There are FIVE factors when we think about any part of a fitness regime (cardiovascular, flexibility, or strength training).  Each is important, and each should play a part in your fitness plan.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be discussing these factors - what they mean, how to implement them - for each fitness segment.

Let’s start with cardio.

Cardiovascular exercise builds a foundatio for overall good health.  Studies have shown that raising your heartrate 30 minutes/day 3-5 days/week can reduce blood pressure, reduce the risks of heart disease, fight osteoporosis, help control diabetes, stimulate your immune system, fight anxiety and depression.

Oh, yeah, and it helps you lose weight.

So are you ready to get the skinny on the 5 factors for a good cardio program?

Before going any further, I highly recommend that you visit your doctor for a thorough physical and get her OK to continue.  This physical should include a screen blood test. If you are over 50, or younger with a family history of heart disease, insist on treadmill test too.  (I have mine every year.. it’s my birthday present to myself).

Now that you've gotten the All-Clear, the first factor is choosing the right activity.

We all think of walking as the perfect cardio exercise, and for many it is.  However if you suffer from arthritis, swimming or bicycling may put less strain on your joints.
Some activities that cardio fitness:

Outside                    In The Gym
walking                     treadmill
bicycling                   exer-cycle
swimming                    elliptical
running                     cross-track machine
dancing                     aerobic class
skating                     stair climber
hiking                      rowing machine

Sure looks like it should be easy enough to choose one or two things you’ll enjoy doing.

The second factor in cardio fitness is Intensity. For an activity to contribute to your cardio fitness, you have to get your heart rate up.  An easy formulas if you haven't been exercise much lately is:
220 - your age in years = maximum heart rate  so
220 - 42 = 178 MHR

If, however, you have been exercising and have some cardio fitness, consider:
210 - half your age = MHR  same person
210 - 21 = 189 MHR

For the record, I now use the second calculation for my own assessments: 210-28=182.

You do not need to work to your MHR, in fact that would quite inadvisable for any period of time.  When getting started on a cardio program, aim for a target of 60-70% of your MHR.  

In the first case, a range of  108-125 would be appropriate, with the goal of working near in the upper half of that range.  The experience 40 year old exerciser has a range of 114 to 132.  Myself? 110-128 if I wanted to stay in cardio-training range only.

The Third and Fourth Factors of Fitness work hand-in-hand: Duration and Frequency.

Think of duration as the length each time you exercise.  Frequency, on the other time, is how many days a week you choose to exercise.  

If you are exercising strictly for cardio health, you can get by with a duration of 20-60 minutes and a frequency of 3 days a week.  

However, if you look to your cardio exercise for weight loss, your duration must be 30-60 minutes and your frequency should be 5 times a week.  

Make sure you don’t plan those 5 days (or even those 3 days) all in a row.  The body gets stronger and heals on your rest days.  Make sure you don’t do a repeated type of exercise more than 3 days in a row.

Since I am at my goal weight, and outperform my physician's expectations for cardio health, I aim a frequency of 3-4 cardio sessions a week with 80-85% intensity level for 20-30 minute duration. By the end of a session, I'm drenched in sweat.  Later, I'll discuss HIIT cardio and why I work at a much higher level of intensity than these recommendations show.

The final step in fitness program is the ongoing progress.  If you always do what you've always done, your results will decrease.  As your body becomes more fit, you must increase intensity or duration simply to get the same results.  

In my next article, we’ll look at specific plans for activities stating intensity, and duration and writing the progression.
Better Every Year  is the goal of writer Debra Roby. She has been published at   [Link Removed]

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You've been watching what you eat, recording your meals using [Link Removed]  

Now let’s take it a step further: come up with a plan for your nutrient intake.  To become lean and healthy, in addition to doing some kind of cardio exercise 3-5 times a week, and strength training 2-3 times a week, you have to know how to feed your body correctly.

After all, we are what we eat.

An ideal diet for a healthy woman in her 40s or beyond is 1200-1500 calories a day (use a caloric need calculator to analyze your specific needs).  

Get these calories in 6-7 meals a day with some carbohydrate, protein and fat at each meal. This might be a 350 calorie breakfast, lunch and supper with a 150 snack mid-morning, mid-afternoon and in the evening.  Or you might try 6 evenly divided meals of 200-300 calories.  A great example of snack is an apple and 8 almonds or walnut halves.

These calories should be divided as follows:

50% Carbohydrates.  This should be primarily fresh vegetables (yes, vegetables are carbs!) Two or three servings of fresh fruit a day, and one or two servings of whole grains a day.  Try to keep those grains as close to their original appearance as possible.  I eat steel-cut oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, and bulger wheat.  

Limit your processed grains (anything made with flour) to a  maximum of 5 servings a week, making sure to choose the whole grain options. One serving would be one slice of whole wheat bread or one whole wheat tortilla.

White foods (white flour products, white rice, white potatoes, sugar) should be avoided.  If you must consume these products, do so only once or twice a week.  

*
30% Lean Protein.*  Fresh or frozen fish, chicken and turkey breast, beans, and tofu are the best sources of protein.  If you choose to eat red meat, look for words like “loin” or “tenderloin” as these are the leanest cuts of meat.  

If you are cutting back on animal products, try a protein powder drink.  Many are available with very low carb/fat content, for example [Link Removed]  fat, 3g carb, 28g protein).

20% Fat.  We need fat.  Our bodies use fat to heal and build new cells.  Fat makes our cell walls flexible, our skin soft and hair shiny.  

The best fats to consume are those high in Omega-3s.  These are found in deep-water fish, avocadoes, flaxseed, and walnuts.  Mono-unsaturated fats such as olive oil are excellent too, but the health benefits of olive oil are ruined when it’s heated.  Try to keep it for dressings.  

There is some evidence that our current emphasis on grain based oils, high in Omega-6s, are not beneficial.  Limit or avoid: corn, canola, vegetable, or soybean oil.  Try to get your fat IN the foods you eat not added to the foods you eat.

From experience, I can suggest that you plan your day’s menu. there is nothing like trying to plan your dinner and realize you need 100g of carbs, 20g or protein but you’ve exceeded your fat allowance for the day!

Yeah, I know it’s a challenge.  These are NOT diet recommendations I’m making, though.  These are LIFESTYLE changes I’m suggesting.  If you are in 40s (or even your 50s) you have the potential to be only half-way through your life.  Wouldn’t you like the second half to be as healthy and active as the first?

Like I said: you are what you eat.

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Muscle tone.  We‘re all looking for it.  It’s a condition that indicates health.  

A simple definition of muscle tone are muscles that appear firm and strong.  Firmness is best achieved through weight training, but no amount of weight training will highlight toned muscles if there are layers of fat between the muscles and the skin lying over them.  So in addition to strength training, eating clean and healthy are usually necessary to attaining that well-toned body.

There are no secrets when it comes to toning up your body.  The one and only way that you can get toned is to push weight.  Walking will increase your overall metabolism and maybe help you lose some weight.  Yoga will stretch your muscles and help your sense of balance.  But  nothing is going to make your body toned like pushing weight.  

You need not fear “bulking up” and looking all masculine if you choose to spend some time weight training.  The only way to get “bulky” is through testosterone, and we don’t make enough of that hormone for it to have a bulking effect.  Instead, we lucky women get smooth, pretty muscles with soft definition that makes us look wonderful.

There are several methods you can use in weight training, at least in the beginning.  

You can push your own body weight . that's what we've been doing in the stability exercises I've described early.  Other "body weight" exercises are basic squats, lunges and push ups.  An advanced move would be the pull-up or chin-up. These moves tend to work large muscle groups against gravity to build strength.  They are by no means wimpy or easy.  Body weight exercises can be done anywhere, making them excellent when you don't have access to a fitness center.  

You can use machines.  Machines tend to target specific muscles instead of larger muscle groups.  This reduces the likelihood of overworking a muscle, but means that more equipment needs to be used to get a full body workout.  Machines can be purchased to use at home or used in a fitness facility, but have someone demonstrate correct technique for you.  Most facilities have personal trainers or fitness experts that help get you started.

Cable resistance moves use stacks of weights like weight machines do, but allow the user to customize moves. Familiar cable systems are the lat pulldown/ tricep pushdown/row machines.  There are also free standing cable units.  Since exercises are done by pulling or pushing weight attached to a cable, there is often a lot of variety that can be built when using these units, and you can decide to alter moves to either use lots of muscle groups or isolate a muscle for more intensity.

My favorite form of weight training, however, are the free weights.   Often imagined as the domain of muscle-bound males, free weights offer a wide variety of exercises with a minimum amount of equipment.  If you are a short woman like myself, the size limitations of exercise machines disappears (machines are sized to accomodate individuals  5'7" to about 6'4").  Large muscle groups can be exercises through a full range of motion. I'll be honest, there is just something sexy and exhilarating about grabbing some free weights and pushing all my frustrations away!

Strength training can help alleviate pain from osteoarthritis and can help prevent osteoporosis.  The hormone releases that come during and after strength training elevates moods and aids in sleep.  Strength training has also been shown to slow the progress of alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.  All in all great reasons for you to start pushing some weight.

Better Every Year  is the goal of writer Debra Roby. She has been published at   [Link Removed]

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In my last article, I wrote about the first simple stability move, the plank. (did you find them simple?)

Another great move to build core strength and stability works the opposite muscle groups: the bridge.  

For the basic bridge, lie on a carpeted floor or an exercise mat.  Bend your knees, so your feet are slightly away from your buttocks.  Your arms your straight at your side, resting palm downs on the floor, and your shoulders are relaxed.  Slowly push down with your feet, pressing your hips up.  Do not press too far.  Adjust your feet and hips so there is a straight line from your ankles to your knees, and another straight line from your knees to your shoulders.  Concentrate on holding your hips in this position.  Do not press them up too far and arch your lower back.

Hold that position for 20 seconds, then relax again to the floor and rest for 20 seconds.

Part Two: One Leg Leg Raises from Bridge.

Again, press down through your heels and lift your hips up into the bridge.  Now lift one leg straight with your body (there is a great example of this position [Link Removed] shown here.. but the leg movement is lower.  And really, I never looked this  

Do 10-15 of these lifts with one leg, lower your body to the floor and rest for 20 seconds, then repeat with opposite leg.

These moves are killers for developing strength in your lower abs, pelvic floor, lower back and hamstrings.  Since we are all women "of a certain age".. please note those words: pelvic floor.  I find this exercise does more than Kegels for building pelvic strength, reducing stress incontinence and .. oh by the way, improving sexual pleasure.  

Please note: I am not a professional, though I try to point to videos and other resources created by professions.  If you feel pain or discomfort in performing these tasks, check out your form with a personal trainer, or a yoga or pilates instructor.

Better Every Year  is the goal of writer Debra Roby. She has been published at   [Link Removed]

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As we age, we tend to lose key muscle tone in our core, that set of deep muscles running along our abdomen, back, and pelvic floor that hold us erect and in good posture.  It’s important to work this set of muscles to develop balance and a toned attractive look.

[Link Removed]  work these area.  

Still there are simple stability moves that you can do at home using either no equipment or the popular “swiss ball.”

First, a "plank [Link Removed]   Start face down on a mat or carpeted surfaced, feet about shoulder width apart, hands just in front of your head and parellel.  Lift your body up to form a straight line from your heels up through your glutes, back, shoulders, neck and head.  Your elbows are straight below your shoulders, and your toes are bent.  Press into your elbows and toes to maintain this position for 20 seconds.

Next, return to the same plank position but this time we are going to add movement.  As you stabilize, drop one knee down and touch it lightly to the ground, then bring it back to straight.  Hold your core stable throughout the movement.  Do 10 knee touches on one side, rest for 15 seconds then do the other side.

If you want some more information, there are some wonderful " [Link Removed]  videos to be found on YouTube.

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It happens to everyone: you‘re eating well, exercising and feeling great.  Until you aren’t.  A cold, flu, or other illness way-lays for a few days.  The question is: when do you know if it’s OK to exercise and when should you simply rest and recover?

If you‘re working in a public gym or taking a group class, you probably already know that patrons are encouraged to wipe down equipment and disinfect surfaces  If there is a chance that your bug might be contagious, please stay home.  Sun salutations shouldn’t come with a side of shared sniffles.

But what if you work out at home or outside?  Or if your bug has moved past the infectious stage?

Many physicians and trainers suggest that you base your decision to exercise or not on the "neck" test. If your symptoms are below the neck aching body, chest congestion, fever or fatigue your body needs rest more than it needs the additional strain of exercise.

However, if your symptoms are all above the neck: sniffles, sore throat, watery eyes it’s probably alright to exercise.  Make sure you drink a bit more water than normal, as these symptoms tend to be dehydrating.  And give yourself permission to cut back on the intensity of your routine.  Your body is using precious energy to heal from the bug.  While you may be energized by a hard workout, you may be slowing your body’s ability to recover from both the flu and the exercise.  Instead of an hour spin class or kettle-bell bootcamp, choose a lower intensity routine or the healing effects of a yoga class.

While exercising, remember not to use your workout towel to wipe your nose or mouth, then wipe down equipment.  DO use a clean workout towel to wipe down equipment before you use it (just in case), lay the towel down on equipment while you‘re using it, and wipe the equipment clean when you‘re finished.  Also consider throwing a hand sanitizer in your gym bag.