Summer Living – Healthy Tips for the Season

Everybody loves summer, right?

Even this year, with so much of our routines disrupted, the sunshine and warm weather can lift our spirits and get us engaging in healthy living. Jogging, gardening, hiking, outdoor swimming… the options are endless with the longer days.

Summer is also a good time to remind ourselves about some healthy lifestyle choices. So, let’s review how to make the most of the season.

Hydrate yourself.

That’s right – warmer weather means we need to be even more vigilant about drinking plenty of water. Among the many benefits: It keeps us cooler.

Getting the right amount of water each day also helps increase our metabolism, which helps us lose weight and keep it off. Plus, drinking a glass before a meal helps us feel full faster, so we’re less likely to overeat.

Water is also good for digestion, healthy skin – and just about everything related to a healthy body.

Add cucumber slices or fruit to a pitcher to give a refreshing, light flavor.

Drink water even when you’re not thirsty. A good rule of thumb is to drink between a half-ounce and 1 ounce of water for every pound of body weight, according to WebMD.

Avoid the heat.

Enjoy your outdoor activities before the highest heat of the day. If you like to garden, for instance, get your digging done around breakfast time rather than in the afternoon. An evening walk or jog can be much more pleasurable than taking one in the hot middle of the day.

Wear sunscreen and hats.

Too much exposure ages the skin and can lead to skin cancers. Consumer Reports says 61 percent of people over 60 don’t use sunscreen. And skin cancers are up among Baby Boomers.

So, get something with an SPF between 30 and 50. Look for UVA and UVB protection. Reapply frequently, and don’t be stingy. If you’re concerned about allergies or toxicity, review labels carefully and discuss with your doctor.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends sunscreen and hats – along with staying in the shade, wearing clothing to the ankles, and wearing a long-sleeved shirt.

For a natural, do-it-yourself sunburn treatment, consider essential oils: peppermint, chamomile, tea tree and lavender; or oatmeal baths. Men’s Health recommends a spray made from 1 ounce pure aloe, 1 ounce coconut oil, 2 ounces of witch hazel, 5 drops of peppermint oil and 5 drops of lavender oil.

Win the Mosquito Wars.

Be sure to empty flower pots, buckets, and other water containers to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. Use outdoor repellents around the yard. Use yellow-hued outdoor lightbulbs, since they attract fewer pests.

To keep the bugs off your body, the CDC recommends mosquito repellent with 5 percent to 50 percent DEET as the best insect repellent. VeryWellFit.com recommends Off! Deep Woods Insect Repellent Avon Skin So Soft, Repel Tick Defense and other easily found items.

Remember to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables, avoid drinking too much alcohol, and get plenty of rest.

And we can provide plenty of suggestions for safe, healthy exercise – with us or on your own – so, don’t hesitate to ask us for suggestions.

Here’s to a safe and happy season!

Are you afraid of falling?

But you might not realize that you need a comprehensive fitness approach to improve balance. As we age, fitness programming is necessary that requires a focus on all the components of functional fitness, including mobility, muscular-skeletal, and cardio-respiratory.

“Falling is insidious among older adults and requires a more nuanced approach than training, say, just for strength,” says Christian Thompson, a leading expert in fall prevention and treatment for mature adults.

‘Moving and grooving is complicated.’

Christian is a kinesiology professor at the University of San Francisco and owner of a fitness consulting company, Thompson Fitness Solutions. He also recently launched Mobility Matters to
help active adults improve function, prevent falls, and move with confidence. He is an author and frequent speaker and serves on the International Advisory Board of the Functional Aging Institute (FAI).

Christian believes exercise is “top of the line, 100 percent necessary” for fall protection and healing.

Lisa Grace Wright, an FAI specialist and owner of Your Personal Best Training Studio in Corpus Christi, Texas, agrees.

“We like to say that moving and grooving is complicated,” Lisa says. “One form of moving, like walking, involves only one aspect of six possibilities required for fitness that’s going to help people keep from falling.”

For instance, you might think it’s enough to practice exercise drills for mobility and agility but neglect the need to increase your speed – which is also essential to improve balance, says Jackie Bachmeier, owner/trainer at Evolution Fitness & Wellness in Houston.

Falling once doubles your chance of falling again, the Centers for Disease Control says. And that can lead to fear, says Sharan Tash, owner of TASH Wellness for Women in Chicago.

“Some people, once they’ve fallen, they let that fear stop them from living their full lives,” Sharan says.

Variety of exercise helps

People over 50 who haven’t had problems with falling still often worry about it. Even active adults can fall, despite their athleticism.

Christian encourages focusing on all aspects of fitness to take care of ourselves, rather than just one – like staying limber, for instance, or jogging regularly.

“You have to be a jack of all trades” to treat the danger of falling, Christian says.

The upside of this? Functional workouts designed for variety and fun. So you’re less likely to get bored and frustrated. Variety builds success.

Talk to us about your fitness and function goals – and, yes, whatever worries you have about falling or anything else. We’re here to guide you through the right kind of fitness program to keep you safe, fit and active.

Fear of falling? Don’t let it hold you back.

How often in life have we been told to hurry up?

Drive faster!

Don’t be late!

Pick up the pace!

But with healthy living after age 50, the opposite is often best.

At the gym, we might naturally think we’re supposed to perform a movement as fast as we can. Maybe we’re competitive, or don’t want to look like we don’t know what we’re doing.

But in many exercises, including weightlifting and other resistance training, we should most times try to slow things down. Move methodically, and with intention, so you can make sure you’re performing the motion correctly. That will give you the most benefit and decrease your chance of injury.

Work with your trainer on balance – important for people over 50 to help avoid falls.

Talk with your trainer or someone else at your gym for more information. At Your Personal Best Training Studio, reply to this email or phone 361-857-5087 and our director of operations, Juan Guerrero, will call you back soon.

Other forms of exercise are great for us, too, and require a deliberate pace. Think about it: No one ever raced through a yoga class.

Meditation lowers blood pressure, stress, and inflammation. It can help with chronic pain and headaches, depression, anxiety, and insomnia, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says.

Studies show older people who meditate also see improvements in:

• Memory
• Cognitive decline
• Digestion
• Stress
• Loneliness

You don’t have to sit on the floor cross-legged. You can meditate in a chair or bed. You can listen to a meditation podcast at your volume, if that’s an issue, or find a class for other seniors. And guided meditations are helpful at this stage of life, because they provide cues to lead you through a section, so you’re not left wandering on your own.

Don’t assume your age means you can’t lift weights, practice yoga or meditate. Just discuss any concerns with the trainers or instructors, who are educated and experienced in making modifications for individual participants of all kinds.

Lifting, stretching, walking, we’ll help you find the movements that are right for you to do, and help you do them at the right speed.

Just don’t wait too long to get started. Let us hear from you today.