So You Think You Are Too Old To Start Weight Lifting. Listen To This Audio!

September 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Photo and audio courtesy of growingbolder.com

How old are you anyway? 30? 40? 50? or perhaps 60? Too old to lift weights, you say.

Sorry, but that excuse isn’t going to fly. Not when there’s women like Andora Quinby around. Ms. Quinby is living proof that weight lifting can be started at any age. This 88-year-old strength trainer began lifting weights at the young age of 78. She now holds a world record in her age group for dead lifting 100 pounds. She is the oldest female competing in the drug-free International All-Around Weightlifting Association.

Just look at her. It’s so amazing that I’ll repeat it again. She is nearly 90 years old! Be sure to listen to the audio above and just hear the enthusiasm in her voice. She has a passion for encouraging middle-aged women and older to get moving, and she sets the perfect example.

I can’t stress enough how great of a sport weight lifting is. Obviously, it is a sport that can be started by women of any age, it is a sport that increases your chances of staying healthy, and it is a sport that fights aging.

And look! She’s not big and bulky.

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Posted by Julie Alexander | Filed Under Blog, Strength Training

Because Women Lift Weights Too

September 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Photo by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
Here at The Health & Wellness Post, I’ve decided to take a little turn and put the main focus of this blog into what I know to work best for wellness and weight loss for women … strength training … by combining weights with cardio. I realize that for many readers their first thought is, “women don’t lift weights.” But that thinking would be wrong. They do, and they do for good reasons including … greatly increased physical strength, improved performance in sports, reduced injuries, body toning and pretty definition, six-pack abs, weight loss, anti-aging, higher self esteem, flexibility, balance, increased muscle mass, and for the overall power they gain which helps them tackle everyday obstacles. Read my previous post on the subject. Or read about the American Heart Association’s report claiming that, “Women who lift weights twice a week can prevent or at least slow the ‘middle-aged spread’.”

Weightlifting is no longer a man’s sport. In fact, over four million women are now using weight machines. Even at the Olympics, weightlifting women were allowed to compete for the first time in Sydney, Australia, in 2000 and did so again at the recent Olympics in China (as did this wife of a state representative). While in the past it was rare to see women in the weight room, now it is very common to see just as many women (and sometimes more) lifting weights as do men. And take it from a woman (me!) who went from 28% body fat to 17% at the age of 43 using weight lifting combined with cardio-kickboxing and good nutrition, strength training works! And I am now going to blog about it, sharing with my readers how they too can have a more toned and healthier body as well as slow down that aging process.

Let’s get it started!

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Posted by Julie Alexander | Filed Under Beauty, Blog, Strength Training

Do Diet Food Delivery Services Make Dieting Easier?

September 16, 2008 | 2 Comments

Photo by Islander
Let’s face it. Most of us do not know how to eat healthy. And as a result, dieting is difficult.

For this reason alone, it is not at all surprising to me that diet food delivery services, such as Nutrisystem or Medifast Diet, are gaining in popularity. When used on a regular basis, these delivered-to-your-door meals provide a convenience that takes away all the complications of grocery shopping.

And people who use diet food delivery services can, and do, lose weight. While diet food delivery services may not be enough to cure the obesity epidemic, it is a fact that many people have become healthier and leaner when combining these pre-made foods with regular excercise.

Photo by Old Shoe Woman
But if you are a skeptic and think these foods will taste like cardboard, take a look at what they have to offer.

The food provided by most diet food delivery companies are approved by nutritionists. You can purchase meals that are not only healthy, but that have the appropriate calorie count for your diet. You’ll know the fiber and the carb content. No more guesswork at the grocery store.

The meals are prepared for you and, in most cases, delivered fresh.

You’ll have the options of low-carb meals, low-fat meals (read my previous post on this issue), and vegetarian meals. You can also order meals for special dietary needs, such as diabetes and glucose intolerance.

Most of the companies provide meals that are affordable and can be ordered via phone or via the Internet. You may also be able to set up an automatic reorder so you don’t have to place an order each week.

These meals are great for taking to work and to picnics.

Plus, you’ll have these added benefits:

You’ll save time and money. Less time at the grocery store equals fewer bad food temptations for you.
Your meals will be easy to cook. Usually just heat ‘em up in the microwave.

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Posted by Julie Alexander | Filed Under Blog, Weight Loss