fitover50

One thing I like about being over 50 - I no longer need to make excuses for the decisions I make. I feel that, since I have reached a certain age, there’s no telling just how many more good years I have left. I need to make faster decisions because the clock is ticking and I am very, very aware of that fact.

And so, in light of the fact that there is no time like to present to act, let me just say that I have taken on two new activities in recent weeks. One is spinning, the very high energy cycling program that gives new meaning to the cliche, “That which doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger.” The other activity is yoga. The relaxation of yoga helps me to recover from the the super efforts of the spinning class.

I am loving both of these activities. As I state with great regularity, I am always in search of new and different ways to exercise both my mind and my body. Adding these two classes to my life has given me a new perspective on how I am looking at the world. I feel excited, energetic and a little younger, if that’s possible. I have discovered something I didn’t know about before and it has arroused my curiosity to investigate other areas.

I’m open to suggestions. What do you do to add spark to your life? To your exercise program? To your way of looking at the world? Drop an e-mail, share with us here at Fit Over 50.

Maybe this is an out-moded concept - the idea of making New Year’s Resolutions. If so, I don’t care. I still find value in taking time to evaluate where I am in life and where I hope to go in the near future. By way of doing this, I take a quick glance back at the road behind me and I look ahead to where I want to go. Then I decide on a course of action that involves a few steps that will get me on the right path again. I call this course of action my “New Year’s Resolutions.”

As always, I will be looking for ways to improve my diet and my eating habits. I am a bit of an obsessive fiend when it comes to food, diet and nutrition. I’m always looking for ways to improve. I am, by no means, a “goody two shoes” when it comes to proper diet and nutrition. I’m just a good “wannabee.”

In pursuit of my goal to improve my diet this year, I am vowing to increase my intake of vegetables. To be absolutely, directly and point-blank honest, there have been days in my life where I know I have not consumed a single, solitary vegetable. Phew, there I said it. I’m not proud of that fact but, it is a fact, none the less.

So, as I prepare to reestablish a diet plan for myself, I am in search of new and interesting recipes. The one I have in my head right now is for some sort of stuffed shell recipe where the stuffing is primarily, or wholey, comprised of vegetables.

Am I off my rocker? Does such a thing exist? I would be greatly interested in finding such a recipe, so if you have one, and are willing to share it with the world, drop an e-mail. It will find its way into the world with little or no delay.

I have a new trick I’m using to keep my interest while using the elliptical and/or treadmill for exercising. I always have the television on to try to entertain myself during my indoor exercise routine, trying to make the time go by quickly and painlessly. But, sometimes I find my interest waning on nights when there’s just nothing special to watch.

Recently I purchased a course from “The Teaching Company” (www.TEACH12.com), a company that supplies educational courses on a variety of topics in audio and DVD format. The course material arrives at your front door a few days after ordering it, and you can begin the study of a topic of interest, taught by professors who are proficient in their area of study. You can work at your own pace and in your own space.

I’ve always been a strong proponent of Distance Learning and the coursework provided by “The Teaching Company” is Distance Learning at its finest.

At the risk of appearing to be a stoggy, old geek, I purchased a DVD series of 24 lectures on “Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer’s Craft” being taught by Professor Brooks Landon from the University of Iowa.

Boring? Anything but!! I find myself literally running to my exercise room to continue with the next lecture. To be honest, I repeat each lecture twice so that I can try to grasp most of the huge amount of information presented. Every six lectures I plan to go back to the beginning and watch each one again to review the concepts. I’m more interested in learning what Professor Landon has to teach than I am in reaching the end of the course (that day, when it finally arrives, will be a sad one).

So, if you have an interest in learning more about classical musicians, philosophy, art, history, religion, or - Sentences - you might want to check out “The Teaching Company” online.

Being Fit Over 50 is about accepting the challenge of lifelong learning. At the pace the world is progressing, we have to work a little to keep up.

When I was a child, I remember my mother preparing canned vegetables for dinner. As was apparently the common practice in the kitchen during my mother’s day, in the sixties and seventies, canned vegetables were opened anywhere from two hours to five hours before dinner was actually to take place and boiled to death until every last nutrient evaporated into thin air.

As a result, my early love of vegetables was lackluster, to say the least. I was pretty much limited to peas, corn and green beans. An occasional carrot might round out the selections if I was lucky.

I have long since grown up and outgrown the limitations of my childhood palate. I much prefer fresh vegetables, steamed al dente, and the variety has grown exponentially - Most of the time.

Every now and then I find myself staring into my pantry, eye-balling a few choice cans of vegetables and seeing the old stand-bys - yep, peas, corn and green beans. Tonight I rummaged around long enough to find a can of lima beans - Yee Ha!

And so, tomorrow it will be back to the produce department of my local grocery store. This 50+ body needs some good wholesome greens with a substantial serving of fiber. I’m done with the canned vegetables, at least until the next time I grab them in a pinch.

Tomorrow - it’s Kale!

What is your favorite vegetable? It would be especially interesting to hear how you repair them. Let me know via e-mail and I’ll share your version of jicama with the world.

Well, I’ve promised myself to develop a solid exercise program and stick to it, come what may. My own, unrealistic, mental goal was to include 30-45 minutes of concentrated exercise into my day each and every day, no excuses. I don’t really believe this to be a totally realistic goal, but the way I figure it, if I shoot for the moon, fall short and hit a few stars, I’m still way ahead of the game.

I have a calendar on the bulletin board in front of my desk. This calendar is solely for the purpose of monitoring my exercise program. Before I turn the page to the month of November, I feel duty bound to give a status report on just how well I did (didn’t do) in the month of October.

Let’s see, thirty one days, hmmm. Total number of days where I walked, used the treadmill or the elliptical - exactly 14! By my personal standards this is little dismal. If I only achieved half of my goal, I should have exercised 16 days, minimum. Well, I will regroup and see what I can do with the month of November.

This calendar idea keeps me honest. I like that. Maybe I need a “star” system where I reward myself with a glittery little stick on star to brighten up my calendar. All I know is the month of November calendar is just one big open expanse of white space right now. I’m going to have to do something about that.

How do you monitor your progress with exercise, diet, or any other goals you’ve set for yourself?

Well, here I am, at it again. My exercise routine is working alright for the month of October. We’re twelve days in and I can legimately claim my exercise routine on six of those days. I know, I know, my goal is set a bit higher than that, but the way I figure it, if I aim for the moon and only reach a few stars, I will be further ahead than if I only aim for those stars and fall flat on my face on the ground.

I’m researching some additional exercises to add to my routine. I have a book on Yoga, an article on Pilates, and a few general purpose stretching and weight bearing movements to add to my repertoire. Not all at once, mind you. I still like my elliptical, my treadmill and every outdoor walk I can manage to fit in. It’s just that I feel I need some variety to keep my interest alive.

I’d be greatly appreciative of any suggestions you might have on ways you spice up your exercise routines. We all seem to have more interesting and more important things to do in our lives, so making necessary time for something this important can be a struggle. How do you do it?

I understand the importance of good nutrition. In fact, one of my favorite pastimes is studying the nutrition labels on food packages. I try to eat enough fiber. I count my fruit and vegetable servings. I pay attention to my calcium and other mineral needs.

I also have a sweet tooth. I am a chocoholic, no doubt about it. But my number one weakness, when it comes to desserts, is the cookie tray. You know what I mean. Weddings, baby showers, graduations, celebrations of every kind, are practically a guaranteed source of many and varied bite sized desserts. What could be better than lining your dessert plate with a wide array of shortbread, peanut butter blossoms, lady fingers, chocolate chip cookies, and mini cheesecake bars?

The fat grams and calorie count of such a splurge is almost incalculable. It’s easy to enjoy a small slice of birthday cake and call it quits. But, a cookie tray! First there’s two, then two more and, oh, one more can’t hurt. They’re small! If you pop it in your mouth when no one is looking, who will be the wiser?

Yeah, we’ve all been there.

I’m pretty sure my love of the cookie tray stems from the Christmas celebrations of my childhood, when cookies were plentiful. They were my first true experience with comfort foods. Even today, a plate of cookies and a cup of tea will bring a feeling of calm to my frazzled nerves.

Am I weak? Sure. Is this a basic flaw in my otherwise solid character? You bet.

Would I change my evil ways when it comes to my love of cookie trays if I could. Not on your life! I’m not without flaws and, at Fit Over 50, I don’t have to be. And neither do you.

The popularity of diet programs is the direct result of people needing to be accountable for their behavior. If I eat a chocolate bar, no one needs to know and I can go about my life innocently. If I belong to Weight Watchers and eat a chocolate bar, I am expected to write it down in my food log and evaluate it in terms of either their points system or it being an exception on the Core program. I am accountable. If I must confess my dirty deed then maybe, just maybe, I’ll think twice before I do it again.

If I belong to a weight loss program where I am expected to purchase and eat certain foods provided by the program, well, that chocolate bar just doesn’t exist. I am accountable to someone else to decide what is allowed.

I’m not knocking these programs. I’ve been a willing and successful participant in them before. I just think the best course of action is to take control of my own health and nutritional needs.

It’s like growing from childhood to adulthood. First you start doing what you’re told and learning by example. Eventually you figure it out for yourself and take responsibility for your own choices.

That’s what I try to do - figure it out for myself.

One thing I’ve figured out - if you want to know what’s in the food you eat, you have to prepare it yourself. Cooking is a life skill that I highly recommend and will mention repeatedly in future posts.

We start out in life as roly-poly little beings who are viewed as “cute” because of our baby fat. With a little luck we grow and flourish. Our limbs become long and lean. Our chubby little waists take on some definition. We are energetic and full of life. Nothing we want to do seems beyond our abilities. For a time, we may feel invincible.

Somewhere along the way we start to lose that vitality. We get caught up in the routines of life and we may not notice the slowdown in our step or that extra inch (or 5) around our waistlines. At first we are not alarmed. After all, at 25 it was a simple matter of making a committment and following it through in order to rev up our exercise routine or shed a few pounds. Control of our life was ours to take.

Suddenly, at 45 or 50 or 55, we might take a moment to take stock our situation. Lo and behold, we have gained 10 pounds and two inches. Our 15 minute (or better) walking mile now takes 18 minutes (or more) and we’re winded. Time and nature are not on our side any longer.

If these thoughts express the way you feel, you’re at the right place. At FitOver50, we’re here to share exercise tips, nutritional advice, diet plans, gripes, thoughts and inspirations. Maybe together each of us can take one small step into the future and try to take back what is ours.

I’ve never been completely fond of the cliche, “Misery loves company,” but we can take consolation in the fact that we are all in this together. Life is a journey made more pleasant with the inclusion of like-minded friends. Hopefully, that is what you will find here at FitOver50.

For those of you out there in a talkative mood, let me ask you, what is the biggest hurdle you have to face in your struggle to be fit, to control your weight, or to look and feel your best in general? Your thoughts will generate future discussions on this site.