collagen structure. As we age we get less elastic, so we must stretch. But don’t stretch cold muscles. Warm up first.  Always stretch before and after exercise to help avoid stiffness.

Endurance – This is effected by age. It requires more energy to remain physically active. And it takes ongoing work. When you sit still things get tighter, when you do some cardio daily it helps improve your lungs, your heart, your movement.

Bottom line: Exercise, exercise, exercise -- plus the right diet.
You must eat properly to have enough energy to sustain the exercising you do.

There are many ways to start and maintain an exercise program:
Get a trainer. 
Enroll in a class (Foothill and De Anza Colleges both have good ones).
Swim in an outdoor pool (at Foothill), or indoors at the Y on in Palo Alto. 
Try something new and fun – like spinning.
Play a sport -- Tennis is good, but you don’t get ongoing cardio workouts because you move in bursts, and you can get shoulder, elbow and knee issues.
Take yoga. Or Pilates.

At Foothill where Stephanie works, a class of one unit only costs $13. You can buy an annual parking pass online.
Stephanie also gives a Nutrition class on line, but it’s a real class for credit, requires work.

You can reach Stephanie Constant online at constantbodies@gmail.com.