CRUNCH TIME~My Senior Exercise Plan 2024; #2

An expanding waistline is sometimes considered a price of getting older. For women, this can be especially true as body fat tends to shift to the abdomen after menopause.

That extra belly fat does more than just make it hard to zip up a favorite pair of jeans, though. Research shows that belly fat carries serious health risks. But the threats posed by belly fat can be lowered.

How much a person weighs depends in large part on four things:

Calories taken in each day/calories burned off each day: People who regularly eat and drink more calories than they burn each day are more likely to gain extra weight, including belly fat.

Age: Getting older also makes a difference. People lose muscle as they age. And the problem is worse for those who are not physically active. Loss of muscle mass decreases how quickly the body uses calories. That can make it more challenging to maintain a healthy weight.

Many women notice an increase in belly fat as they get older even if they don't gain weight. This is likely due to a lower level of estrogen because estrogen seems to have an effect on where fat is located in the body.

Genetics: Genes can contribute to an individual's chances of being overweight or obese too. It also plays a role in where the body stores fat.

Ready to start …

Clipped onto my yoga pants waistband … and slipped onto my right forefinger = this morning's starting oxygen & heart rate.

Ready, set, GO ;-)

No register at all on the power stride monitor! Walking 500 steps on the stepper should have s.o.m.e.t.h.i.n.g. showing. The pulse oximeter showed oxygen & heart rate slightly elevated; a little breathless, but lungs, nor heart, were stressed to painful.

So, this will not work on the stepper - only actual walking about (while making the bed, my steps were monitored) : I'll wear it while walking around the house, shopping, ect … if activities involve walk-about-walking, this thing will be registering my steps ;-)

5 Exercises for Seniors to Lose Belly Fat: 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQvhi408vAA)

The trouble with belly fat is that it's not limited to the layer of padding just below the skin - belly fat also crowds deep inside the abdomen, and surrounds the internal organs.

Regardless of a person's overall weight, having a large amount of belly fat raises the risk of: (1) high blood pressure (2) an unhealthy amount of fat in the blood (3) sleep apnea (4) heart disease (5) high blood sugar and diabetes (6) some cancers (7) stroke (8) fatty liver (9) early death from any cause.

To see if your belly fat is a concern, measure your waist:

Stand and place a tape measure around your bare stomach, just above your hipbone.

Pull the tape measure until it fits snugly, but it doesn't push into the skin. Make sure the tape measure is level all the way around.

Relax, exhale and measure your waist. Don't suck in your stomach as you measure.

For women, a waist measurement of more than 35 inches (89 centimeters) signals an unhealthy amount of belly fat and a greater risk of health problems. In general, though, the greater the waist measurement, the higher the health risks.

You can strengthen and tone abdominal muscles with crunches or other exercises focused on your belly. But doing those exercises alone won't get rid of belly fat. The good news is that the deep-rooted fat responds to the same diet and exercise strategies that can help get rid of other extra pounds and lower total body fat. Try these tips: (1) eat a healthy diet - the majority of the foods on your plate should be plant-based, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (2) choose lean sources of protein; fish & low-dairy products (3) limit processed foods - as well as cheeses and butter (4) choose serving portions wisely; cut down, even when making healthy choices: calories add up (5) replace sugary beverages - drink more water (6) get active: for most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, for at least 150 minutes a week or vigorous aerobic activity, such as jogging, for at least 75 minutes a week. Strength training exercises are recommended at least twice a week.

If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you might need to exercise more.

Losing belly fat takes effort and patience. To lose extra fat and keep it from coming back, aim for slow and steady weight loss.

FLEXIBILITY~My Senior Exercise Plan 2024; #1 https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2024/01/flexabilitymy-senior-exercise-plan-2024.html

FLEXIBILITY~My Senior Exercise Plan 2024; #1

With age, bones tend to shrink in size and density, weakening them and making them more susceptible to fracture - we have a high energy puppy; he is always darting about, and seems to take a perverse delight in dogging my feet, or stopping suddenly right in front of me.

I'm 67 years … I've never had any broken bones, and I don't want them now. With such a little jokester always under foot, I need to make sure my bones have the strength to survive Bleu ;-)

You might even become a bit shorter: please, NO. I'm already short.

Muscles generally lose strength, endurance and flexibility — factors that can affect your coordination, stability and balance: whole body toning is seriously necessary - thankfully I have always worked my body, and am still in pretty good shape. But since getting married a year ago, I've slacked off: I can be (and do) better.

I read online this morning, that for a woman my age, and my height  … 5’2” = 104–136 "ideal weight"; I laughed out loud. Even when I was much, much younger I was packing more weight than that - and less booby. NOW, my boob weight is about 1/3 of my "ideal weight" according to the medical field; if I shot for the charted "ideal" weight, I'd resemble an aging meth-mimic-cadaver with inflated chest balloons ;-)

If you do want to shed a few pounds, start by setting a realistic goal. My realistic goal is somewhere around 150 pounds - I'd be happy with that: at this age, I look reasonably good at that weight, I have clothes to fit that weight (and I would like to wear them again) … and I wouldn't be trying to kill myself trying to meet the medical profession's ridiculous {goal}.

Arms, torso, & legs workout aids ;-)

Get Rid Of Bat Wings And Go Sleeveless At Sixty:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOlcqXdmk9U)

I was happily enjoying my stepper this morning before Holland woke up (and counting my steps - so I didn't answer back when he woke up and said 'good morning': I nodded ;-)); I have a heart arrhythmia, so I don't stress it any more than necessary: when I reach a certain point in exercising, I stop for a bit … and pick it up again later, if my heart rate and breathing have leveled out - heart and lung issues has been a lifelong thing: I have learned to pace myself, no matter what I am doing. When I finally counted 500 steps, and my heart rate was a little racy and my breathing a little labored - I quit, put the stepper aside, kissed my husband and explained why I didn't verbally respond earlier.

It can be normal to have a higher heart rate when you’re exercising. A high heart rate during exercise is considered safe as long as you do not go above your maximum heart rate.

Because I have a heart rhythm of *beat, beat, pause, beat ..*, and asthma - which causes my heart to race after using the inhaler, I don't get too concerned about heart rates: but, when I exercise, I pay attention; and I am using a fingertip 'Pulse Oximeter' while exercising.

Maximum heart rate varies from person to person, but in general, you can figure out your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220: so, my maximum heart rate is 153.

I am also using my 'Power Stride' step counter while using my stepper.

Based on an average step length of 2-1/2 feet, there are approximately 2,000 steps in 1 mile. You can use step-counting devices, such as pedometers and accelerometers, to help count your daily steps and set an appropriate daily step goal. So for the average walker, 60 minutes of walking would rack up nearly 8,000 steps. This aligns well with general step targets. Many fitness trackers and health organizations recommend aiming for at least 8,000-10,000 steps per day for health benefits.

Steps Gauge & Heart Rate Monitor.

I figure I managed 20,000 steps today with the stepper this morning, 2 hours speed walking through Wal*Mart this afternoon, and a half hour walking back and forth through the house putting things away when we got home: every step counts ;-)

FLEXIBILITY ~Pacific Coast-WA

The day dawned beautifully - and warmly, so we ditched the Plans we had made for today, and played hooky :-)

A beautiful day at the Pacific Coast; view from open front door, around 7 A.M.

I made contact with a dear friend around 8:30 A.M., while Holland shook the cobwebs from his sleepy thoughts:

I hope to see Karen when we pass through Tennessee; we are sticking to the goal of seeing every State … but we aren't going to be ridged about schedules ;-)

The GOAL is to have fun while we are road gypsies.

Elohim had blessed me greatly with the friends He has graced me with.

Holland's shoulder was on fire, so we decided to spend some time at the beach - I drove.

The ocean breeze was pleasantly warm, and blew gently over our skin; the day was a perfect day on the beach :-)

I love my big guy :-)

Bleu enjoyed the day's freedom, too.

The waves were lazy gentle rolls, this afternoon …

We watched a big, long-tailed kite wave it's lazy tail ;-)

Nat King Cole - 'Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer' song:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRmEZMAfD3Y)

We had to keep an eye on Bleu, around stuff like this …

Time to go home after a few hours …

We finished off the last of the tuna steaks; Holland breaded them, tonight. Very tasty.

Tomorrow, we can get back to chores and tasks that need doing - but tonight, we are just going to enjoy being ;-)