Dr. Oz has dire news for women over 40

On the December 27, 2010 show (originally aired 9/27) Dr. Oz talks about women turning 40 and he says something to the effect that after 40 you are walking towards death!  No - say it isn’t so.  He talks about a metabolism meltdown.  I am sure many women in New York watching the show got depressed fast - your belly gets bigger, you are hungry, but really need to eat less just to maintain your weight, and it is much tougher to lose weight.  After 40 women have a metabolic slowdown where your metabolism will decrease by 5% every ten years.  Did you also know that after the age of 30 muscle mass begins to decline (and men this goes for you too).  Most of us didn’t know that and never probably noticed a difference.  What you might have noticed was a slight weight gain which then for many women accelerates after 40.

OK so where is the good news?  Triathlons and a better diet (not going on a diet).  Well maybe not just triathlons, but more strenuous exercise can help women turn back the clock.  Don’t let your age define who you are and who you can be.   Dr. Oz talked about mitochondria - powerhouse of the cell - slowing down and shutting off.  Exercise builds mitochondria.  To really get the benefit you need to exercise at 80% of your max heart rate.  That means you are exercising so that you cannot say a sentence without taking a breath in the middle.  In addition you do need to eat fewer calories by just making small changes - strive to save 100 calories a day.  For me that is giving up an extra scoop of ice cream!

Women tend to be hungrier in their 40’s because estrogen levels have dropped off.  The body looks for alternatives one of which is belly fat cells.  To combat the hunger Dr. Oz suggest soluble fiber to fill you up and keep you satisfied.  1 cup of oatmeal, 1 cup of brown rice or a bowl of raspberries are some great choices. Shoot for 25 grams a day.

Finally if you have not been doing strength training, you have lost muscle mass.  Woman over 40 should have engage in strength training.  This doesn’t mean you need to start pumping big iron.  There are great body weight exercises that you can do.  Dr. Oz showed the plank.  Our new family favorite is TRX.  You can get as a tough a workout as you want with this piece of equipment, check out my website for discounts. www.hislopdesigns.com

Back to triathlons - what a great way to combat turning 40.  If you participate in a local races in New York and the northeast you will see many women over 40 consistently finishing in the top 3 women overall!  The Southern Saratoga YMCA has a triathlon training program starting this Sunday - Jan 2.  That same day the Capital District YMCA is waiving their initiation fee.  Sign up for the program for $150 and get 7 weeks of training (5 days of coached workouts), entry into the SSY indoor triathlon, access to great coaches, and many new friends!  Call 371-2139 for info about the program and to sign up.

Starting thinking about 2011.  It is going to be a great year!


 

Do - Believe - Achieve

I chose these words for my website and this blog because to get where you want to be you need to 'do'.  This is a great time of year to create your 'do' list.  Will it be a triathlon, a half or full marathon, a snow shoe race, a bike ride to raise money for a charity, conquering your fear of taking a spin or zumba class, losing 20 (or any amount) pounds, or climbing one of the 46 high peaks.  Once you chose what you will do (note will) then you need to believe you can do it.  I will profile some great folks who live in the Capital District region who have chosen to do and believe and they are achieving!

If you would like to be profiled drop me a line. 

So what is on my 'do' list for 2011.  One thing I have never done is a bicycle race.  My major accidents training for triathlons have been on the bike!  I always seem to go down on my head (luckily good helmets were always between me and the road).  My last mishap was in Boulder, CO while I was training for Ironman Florida. A car and I met on the road - young driver not paying attention.  I went over his hood and he took my bike for a drag across the road.  I landed on my head and shoulder - ligament damage kept me off the bike for a while and then fear kept me off a bit longer.  I am fine riding in groups now and race triathlons (no drafting means you are not shoulder to shoulder with anyone).  However a bike race is a draft environment.  I treat others riders on the road like cars - not much trust there.  So I have added a bike race to my 'do' list and now I must believe.  I must believe in my own cycling ability, I must believe and trust in the cyclists around me, and I must believe the training I put in will get me across the finish line. 

You may wonder if it really works - do - believe - achieve.  Just over a year ago I filled out an application for a LUNA Chix team.  I believed that I could create a great team and that LUNA would benefit from having a group in our area and that women would come to our events.  I wrote the application truly believing.  Well our LUNA Chix team held its first event last spring and went on to a great year - check out the link to our site.  Years ago I would not have believed that LUNA would have awarded a team, so why bother.  Just believing won't get you there alone - you need to do.  You need to take action.  Make a change.  You have a week before the we kick off 2011.  Get that 'do' list going!