Define Physical Fitness Over 40

Physical fitness over 40 is really not too different from physical fitness at any other age. The real difference comes in when you believe you are still 16 and can leap tall buildings in a single bound. In other words, getting back into shape takes a bit longer and requires a bit more energy than when you were 16.

To define physical fitness means to be in good shape or in good condition. People who are in good physical shape can carry out daily tasks without too much fatigue and with enough energy to perform leisure time activities. Your physician will define physical fitness by the cardiovascular measurements he can take in the office, such as pulse, respirations and blood pressure. He’ll also use measurements of weight, body mass index and muscle mass.

A trainer may define physical fitness using some of the same parameters but with the addition of muscle strength testing, cardiovascular endurance and body composition.

But what really is physical fitness and how do you define that after the age of 40? Is 40 really a magical number? In realistic terms it isn’t magical at all. However, there are many people who will tell you that their metabolism noticeably slowed, their joints were noticeably stiffer and they gained weight after passing their 40th birthday.

Physical fitness to the human body is what fine-tuning is to a racing engine. You can perform up to your potential and can help you look and feel your best. It is the performance of the heart, lungs and muscles of the body in tandem with each other. It’s important to remember that our fitness has individual qualities that vary from person to person. It is influenced by your age, heredity, habits, physical fitness program, eating and sex. There are several factors within your power to change: habits, exercise program and eating habits.

To define physical fitness over 40 you have to determine your goals and aspirations. If you’ve been a couch potato for 10 years you may never compete in the senior Olympics. But, if you develop a reason to pursue and continue an exercise program you just may compete.

The most important piece to define physical fitness over 40 is the motivation and reason why a person would pursue activities and set a goal for physical fitness. Your reason ‘why’ will carry you through doubts, disappointments, and injuries. If you develop a reason ‘why’ you’ll get through to a state of physical fitness.

A physical fitness program is a life-long commitment of time and effort. This is something you must do without question, like you would brush your teeth or shower. And, unless you are thoroughly convinced of the benefits of physical fitness and you have a reason to exercise daily you will not succeed.

If you are beginning a physical fitness program you should always consult with your doctor to be sure that you are able to complete the program and don’t have any underlying issues that may impact your progress. Your doctor will also help you to develop a beginning program that will meet your current physical fitness abilities.
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Men’s Fitness Over 40

Men’s fitness over 40 is a bit different than fitness over 40 in a generic sense. Men have different goals, aspirations and body types than women. These issues have to be addressed or goals won’t be achieved.

To start, men have more muscle mass than women do and by nature, less body fat. This isn’t true for all women against all men, but it is a generalized statement. Because men have more muscle mass they are able to do a bit less work and get the same results.

Unfortunately for them this doesn’t apply to other aspects of becoming fit such as diet, nutrition and lifestyle changes. You can’t smoke a bit less and get the same results as a woman who quits completely!

One important aspect to men’s fitness over 40 are lifestyle changes that will improve your health and wellness. These changes include to quit smoking. Smoking is the number one enemy for undermining any fitness program. Smoking affects the efficiency of your lungs, cardiovascular abilities and damages the lung tissue at the cellular level. Approximately 1 in every 6 deaths in the U.S. is related in some way to the effects of smoking. The CDC reports that in the US in 1999 295.5 deaths per 100,000 were attributed to smoking.

Another aspect is the ability to make dietary and nutritional changes that will benefit your health and wellness. We really are what we eat. Our bodies use the fuel that we eat to build cells, provide energy and pretty much run our bodies. If you think of your body as a racing car you’ll understand why you wouldn’t fuel that car with diesel fuel. Neither should fuel your body with beer, peanuts and pretzels.

If you aren’t sure what good nutritional diet looks like consider one or two consultations with a dietitian who can help you slowly incorporate changes into your diet. Basic rules include eating at least 5-7 servings of fruit and vegetables per day, drinking 8-10 8-oz glasses of water, and decreasing the amount of white flour in your diet in the form of pasta, bread and chips.

An often overlooked area of men’s fitness is dental care. Believe it or not you can improve your health by flossing and brushing. Studies have shown that flossing and consistent brushing decreases the amount of bacteria in your mouth that has been linked to heart disease, heart attack and strokes. And if you need a more immediate reason to floss and brush, it also decreases problems with bad breath.

Many men will often put up with discomfort, pain and feelings of aging without seeking knowledge or trying to change their habits. You obviously aren’t one of them! Take the initiative you had to read this and change your lifestyle habits that have made your goal of physical fitness just a dream.

The final piece of the puzzle, although you would think it was the first, is the actual exercise program you choose. Men’s fitness over 40 programs are really not very different from other programs except that they advance a bit more slowly to accommodate for the decreased physical fitness and aging process. Just because you are over 40 doesn’t mean you can’t become fit – it just takes a little bit longer and more effort than when you were 20.

Stripped down to the bear essentials a men’s fitness program requires a system that gets you moving for 30 minutes at least three times each week. To get the most benefit you should probably do cardiovascular work for 30 minutes 3 times each week and weight training or strength training two times a week. The cardiovascular activities don’t require special equipment and can be built into your daily activities. Tennis with friends, jogging in the morning with a partner, biking with the kids, jump rope in front of the television; anything that gets your heart rate up and your breathing deeper and more rapid. As you continue to workout each week you’ll notice that you have to work just a bit harder to get your heart and lungs working.

Incorporating strength training with weights into your routine will help to protect your bones from osteoporosis, improve your posture, flatten your abdominal muscles, decrease your risk of heart attack and stroke as well as making daily activities easier and less stressful. The gains you receive from strength training doesn’t mean you become Mr. Universe. Instead some hand weights in the house and a DVD played on the TV can actually do the trick. If you have the time and funds a membership to a gym with a personal trainer can improve your results. However you chose to do them, do them.

Men’s fitness over 40 is an important aspect to your overall health and wellness. It will keep you motivated, fit, energetic and healthy as you reach older adulthood when the risk of heart attack, stroke and assisted living becomes very real.
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5 Aspects Of Physical Fitness

There are five components of physical fitness which insurance companies and trainers measure. These components of physical fitness are important to the overall evaluation of health. It is like fine-tuning a racing engine. You wouldn’t add diesel fuel to an engine that requires high octane.

When physical trainers measure the fitness of a person they use 5 components of physical fitness to test the person against a set standard and to develop goals for further improvement. By incorporating these 5 components of physical fitness the person can not only improve health but also lose weight.

The first component of the 5 components of physical fitness is muscular strength. This measurement is the ability of the muscle to exert a maximal force through a range of motion or to a given point. This is measured for a short period of time and usually incorporates the use of weights for evaluation.

Muscular strength can vary throughout the body. So, for instance, you can have high muscular strength in your arms while having weak legs. Of the 5 different components this is the one that is related to the amount and type of exercise the body undergoes. Weight training or strength training is the only method to improve strength.

One principle of increased muscle mass is that a larger amount of muscle consumes a greater number of calories, even at rest. By increasing mass you effectively increase the amount of calories needed for your body at rest and will reduce your body fat ratio. Another benefit to strength training is that it will help to maintain your bone structure and decrease your risk of osteoporosis.

The second component of the 5 components of physical fitness is muscular endurance. This refers to the ability of a muscle to work through a range of motion over a specific amount of time. Or it can be measured by the ability to hold a weight for a specific amount of time – say 20 pounds over-head for 5 minutes. Many times this component is measured through push-ups as these are exercises that exert a specific amount of pressure over time. This measures the upper body muscular endurance.

Muscular endurance is often confused with muscular strength because they are related. However they offer different benefits. Using muscular endurance an athlete is able to shovel snow for an hour lifting and moving a sub-maximal amount of snow over a specified amount of time. Muscular strength would be the ability of the arms and shoulders to lift the maximal amount a couple of times.

While testing muscular endurance the trainer will also be testing cardiovascular endurance. These two components of the 5 components of physical fitness are closely related. Cardiovascular endurance reflects how well your heart and lungs work together to supply oxygen to your body. Some call this aerobic fitness. Trainers may use long runs or swims to test cardiac endurance and test muscular endurance at the same time. This is the cornerstone to complete health and fitness. Without cardiovascular endurance you can’t improve the rest of your fitness.

Component number 4 is flexibility. This is the ability of a joint to move through it’s full range of motion and the elasticity of the muscles. Some refer to this as how limber or supple you are. This is a major component of physical fitness and one that is often over looked. Not everyone needs to be as limber as a gymnast but we all need a degree of flexibility to deal with the demands placed on us during our daily lives.

Stretching is associated with flexibility in order to maintain or increase the ability of a joint to stretch further. Maintaining your flexibility is important for protection of your joints and allowing you to strengthen further to protect your back and reduce the pain of arthritis.

The final component of physical fitness is body composition. This is the ratio of lean body mass to fat body mass. This proportion doesn’t refer to your weight in pounds or to your figure but to a measurement against a standard. Women and men have different body composition ratios. Women carry a higher percentage of fat to maintain a developing baby. This doesn’t mean that women are fatter – but the fat distribution is different.

Your body composition is really more a consequence of your overall fitness. If you have a high body fat mass ratio you are more at risk for coronary heart disease, diabetes, joint and back pain, arthritis, stroke and tendon-muscle accidents.

The 5 components of physical fitness are cornerstone to physical fitness and the ability of the human body to withstand external forces and internal stress while maintaining health and wellness.
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Healthy Eating Facts - Why It is SO Importtant

We’re all aware that staying healthy and fit requires that we attain a balanced diet, get lots of exercise, and also stay away from unhealthy lifestyle habits like smoking, excessive alcohol intake, drugs and others. Those who practice good nutrition, hygiene and regular exercise, often develop healthy habits which they will continue practicing for life, and will keep them healthy for long periods. Here are some healthy eating facts and figures for children, teenagers and adults.

What Is Nutrition?

According to health experts, the word nutrition refers to the value that we get out of the food we eat. A food item will be deemed nutritious if it provides the required amount of nutrients to support the health of our body, enhance growth, replace lost energy, and allow us to perform at our peak. Nutritious and wholesome foods offer balanced combinations of vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, antioxidants, fiber and healthy fats. Foods that are not nutritious simply fill our stomachs with unhealthy fats and carbohydrates, which only reduce hunger and bloat our bellies.

3 Basic Rules For Promoting a Child’s Healthy Diet

In promoting healthy eating habits in children, the food pyramid for kids generally promotes three basic rules for a healthy diet. The rules include variety, balance and moderation. Variety means that a child’s diet must include different food items from each level of the food pyramid, from a wide array of meats, to vegetables and fruits, whole-grain breads, dairy proteins and fibers. Because no single food item is able to supply the amount of nutrients of a growing child, a child’s food choices have to be expanded to include foods of all colors. Balance means eating the right amounts of food from all levels of the food pyramid everyday, and moderation refers to being careful not to eat too much of any type of food item.

There Is A Link Between Unhealthy Eating Habits And A Negative Self Image

Nutrition experts and psychologists agree that there’s a direct link between unhealthy eating habits and people’s perceptions about their image and body. The use of extreme measures just to control weight is on the rise today, and some adults even complement harsh dieting methods with fasting, the use of laxatives, induced vomiting and taking appetite suppressants. These depressing behavioral patterns are often indicators of incoming eating disorders like bulimia or anorexia nervosa. A number of studies have also indicated that most girls, particularly teenage girls, tend to worry more about weight and diet in their adolescent years. A 1992 study has also indicated that even six to seven year-old girls are known to worry about their figures too, but nevertheless eat too much.

Healthy eating is a vital piece in the quest for promoting overall well-being, regardless of whether eating has a direct relationship with self-esteem. What’s clear is that people who feel good about themselves often make healthy food choices, and low self-esteem is usually linked with unhealthy eating habits like binging, purging or dieting.
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Healthy Eating – Benefits Of A High-Fiber Diet

Fiber is one of the main ingredients of healthy eating. If the body isn’t getting the required amounts of natural fiber, the person may be prone to disorders such as constipation, gas pain, and worse colon cancer. For those who are looking to have a healthy eating plan, fiber is one of the key elements to that plan. The sad thing is that many individuals still don’t take fiber too seriously. Here’s a look at the many benefits of consuming high-fiber foods.

Fiber Fights Diseases, And Can Help Stop Overeating

A diet that’s rich in fiber can help prevent a number of diseases, from constipation to colon cancer. Eating a high-fiber diet actually helps the body reduce or eradicate bad cholesterol, by binding fat and cholesterol in the digestive tract. Natural fiber can also help stop overeating. High-fiber foods take longer to chew and digest, making the person feel satisfied and full longer.

Processed Foods Don’t Have Adequate Fiber Content

These days, grocery shelves are often filled with lots of processed meats, snacks and other food items. They also contain large amounts of artificial sweeteners, flavorings and preservatives. If you love eating processed foods, you may need to increase your fiber intake, because most processed foods lack adequate fiber content.

Fruits, Vegetables And Whole Grains Are Great Sources of Fiber

Fruits and vegetables are great sources of dietary fiber, which is actually plant matter. Fiber is largely composed of cellulose, which aids the body in digestion. Whole grains are also excellent dietary fiber sources. When cooking fruits and vegetables, you need not worry about cooking the fiber, because it stays there. The fiber found in most fruits and veggies are not just located on the skin or peel, but deep within.

What’s The Recommended Fiber Intake?

According to nutritionists, getting the right amount of fiber is quite easy. All you need to do is eat the right foods, and you’ll be on your way to getting adequate amounts of dietary fiber. However, if you consume more than 50 grams of fiber each day, you may get diarrhea or abdominal bloating, and it may also hinder the body’s absorption of other essential minerals. Children who are two years and above also need to have their daily fiber intake, from fruits, vegetables and even fortified breakfast cereals.

Among the best sources of dietary fiber include dried beans and legumes, bran cereals, dried fruit, sweet corn, raspberries and strawberries, whole wheat, broccoli, plums, pears, apples, potatoes, raisins and prunes, dark green lettuce, spinach, kale, nuts, cherries, carrots, bananas, coconut and Brussels sprouts and more. It’s not hard to see the benefits of incorporating fiber into your daily eating plan. All you need to ensure is that you add these delightful foods into your regular diet.
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5 Food Items To Your Lower Bad Cholesterol - Healthy Eating Tips

Most of us are aware that eating less burgers, fries, pizzas and fried foods helps to improve our heart, and our overall health. However, eating more healthy food options can do more than just reduce cholesterol levels, or keep the heart healthy. Eating healthy foods also helps to improve skin tone, strengthen the immune system, sharpen the eyesight, and lower the risks of getting a heart attack or stroke. The consumption of fruits and vegetables, especially vitamin-C rich fruits and green leafy veggies, has also been found to offer a protective effect against stroke and other coronary heart diseases.

Kiwi Fruit And Avocado

Avocados are delicious and creamy, and they are also good at reducing LDL, or bad cholesterol, as well as regulate blood pressure. Avocados are also rich in plant sterols, soluble fiber, monounsaturated fats and minerals. The kiwi fruit is also a low-key but hardworking fruit that's good for the heart. Kiwi has a high potassium content, which helps in regulating blood pressure. .

Leafy Greens Are Heart-Healthy Items

Leafy greens are good at enhancing your body's immune system. They're also good at keeping your heart in good shape. Leafy greens like kale, Swiss chard, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, mustard greens other dark green veggies are good sources of calcium, vitamins and other antioxidants. They help reduce plaque build-up in the arteries, and also aid in reducing blood pressure levels. These greens are also good sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. Add fresh greens to your sandwich, taco or pizza, or sprinkle them in your soup and salads.

Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits like orange lemons, grape fruit, lime and tangerine, are excellent sources of vitamin C, folic acid, soluble fiber, minerals and antioxidants. Many doctors believe that eating at least one orange per day can help reduce the risks of stroke by as much as 25 percent. Citrus fruits are also help reduce blood pressure levels, bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Tea Helps Protect The Arteries From Damage

Whether green, black, white or any type, tea can help protect your arteries from high blood pressure and other harmful elements. By drinking at least two cups of tea per day, you actually help reduce the risks of having a stroke or heart attack by 40%. drinking tea also helps you lose weight, and strengthen the teeth too. Choose unsweetened tea instead of the usual commercial ice tea brands.

A colorful diet rich in fruits and vegetables, helps to keep the doctor away, and also allows you to live a longer and more active life. Make sure that you serve between three to five servings of fruits and veggies each day, and slowly increase your consumption as you get comfortable with your healthy eating meal plan.
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Vegetarians Healthy Eating Plan

With cardiovascular diseases and obesity rates soaring in the US and the industrialized world, man teenagers and adults are slowly turning to vegetarian diets as a major step towards achieving a healthy lifestyle. Unlike most of us who regularly munch on meat and dairy products, vegetarians don’t have to worry about high cholesterol levels or tans-fat filled food items. Vegetarians however, need to ensure that they get the right amount of nutrition from their vegan diets, to maintain good health. With careful planning and consideration, a vegetarian diet can certainly be tasty and satisfying.

With No Established Vegetarian Diets, The Choice Is All Up To You

Most nutrition experts agree that with so many vegetarian diets, there is actually no established vegan diet, and so the choice will be all up to you. The problem with some vegetarians is that the more restricting their veggie diet becomes, the harder it will be for them to meet their body’s daily nutritional requirements. According to nutrition experts, the most commonly deficient nutrients among vegetarians include protein, iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium and zinc.

Soy protein can be a great protein source for vegetarians. To add more soy to your daily diet, you may prepare soy chicken patties, soy hamburgers or soy cold cuts. The richest sources of iron are animal product like eggs, liver and red meat. Vegetarians can actually get iron from dried beans, dark green vegetables like spinach, kale and dried fruit.

Three Major Vegetarian Diet Types

Vegetarian diets are generally divided into three major categories, and these are:

• Vegan Diets: This diet does not include fish, eggs, meat, poultry and dairy products.

• Lacto-Vegetarian Diets: A lacto-vegetarian diet does not include meat, fish, poultry and eggs. However, it includes dairy products like cheese, yogurt, butter and milk.

• Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Diet: This vegetarian diet does not include fish, poultry and meat, but includes eggs and dairy products like milk, cheese, butter and others.

• While a vegetarian diet may not have any negative attributes, a vegetarian advocate should ensure that he or she is able to cover all nutritional requirements. It is therefore crucial for vegetarians to take vitamin and mineral supplements, which contain 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance, to complement the vegetarian meal plan. True-blooded vegetarians should focus their sights on getting adequate proteins and essential minerals like vitamin B12, calcium and iron.

Regardless of whether you follow a vegetarian diet for ethical, cultural or religious reasons, or you simply want to live a healthy and well-rounded life, the key to having a successful vegetarian diet lies in how aware are you of your nutritional needs. Therefore, you need to plan a diet that meets them. For creating the appropriate vegetarian diet, talk to your registered dietitian or doctor.
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Healthy Eating Tips What You Need To Keep In Mind

As the old adage goes, “you are what you eat”. If your regular diet consists of fat and cholesterol-rich foods, you may run the risk of developing dreadful diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and more. According to nutrition experts, healthy eating starts with learning the ability to “eat smart”. It’s not just what you eat, but how you eat. The food you choose to eat can help decrease your chances of developing illnesses like cancer, diabetes, heart disease and others. Learn how to plan your diet, and expand your range of healthy food choices too. Here are some helpful tips for planning a healthy diet.

Start Slow, And Gradually Change Your Eating Habits

The quest to achieving a healthy diet starts with a slow but calculated step. The way for planning and implementing a healthy diet begins with a number of small and manageable steps. Approach the diet changes gradually, and you’ll be able to achieve a healthy diet no sooner than you think.

However, instead of fussing over counting calories or measuring serving sizes, set your sights on finding the food you love, and go for easy recipes which incorporate fresh ingredients. Make small but significant steps, like adding salads or your daily diet, or use olive oil instead of butter. By making gradual changes, your diet will slowly become healthier and more savory too.

Ensure That You Regularly Serve Yourself Smaller Portions

These days, serving sizes have blown out of proportion, especially in restaurants. If you’re dining out, don’t immediately order an entrée, or go on a buffet binge. Instead, go slow, choose a starter, or split a dish with your buddy, and never super-size your orders. Your servings of poultry, meat and fish should only be equal to the size of a deck of cards, and the oil or salad dressing you use must only be as large as the size of a matchbook.

It’s How You eat, Not What You Eat

The key to healthy eating lies not in just what you eat, but in how you eat. Learning to develop healthy eating habits can easily be achieved, since eating is not just about gulping down large amounts of food, but in viewing food as a source of nourishment. Practice eating a wide array of fruits and vegetables everyday. Most nutritionists continually stress that the brighter and deeper colored the fruits and vegetables are, the higher their concentrations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants will be. Go for green leafy veggies, sweet vegetables and a wide array of fruits.

In addition, make sure that you consume healthy amounts of healthy carbohydrates and fibers, particularly from whole grains. Apart from being tasty and satisfying, whole grains are also rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals, which strengthen the immune system, and protect against cardiovascular diseases. A number of studies have indicated that people who consume sizable portions of whole grains have healthier hearts.
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