by jc | Dec 4, 2023 | homepage, mindset, Workouts
The “Perfect Week”
To develop a good workout routine, you need what I call the perfect week. Your perfect week is basically your baseline. Your default setting. This is what a week will look like if everything goes as planned. Now just like work, school, or anything else in life that carries a high priority and a normal schedule, this perfect week will not always occur as planned. The goal is for the perfect week to be the normal setting and then you adjust when needed. It’s like your work – you have a normal work schedule and that is the schedule unless something changes, like you call in sick, take a vacation, etc., then back on track. The same for your diet and exercise. You do your normal week, except when something happens that causes you to miss, either intentionally, or not intentionally. Either way is fine. You miss, then get back on track. This will keep you from on again, off again, rollercoaster of diet and exercise. This will get you on track for doing good the majority of the time and bad the minority of the time, and continuing on and on forever without quitting.
Be Consistent
Remember, the most important thing is consistency. Don’t ever quit. That doesn’t mean that you can’t miss a day or more, it just means make it one of those things that is always a part of your life. So, develop your perfect week and make that your plan every week and when everything goes as planned you will complete your perfect week of exercise and when life gets in the way you get in what you can and then try again the next week.
It’s all about averages
It’s all about averages. Let’s say your perfect week is 5 days of exercise and 2 days of rest. Some weeks you will get in 5 days. Some weeks life will happen and you will only get in 1 or 2 days. Some weeks you will be inspired and get in 6 days. And some of the weeks you get in 3-4 days. At the end of the year, you may average around 4 days of exercise per week. Or you may even average 3 days. But either way, 3 or 4 days per week average for a year is way better than 2 great weeks then quitting for a month and then 1 great week and then quitting for 2 months, and so on and then end the year averaging like 1 or 2 workouts per week. Approach this logically and look at the big picture – the year as a whole.
How to Develop Your “Perfect Week” (and what mine looks like)
The first thing to do is look at your amount of days. I think 3-6 days is a great range. I think the minimum perfect week should be 3 days and the maximum perfect week be 6 days. Your body needs a day of rest. 4-5 days done consistently is great. My “perfect week” is 5 days on and 2 days off. On a perfect week, I exercise Monday through Friday and take the weekends off from my normal routine. Does this happen every week? No, but the majority of weeks it does. let’s take December and January for example. The first 3 weeks of December I may exercise 5 days per week, but the next two weeks have Christmas and New Years, so I may only exercise 2 times each of those weeks. Then the next 3 weeks I am able to get in 5 days per week. So, if you look at the average, over an 8 week period, I can average 4.25 days per week.
The next thing to do is look at what you do those days. This is based on your goals. On my 5 days, I do 3 of my Virtual Trainer total body workouts, and the other 2 days I do traditional workouts (bench press, squats, pull-ups, etc.). I also run 2 miles on the treadmill each of the 5 days before the workout. Your breakdown may be different. The total body Virtual Trainer workouts work for everyone, regardless of their goals, so I coach everyone to have that be the main part of their perfect week. The difference is what to do on the other day or two. That changes per person based on their goals. It may be a cardio only day and a total body workout, or it may be two cardio only days, or a traditional workout, etc. I also recommend doing a 15-20 minute cardio workout every day that you exercise.
Not sure what your perfect week looks like? Contact Me and I can help you develop your perfect week.
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by jc | Nov 21, 2023 | Diet/Nutrition, homepage, Workouts
Regardless of where you are currently with your health and fitness, you can get in shape at 50. Not only can you get in amazing shape at 50, you can drastically improve your strength, your health, your energy, and basically every other area of life. The damage is not done! So keep reading and find out the best way to get in shape at 50.
Do Weight Training
If you want to get in shape at 50, then you absolutely need to be doing weight training. As you age, you start losing muscle, so to combat that loss you need to be doing weight training even more so than in your younger days.
Another reason to be doing weight training at 50 is to improve bone density. As you age, you become more susceptible to bone density issues. Resistance training helps create stronger bones and helps improve your bone density.
A third reason to be doing weight training at 50 (or any age) is because weight training builds muscle, and muscle helps burn fat. As you age, you have less muscle to help you fight fat gains, so the more muscle you have the better you are able to burn that fat.
Do Cardio
If you want to get in shape at 50, then you need to be doing cardiovascular exercise in addition to Weight Training. In addition to burning calories and fat and helping you look better, cardiovascular exercise will also help your heart health, your lung health, your circulation, and many other health benefits.
Cardiovascular exercise also will help your endurance. You will be able to handle your strength training workouts better and get better results from them. You will also be able to handle daily living better and get more out of work, hobbies, etc.
For cardio, remember, it’s all relative to where you are in your journey. If you do nothing currently and you have a low level of health and fitness, then walking will suffice until you get into better shape. If you are physically able to work harder than walking, then you need to do something more than just walking, like jogging, running, elliptical, exercise bike, stair stepper, etc.
Find more specifics on cardio options in my article 9 Easy But Effective Workout Tips for Beginners.
Choose the Right Workout Program
Chances are, if you are near 50 years of age, then you probably aren’t trying to be a body builder and you are just wanting to get in great shape and look and feel good. With that in mind, you need to choose a workout program that is safe, efficient, and effective.
At 50, life is busy, so the days of spending 2 hours in the gym are probably over. Look for workouts that are 45 minutes or less and cover pretty much every body part. This way time is not wasted and you won’t miss working any specific areas of your body. My workouts at Hoover Fitness and via my Virtual Personal Trainer are all 45 minutes or less and cover every body part. We also superset exercises and do combination exercises which make them very efficient.
The other concern for working out at 50 is to have a workout program that is safe. The last thing you need in life at 50 is to be injured. But, you can get in great workouts that produce great results and great strength gains without getting injured. In our programs at Hoover Fitness and via my Virtual Personal Trainer, no one ever gets injured. The reason is because the moves are designed for the individual and can be adjusted to their limitations and also because we use dumbbells instead of bars and racks. The benefit of dumbbells is that they conform to your body’s movements, whereas a bar requires more that you conform to it.
There are lots of great programs out there. I recommend finding something to follow that uses dumbbells, is not competition based, and that works multiple body parts per workout.
Choose the Right Diet Plan
To get in shape you need to eat right. But you also need to choose a diet plan that is realistic and that will set you up for success, not failure. At 50, you have a lot going on in life and the last thing you want to do is go on some strict diet that makes your life even more complicated. And not to mention the last thing you want to have to do at 50 is give up foods you love!
With the diet, start simple and with small changes. People fail on their diets because they change too much too fast and deprive themselves of everything and then they quit. And when they quit, they quit everything, including their exercise.
Find ways to cut calories without being miserable. One way to do this is to take something that you normally eat and replace it with something that you like that has less calories. Then it becomes relative to what you normally eat, not relative to what the actual food item is.
Skip a meal. Yes, skip a meal. This is by far the easiest way to cut calories. The bottom line is your calories in vs. calories out. You have already increased the calories out by your exercise, so find ways to reduce the calories in. The bigger the deficit is each day, the faster you get results. You don’t have to eat 5 times per day, and you don’t have to eat breakfast. Never eat because you think you have to.
Avoid snacking. Grab a cup of coffee or a piece of gum. Cut out those snacks and you have cut out those calories.
So, make simple changes and cut calories. At 50, make it your goal to eat good, not great. Enjoy life, but still get results.
If you really want to live your best life at 50 and enjoy life in the process, read my latest eBook, Calorie Budgeting 101. It is a quick read and the ultimate diet guide for the person who wants results and still wants to eat the foods they love and enjoy life.
Take the Right Supplements
There are a lot of supplements that can help you get in shape at 50. Supplements will help you get more out of your workouts and diet. Supplements also are an easy way to boost your results and health without having to work harder. At 50, it is important that you take the right supplements for this stage of life and for your personal health and fitness goals. Don’t just grab something on display at Walmart or something that the kid at the nutrition store says that he takes.
There are a lot of quality supplements out there that can help you get results in the gym and with your diet. While there are a lot of great supplements on the market today, I am going to talk about the supplements that I take and recommend professionally to my clients that are near the age of 50. As always, do your own research. But if you want my professional opinion, then I would advise these.
As for workout performance supplements, I personally take and professionally recommend Prestige Labs products. One specific supplement that I personally take and recommend for 50 year olds is Prestige Recovery, which helps recovery from workouts and ultimately aids in muscle improvements. At 50, if you have let yourself go and gotten out of shape, then your energy is probably low and you will struggle with your workouts. To combat that struggle, I recommend Prestige Energy. If you are looking for something to help you lose weight and burn body fat without having to do anything other than take a product, then take a look at the Prestige Heat and the Prestige Crush. These are two of the most popular products we sell in our weight loss workout programs. Check out all of their amazing products by clicking HERE.
As for health-type supplements, I recommend Juice Plus+ fruits and vegetable capsules. I have personally been taking Juice Plus+ for almost 20 years and it is a great way to get real, whole food nutrition without having to eat a ton of calories. The recommended amount of fruits and vegetables is 7-13 servings of raw fruits and vegetables per day. If you eat this amount, then you will reap amazing health benefits, including heart health, feeling better, better immune system, and much more. The problem is that it is impossible to physically eat that amount. Plus the cost and the calories would be way too high. Juice Plus+ gets you this amount of fruits and vegetables daily, in a capsule! learn more at by clicking HERE.
Have the Right Mindset
The problem that I have seen the most in my 25 years of working in health and fitness is that as people age and get out of shape, they develop a mindset that the damage is done and it’s too late to get in shape. Or if they try to get in shape, they think that it has to be an all or nothing perfect diet and exercise plan.
The key is to have the right mindset. Know that it’s never too late to do the right thing. Also, understand that your results are relative to your current status. All you have to do is make progressive improvements and work harder than you currently are working.
At this point in life, you have a lot going on, and you are going to eat bad and miss workouts. The key is to get back on track after you do. Eating bad and missing a workout shouldn’t mean that you quit everything. It should be a part of your plan. Work hard and eat better on a consistent basis, and cheat and take days off when needed. Just avoid quitting all-together whenever you fall off.
Make your health and fitness a priority. Make health and fitness a nonnegotiable part of your life, like work, and set long-term, but realistic expectations.
If you really want to dive into the mindset aspect of all this and see how you can easily win the battle in your mind that has been holding you back with your health and fitness all these years, read my eBook.
Final thoughts
You can be in the best shape of your life at 50. It’s nowhere near too late to get in shape. Working out and taking care of yourself is the fountain of youth. It is the closest thing to reversing the aging process. Workout with weights, do cardio, budget your calories, and do everything you need to do to get in great shape and your quality of life improves drastically. You will feel better, sleep better, have more energy, go to the doctor less, and just be able to do more in life. The results are endless.
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by jc | Nov 17, 2023 | Diet/Nutrition, homepage, weight loss, Workouts
Jump-start some serious results and get in shape fast!
Do you want to get in shape fast? Are you already working out? Do you already do some form of strength training? If not, then you really don’t need to read much further, you simply need to get started and you will see results no matter what you do! Remember, it’s all relevant to your current situation. If you do already do some type of strength training exercise though, and you have hit a rut, or simply just want to boost results, then these 3 EASY TIPS will help you.
1. START RUNNING
The first of our 3 easy tips to get in shape fast is to start running.
Now, I know, immediately some of you had all these running-defense mechanisms pop up telling you why you can’t run. I’m sure there is a long list of reasons why not. And, for some of you, this may be true. But… for most of you, you can run, even if you don’t think that you can. If you can handle running to any degree, then you should strongly consider it.
How much running? That answer is easy – simply more than you already are doing. But, to be more specific, it would be good to do a plan, such as a couch-to-5k type plan. Or a plan to get up to 2 miles. Don’t worry about getting into “running” and running long distances. The goal here is still to try to stay under 30 minutes of high intensity cardio, but just to make that cardio running.
I also think a treadmill running plan is great. The benefit of the treadmill is that it makes you work hard. When you are running outside, sometimes your body will automatically slow down when you get tired, but when you are on a treadmill, you have only two options, do what the treadmill does, or get off. Basically, it is harder to cheat on the treadmill.
(For a FREE progressive treadmill running plan, click HERE and request treadmill running plan)
Note: I am not saying get into running for sport and running long distances. Running for sport is different and can wear your body down and cause chronic problems. I am saying running for cardio and trying to keep it to like 3 miles or less on a regular basis. If you stay in this zone, you will avoid joint problems and other problems.
If you take a look at those people who are in good shape, or those who have seen the results that you would like to see, then you will see that one common denominator usually is that they run, in addition to strength training. Myself included.
If you want to run, but honestly can’t due to physical reasons, then try another form of cardio, just make sure the intensity is high and that you are working hard! The reason that I recommend running is because it is an easy way to work hard. It is very efficient. But, if you can work hard on another machine, then by all means, go for it. Just make sure it is as difficult as running.
2. CUT SOMETHING OUT OF YOUR REGULAR DIET
The second of our 3 easy tips to get in shape fast is to cut something out of your regular diet.
You don’t have to eat all the time! I know, you are probably thinking about everything that you have heard about having to eat every few hours to keep your metabolism going, etc., but you don’t! I see so often people eat just because they think they have to or they think that if they don’t eat then they will starve or they will lose their muscle, or even worse, they will tell themselves that they have to eat so they can justify eating and not have to have as much discipline.
When it comes to health and fitness, everyone seems to freak out a little and think that if they don’t eat that something bad will happen. People always tell me that if they don’t eat then their metabolism will slow down. So what do they do? They go and add all these extra calories that they now have to burn.
You can look at it like this – Jane wants to reduce her caloric deficit by 300 calories per day. She hears that if she doesn’t eat then her metabolism will slow down. Her goal was to burn an extra 300 calories per day. But, since she doesn’t want to slow down her metabolism, she eats a 300 calorie snack between meals or a 300 calorie meal that she didn’t want because she didn’t want to slow down her metabolism. The way I look at it is that any amount you slow down your metabolism by not eating (which I do not believe to be all that true) is definitely not 300 calories worth of slow down. The benefits of eating when she thought she had to were not 300 calories worth!
Another way to look at it is to think about fasting. I used to think it was bad for me not to eat, and then I started fasting for spiritual reasons and then after many long fasts I realized that if fasting wasn’t bad for me when I did it spiritually then why was it bad for me when I did it for diet reasons??? Your body can go a long time without eating. And a lot less of your energy than you think is derived from food. I am not telling you not to eat, but what I am doing is trying to inform you that you don’t have to eat as much as you probably think and that it’s ok to skip a meal to save hundreds of calories!
This tip is just one of many in my Calorie Budgeting System. If you really want to get in shape fast, read my short eBook, Calorie Budgeting 101.
3. DO SOMETHING EVERY DAY FOR 21 DAYS
The third of our 3 easy tips to get in shape fast is to do something every day for 21 days.
Years ago, I started The 21 Day Fast Blast at Hoover Fitness. The goal of the 21 Day Fat Blast was for people to workout 21 straight days. The results were great, but the real success was that it developed a habit of working out and exercising for people. After the 21 Days, going down to 4 to 5 days per week wasn’t a problem.
The important thing here is to develop the habit. If you can do it for 21 days straight, then you will prove to yourself that you can do 4-5 times per week on a regular basis and that you will be able to finally incorporate exercise into your lifestyle and rise above your previous excuses and limiting factors.
The other part of 21 days straight is that it can help you get fast results because you will be doing more in those 21 days than you normally have been doing, even if you have been working out regularly. If you are working out 3 or 4 days per week consistently and you are stuck in a rut and not seeing great results, 21 straight days could get you out of it.
Need ideas or workouts to follow for your 21 days? My Virtual Personal Trainer will deliver them to your inbox daily and comes with easy to follow instructions and video demonstrations.
Final Thoughts
Get in shape fast by running or improving your cardio, by cutting out something from your diet, and by trying 21 straight days. If you are looking for more results, that means that there is something missing from your routine or you are doing something wrong with your diet or exercise and you need to change something. These are 3 easy changes you can make that will get you results and set you up for more results in the future.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MAILING LIST and get FREE weekly tips and advice that we guarantee will help you on your health and fitness journey!
by jc | Nov 13, 2023 | homepage, weight loss
Do you want to avoid holiday weight gain? If so, then now is the time to put your foot on the throttle…..
How would you like to wake up January 1st in the same shape you are now, or even better? As opposed to being in worse shape than you are now and having to work it all off and start the year with the usual uphill battle?
Most people start to fall off the diet and exercise wagon right around Thanksgiving. They eat bad at Thanksgiving, then they look at December and the holidays approaching and that little diet and exercise devil says to them, “life is just too crazy the next 6 weeks, so just wait until January to get back to the gym and eating good. You’ll be fine.”
Then you wake up on January 1st, with an uphill battle because you are further away from your goals than you are even today. Which makes it even harder to get results, thus increasing your chances to quit and go even further backwards.
Remember this – December should be the month that you go to the gym the most! Not the least. Think of it like money. Do you quit working on your most expensive months? We all know there will be holiday eating and times you have to miss exercise and eat bad. So, it is even more important that you eat good on the days that you aren’t eating bad and exercise on the days that you don’t have to miss.
So, take the holidays and enjoy them. Eat bad. Travel, go to parties, miss workouts, etc. But take a look at all the days when you don’t have to eat bad and miss your workout and cardio. On those days, be super-dedicated and do everything you are supposed to do. Chances are, if you do this, you will avoid holiday weight gain. You will not only break even during the next 6 weeks, but you will probably GET AHEAD! – And, you’ll be able to enjoy the holidays guilt free!!!
Below are 5 easy tips to help you avoid holiday weight gain. Apply these 5 easy tips to avoid holiday weight gain immediately and you will get ahead and stay ahead during the next several weeks and you won’t have to start the new year behind and with some crazy resolution – you will already be there!
1. Change Your Mindset
Stop thinking that the damage is done and that there is no point to even try during the holiday season. That thinking will only set you back further. Don’t throw in the towel during this time. It will only make it worse in January. Change your mindset from the damage is done thinking to it doesn’t have to be perfect during the holidays thinking. Make the most of the situation. If you follow my diet and exercise teaching and my Calorie Budgeting System, you will see how I budget for good and bad on a regular basis. The holiday season is no different, there is just a little more bad than normal.
2. Work Your Calendar
The holidays can be a very busy season. You have a lot going on, so it is important to schedule things on a calendar. Hopefully you use a calendar to organize and schedule the important things in your life. Your diet and exercise should be important to you and should be included on your calendar.
Look at your calendar on a weekly basis from Thanksgiving to New Years. Each week, mark all the events that you have that would keep you from exercising or that would make you eat bad. Then take all the other days and schedule exercise on them and eat good on those days. It is fairly simple, you just have to hold yourself accountable on those days.
Note: if you are a busy person on a regular basis, take a look at these Health and Fitness Tips for Busy People.
3. Do Your Workouts
It doesn’t matter if you have missed lately or how crazy your schedule is. At Hoover Fitness we have 16 classes per week available. Chances are you can make more classes during the next 6 weeks than you did during the previous 6 weeks! If you can’t make those classes or you are at another gym, you can follow the workouts on our Virtual Personal Trainer. You can even do those at home.
If you don’t workout already, now is a great time to start. Don’t wait until January to start. There will never be a perfect time to start. Check out these Workout Tips for Beginners to help you get started.
4. Do Cardio
Now is the time to start a cardio plan to do in addition to your workouts. With Cardio, you will greatly increase your chances for results. During the holidays, you will be consuming more calories than normal. Cardio will help you burn more calories than just doing your workouts only. Think of it like an extra job. If you are spending more money than normal, then you can get an extra job to pay for the extra expenses. Cardio is like a job and the calories you eat are like your extra expenses. During the holidays, not only do cardio, but do extra cardio to pay for the extra calories.
For cardio, my advice is to work hard for 15-20 minutes. If you are working hard enough, 15 minutes on a regular basis is plenty. Often times people walk or do something easy for 45 minutes or an hour and get nothing really from it. Their mind tells them that they are working hard because they went so long, but the reality is that there is a reason they were able to go so long – it was easy. My best advice that I can give for cardio is that it is not how far you go or how long you go, it’s how hard you work. The holiday season is a busy season and you are limited in the amount of time you have anyways. So make the most of it and work hard during the limited time that you have.
5. Eat good when you are not eating bad
Thanksgiving through the entire holiday season, you are going to eat bad. And that is ok! My goal is not to tell people that they cannot eat bad, it is to show people how they can eat bad and still get results.
It is important that you take advantage of the times that you aren’t eating bad and be sure to eat good during those times. Cut calories during the times you are not eating bad. Think of it like saving money. Save the calories for the bad eating. Don’t waste them on the good eating.
If you want to learn how to easily budget your calories to be able to enjoy foods that you love, check out my eBook, Calorie Budgeting 101.
Final Thoughts
Take a serious look at the next 6 weeks. Make this the year that you avoid holiday weight gain. You can enjoy all the good stuff that comes during this time, and still get results. You don’t have to quit during this time. I promise, you will not regret it. The only chance of regret is by throwing in the towel and waiting until January to do something.
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by jc | Nov 8, 2023 | Diet/Nutrition, Workouts
In this article, you will find 11 senior health and fitness tips that are all very doable, user-friendly, safe, and meet realistic and attainable expectations. Seniors need to exercise, and eat decent, but it doesn’t have to be as difficult as you may think. We will walk you through easy to follow tips that literally anyone can apply and we will show you how to progress one step further in your journey to better senior health and fitness. These tips will show the path that can help seniors feel better, sleep better, prevent injury, recover from injury faster, improve their immune system, and have more energy!
1. It’s Never Too Late To Get Started
I once heard someone say that it’s never too late to do the right thing, which is true for all aspects of life. So, It’s never too late to get started on the path to better senior health and fitness. A lot of times people reach a certain age and think that it’s too late and the damage is done, etc. You have to remember that your health is not stagnant. If you are not proactive and you do nothing to improve your health, it will go backwards. So, when people reach a certain age and they throw in the towel and do nothing to for their health and fitness, they start a steady decline, which leads to becoming overweight, feeling bad, no strength, no energy, limitations in daily living, and constant health problems. Again, it’s not too late. Your health and fitness can be improved in simple progressive steps, so keep reading to find out how!
2. Get enough fruits and veggies
Adults are recommended to eat 7-13 servings of raw fruits and vegetables every day. Although the meat and 3 at the local restaurant tastes very good, chances are those “3” aren’t counting too much towards your 7-13 servings. You need fresh, healthy vegetables. Preferably raw and not with tons of butter, cheese, sugar, and other ingredients added to them. The benefits to eating more fruits and vegetables are incredible. Eating more fruits and vegetables can greatly improve your immune system, help with joint pain and inflammation, help with heart health, help prevent disease, and many more benefits, including feeling better! I know what you are thinking – “I eat my fruits and vegetables and I take my vitamins.” But remember, the meat and 3 veggies probably aren’t the best for you and definitely aren’t enough, and that multi-vitamin probably isn’t cutting it. Take a look at this article from time magazine which basically states that vitamins can do more harm than good, or at least be a waste of money. So, to ensure that I get enough fruits and vegetables, I turn to whole-food nutrition. Since it is virtually impossible to eat 7-13 servings of raw fruits and veggies every day, I take Juice Plus+ fruit and vegetable whole food nutrition capsules. This is by far the easiest part of my diet. Juice Plus ensures that I get 7-13 servings of raw fruits and vegetables every day, regardless of what I eat. While I still eat a decent amount of fruits and vegetables in my diet, I don’t get anywhere near the 7-13 servings of raw fruits and vegetables that are recommended. Plus, this allows me to concentrate more on calories when it comes to my diet.
If you are really serious about being healthy and preventing health problems, spend a little time on my Juice Plus+ page and learn more about the importance of fruits and vegetables. We take our health for granted and we also do not realize how far off we are on a daily basis in terms of our fruit and vegetable intake. Juice Plus+ is the only nutritional product that I personally take or recommend. My wife and I have been taking it for several years and we rarely get sick, and when we do, we recover quickly. Our senior parents take it as well, and our children all take it and it seems that they all keep up good health.
3. Balance Protein, Carbs, and Fat
You need all three of these nutrients to some extent. Don’t stress too much over this, but do try to get a good balance of them, especially protein and carbohydrates. As you age, you start to lose your muscle mass and strength. Protein (along with exercise) can help combat muscle loss. As for carbohydrates, they give you fuel. You need them for energy. With carbs, try to have complex carbs, such as brown rice, whole grains, etc. These types of carbs will give you more sustainable energy than simple carbs such as sugars and sweets. But remember, carbs are fuel, so you need to stay active so you can burn this fuel and then replenish and repeat! As for fat, don’t stress too much about fat, just try to keep it moderate. Try to choose foods lower in fats and you will not only be reducing your fat intake, but you will also be reducing your caloric intake, since low-fat and fat-free foods usually have less calories.
4. Drink enough water
Water is one of the few things in life that has all positive qualities and no real negative qualities. Make sure you are drinking enough water. How much? The answer is easy – more than you currently are! Water will help you feel better, have more energy, keep you hydrated, help your muscles function, help you feel full, help your skin, and many, many other benefits. Not to mention, water is calorie-free and most importantly, when you are drinking water, you are not drinking whatever else you would drink, which is definitely worse for you than water!
5. Eat junk food!
What???? That is not a typo! This is my favorite senior health and fitness tip. You need to eat some junk food. You need to splurge. Food = Happiness, and if you are happy, you will do better longer. Strict diets lead to failure. If you deprive yourself of the foods you love, then you will eventually throw in the towel and quit and turn to eating junk food all the time. So, do good most of the time, not all of the time. And regularly choose to splurge and eat dessert and other foods that are bad for you. Just do it in moderation. Try to do more good than bad. Try to eat good the majority of the time, but not all the time. This is the foundation to the Calorie-Budgeting System. Learn this easy to follow system and you will see just how easy it is to get results and be healthy and still be able to eat junk food!
6. Start progressive exercise
Everyone needs to exercise, regardless of age or anything else. If you start exercising, you will feel better, sleep better, have more energy, get injured less, have better mobility and balance, and so on. With exercise, take baby steps. Do this progressively. You don’t have to start with the most drastic, over the top exercise. Just do more than you currently are doing and increase it over time. Take baby steps and consistently make improvements progressively over time. It’s all relative to you, not to what you saw on TV or what your in shape friend tells you that they do. All you have to do is more than you currently are doing! If you need help with where to get started, check out this FREE GUIDE to help you get started on your health and fitness journey.
7. Include Weight training
Everyone needs to do resistance training. Which is usually weight training or some other form of resistance training, such as body weight exercises, bands, balls, etc. Weight training will improve your bone health, increase your strength, increase your energy, help you prevent injury, and helps you feel better. My best advice is to get with a trainer and learn how to exercise safely and effectively based on your goals and physical abilities. If you are in the Birmingham area, we have excellent senior personal training at Hoover Fitness and also via our In-Home Personal Training services. If you are not in the Birmingham area, we do offer online coaching and virtual workout plans – CONTACT US for more info.
8. Make sure to do Cardio
Cardiovascular training is necessary for everyone. Cardio will help your heart health, your energy and endurance, and also your mobility. Cardio could be literally anything that elevates your heart rate for an extended period of time. I think the best way to do cardio is progressively and to increase your level and intensity over time for 15-30 minutes. Remember though, the key to beneficial cardio is having some degree of intensity. Not so intense that you cannot last more than a minute or few minutes, but at a level that you are out of your comfort zone and can make it 15-30 minutes. If you walk, try to walk faster or jog. If you jog, try to run. You can also do machines, like the bike or elliptical. Just remember to give yourself some degree of difficulty. Don’t just log minutes. Put in some work! If it’s easy, it probably isn’t helping any!
9. Get Enough Sleep
Try to get enough sleep! Lack of Sleep (and Stress) will kill your immune system. One easy way to improve your sleep is exercise! The more you exercise, the more your body will want to sleep and recover. Another tip for sleeping better is to eat further away from your bedtime. This way your body will concentrate on sleeping instead of digesting and processing your food. The more active you are and the better you eat, the better you will sleep. And, the better and more sleep you get, the better you feel!
10.. Boost your Immune system
It is important to boost your immune system. If you are sick all the time, you can’t be consistent with your health journey. Get sick less! Recover from illness faster! How do you boost your immune system? Juice Plus+ is one great way to do it. But you can also boost your immune system by following these 11 senior health and fitness tips. Exercise more, eat less junk, reduce stress, sleep more, eat 7-13 servings of raw fruits and vegetables every day, drink lots of water, stay active, and so on.
11. Take Control of Your Health
Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? It’s time you take control of your health and the way you feel. You have probably been living life being led by your symptoms. You wake up and what you do is determined by how you feel. You let your health symptoms determine what you can do. If you follow these tips, you can take control. YOU CAN LEAD!
Do what you want to do and let your health follow. Not the other way around. At first, you will have a ceiling of how much you can do and how good you can feel, but as you reach that ceiling, it rises, and over time you can do more and you can feel even better. It is progressive and continual, but as long as you keep on going, you will keep on improving.
Final Senior Health and Fitness Thoughts
Senior Health and Fitness doesn’t have to be just for those who have been healthy and in shape their entire life. It can be for you too, no matter where you are in life. Remember, whatever your health and fitness looks like, it can improve. Don’t wait – there will never be a perfect time. No more excuses. Everyone can do something. It is never too late to improve and feel better. Don’t throw in the towel. No matter who you are or how old you are, you can make improvements and feel better.
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