Stress and Your Health
www.trivita.com/13131138

There are four common causes of imbalance that affect our health:
•Trauma
•Toxins
•Deficiency
•Emotional distress
Stress triggers a flood of hormones that sacrifice healthy organs in order to solve the stress crisis. Chronic stress causes us to wear out and age prematurely.

According to the book, “Who Gets Sick?” stress is reducing the quality and quantity of life of most people in North America – including you! It strangles the joy and pleasure from your days and nights. It makes you miserable, and then it makes you sick. You become susceptible to diseases such as heart attacks, cancer and diabetes. Once you are sick, stress keeps you from responding as well to medical care. Yes, stress is a killer!

Know your enemy!
Stress is short for distress. Distress describes an unpleasant influence by forces outside or even inside your body trying to tear you apart; it can come from your environment, your body or even your thoughts.

Stress triggers the fight or flight mechanism. Your body will prioritize resources to meet specific demands of stress. In fight or flight, your body prepares to do battle or run away. Either of these actions will require fuel – and right now!

Where do you get that fuel? From organs you don’t need at that moment to survive.

So, if you are being chased by a lion, you don’t need digestion. Stress will take nutrients from digestion as fuel to meet this particular crisis. The same is true for other organs and systems: Stress will literally rob nutrients from your reproductive system, your bones, and aspects of your immune system, your nervous system and more – all in an attempt to survive.

Now, assuming you survive the stress, are the nutrients returned to those systems? No, not at first. They are taken out quickly and returned slowly, just in case there is another lion around.

Gradually, you begin to show signs of chronic stress that we call premature aging: your blood sugar becomes more difficult to control; your arteries begin to clog up with cholesterol; and your muscle and bone mass begins to melt away. Then, enzymes in your cells begin to turn off and caramelized sugars begin to damage your brain and nerves. You can’t think and you have no energy. Your body cannot stand that kind of stress and it breaks down.

Fighting back
This illustrates why we need nutrients from food and supplements to combat stress. The more nutrients we have “on board,” the less fuel your body will have to rob during a crisis.

The opposite of stress is homeostasis. So, while stress is constantly trying to pull you apart, homeostasis is constantly working to put you back together. Homeostasis is the priority process your body uses to combat stress. It requires nutrients to function. So, a key strategy for helping reduce the impact of stress is to take Healthy Aging nutrients (including a robust supply of Sublingual B-12) every day.

Rather than being just an isolated event, stress accumulates over time. A single stressful event can affect you for up to two years or more. Therefore homeostasis must be constant, relentless and dynamic in working to return you to a normal state. It must do this no matter which direction stress is pulling you.

Homeostasis is a very important process in our body and we need to support it in every way we can. Homeostasis encompasses all of our resources: our brain and nervous system, our immune system, our hormonal system and every other body function.
•Adaptogens support homeostasis in all body systems. Adaptogens are “non-specific” in that they help your body reclaim balance. Adaptogens are non-toxic at any level, so you can feel free to take an added serving of Adaptogen 10 Plus as needed in order to break the cycle of stress. A daily serving of adaptogens can help keep you calm and relaxed.
•A specific target of stress is the thyroid gland. Specific proteins found in Energy Now! support healthy thyroid function when stress creates thyroid imbalance.
Healthy Aging nutrients along with Adaptogen 10 Plus and Energy Now! can help protect against the relentless stress we all face. We need nutrients and nurturing; these lifesaving resources are found in the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness. Learn them and live them, and you will be able to resist the relentless killer: stress!

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Take Control of Your Health

•Practice deep breathing at least 20 minutes daily
•Exercise at least 30 minutes most days of the week
•Eat high protein foods; avoid sugar and caffeine
•Take Healthy Aging nutrients
•Use adaptogens to fight off the effects of stress
•Support your thyroid with Energy Now!

Learn More…

•Laugh Three Times and Call Me in the Morning
•Alcohol and Stress
•How Stressed Are You?
Upcoming Weekly Wellness Reports…

•Inflammation Hot Spots
•Vitamin D
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Inflammation Hot Spots

Bone is living tissue that is constantly undergoing a process called remodeling. In remodeling, cells called osteoclasts are breaking down old bone as cells called osteoblasts are replacing it with new tissue. Many factors can affect the remodeling process and leave you with bones that are less dense and more fragile.

Some factors that affect bone remodeling are:

• Advancing age
• Lack of sun exposure (important for producing Vitamin D), or, alternatively, supplementation with synthetic Vitamin D
• Diet low in calcium
• Diet high in sodium (increases the body’s loss of calcium through the urine)
• Smoking
• Lack of exercise

Why Exercise Is Good for Bones

Regular exercise helps build muscle, but it also helps maintain and increase bone strength. Exercise causes the muscle to contract against the bone. This action stresses or stimulates the bone and the bone becomes stronger and denser. The three main types of exercise are:

Aerobic (Cardiovascular) Exercise

In aerobic exercise, you continually move large muscles in the legs and buttocks. This action causes you to breathe more deeply and your heart to work harder pumping blood, thereby strengthening your heart and lungs. Examples include:

• Walking
• Jogging
• Running
• Aerobic dance
• Bicycling
• Swimming

Weight-Bearing Exercise

In weight-bearing exercises, your bones and muscles work against gravity and your feet and legs bear the weight. Your bones adapt to the weight and pull of the muscle during weight-bearing exercise by building more bone cells and becoming stronger. Examples include:

• Jogging
• Walking
• Stair climbing
• Dancing
• Soccer

Resistance Exercise (Strength Training)

Resistance exercises use muscle strength to improve muscle mass and strengthen bone. Examples include:

Weight lifting, using:

• Free weights
• Weight machines
• Elastic tubing
• Calisthenics, such as push-ups or chin ups

Tips for Beginning:

Aerobic or Weight-bearing Exercise

• Warm up for five minutes before activity. This can consist of stretches and a light walk.
• Start the activity slowly for the first five minutes.
• Slowly increase your intensity so that your heart rate increases to 60 to 70% of your maximum heart rate. Maximum heart rate equals 220 minus your age. To find your heart rate:
  • Place your index and middle finger over your pulse on your wrist or the side of your neck. Count your pulse for 15 seconds. Multiply this number by four; this is your heart rate
• Gradually increase your workout until you are working out at 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate for the entire 20-minute workout at least three days a week. Make sure to include 5-10 minute warm-up and cool down sessions.

Resistance Exercise

• Begin each exercise with very low weights and minimal repetitions.
• Slowly (over weeks) increase weight, never adding more than 10% in a given workout.
• Do these exercises 2-3 times a week. Allow for one day between each workout for your bones and muscles to rest and repair themselves.
• Gradually increase the number of repetitions to 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions with a rest period of 30-60 seconds between sets.
• Although stiffness the day after exercise is normal, if you are in pain, you did too much. Decrease the intensity or the duration of your exercise.

Before starting any type of exercise program, check with your doctor about any possible medical problems you may have that would limit your exercise program.

RESOURCES:
National Osteoporosis Foundation
http://www.nof.org/

The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
http://www.fitness.gov/

CANADIAN RESOURCES:
Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation
http://www.canorth.org/

Healthy Living Unit
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/pau-uap/fitness/

REFERENCES:
American Academy of Family Physicians. Available at: http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home.html.

The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. Available at: http://www.sportsmed.org/tabs/Index.aspx.

The Physician and Sportsmedicine

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. It helps the body absorb calcium and plays a crucial role in the growth and maintenance of strong, healthy bones. In children, adequate Vitamin D is important for the prevention of rickets. And in adults, Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with a greater incidence of hip fracture. Increased intakes of Vitamin D, on the other hand, have been associated with less bone loss in older women. This has led some researchers to believe that Vitamin D supplementation may help protect against fractures resulting from osteoporosis.

Recent research suggests that Vitamin D may play a role in a number of other conditions, as well. More research is needed to confirm the findings, though. For example, Vitamin D deficiency has been related to muscle weakness and pain. In one study, patients with low back pain received high doses of Vitamin D for three months, which resulted in significant improvement of their symptoms.

Also, there is some research to suggest that this supplement may play a role in cancer protection. Vitamin D receptors have been found in breast and prostate tissue, implying that such a link does exist. Additionally, there is some evidence hinting that low levels may play a role in the development of high blood pressure. There is also preliminary research suggesting that long-term Vitamin D supplementation decreases the risk of multiple sclerosis. Recent research also suggests that lower levels of Vitamin D are associated with a greater likelihood of developing upper respiratory infections, such as the common cold and flu.

People who are at a high risk for Vitamin D deficiencies are the elderly, those who get minimal sun exposure, or those who use sunscreen whenever outside. Also, people with conditions that may impact intestinal absorption, such as Crohn’s disease, are at risk.

In addition, infants that are breastfed only may require additional supplementation with Vitamin D starting within the first days of life. While the dietary reference intakes for Vitamin D remain the same, the American Academy of Pediatrics recently doubled the recommended daily dose of Vitamin D for infants, children, and adolescents from 200 to 400 IU per day. Requirements for pregnant women are the same as for healthy adults. Some believe that pregnant mothers should take more Vitamin D than recommended. However, such recommendations need to be discussed individually with a doctor.

According to most authorities, the recommended intakes for Vitamin D are:

Age (years)	Adequate Intake (IU/day)
1-50	200
51-70	400
70+	600

Here’s How:

Sources of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is found in some foods, but the main sources are milk and sunlight. The ultraviolet rays of the sun react with cholesterol present on the skin and create previtamin D3. This compound goes through a series of reactions involving the kidneys and the liver, and the final product is Vitamin D.

Most people’s bodies can manufacture enough Vitamin D with 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure two to three times per week. However, this synthesis is affected by age, season, latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog and skin pigmentation.

Other food sources of Vitamin D include:

Food	Serving size	Vitamin D content (IU)
Cod liver oil	1 tablespoon	1,360
Salmon, cooked	3½ ounces	360
Mackerel, cooked	3½ ounces	345
Sardines, canned in oil	3½ ounces	270
Milk, vitamin D fortified	1 cup	98
Margarine, fortified	1 tablespoon	60
Liver, beef, cooked	3½ ounces	30
Egg	1 large	25

Tips for Increasing Your Vitamin D Intake

• If you take a vitamin supplement, make sure it contains Vitamin D.
• Eat fish, especially fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel, 2-3 times per week.
• Drink Vitamin D-fortified milk.
• Get sun exposure, but be careful to watch for sunburn. Sunlight is a major cause of skin cancer. Fifteen summer minutes of sun exposure to face and arms will allow most persons to synthesize adequate Vitamin D and minimize the risk of skin damage. In most northern climates, winter sun is too obstructed and low in the sky to allow Vitamin D synthesis in the skin. Also, few people go outside without covering much of their body with clothes. In the winter, Vitamin D supplements or multiple servings of milk and fatty fish are necessary for good health.

RESOURCES:
International Food Information Council
http://www.ific.org/

National Coffee Association of USA
http://www.ncausa.org/

CANADIAN RESOURCES:
Canada’s Food Guide
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/

Dietitians of Canada
http://www.dietitians.ca/

REFERENCES:
Bowes and Church’s Food Values of Portions Commonly Used.17th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1998.

Dietary supplement fact sheet: vitamin D. National Institutes of Health website. Available at: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp . Accessed May 3, 2009.

Facts about Dietary Supplements. National Institutes of Health website. Available at: http://www.nih.gov/ .

Food and Nutrition Information Center. US Department of Agriculture website. Available at: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome .

Garrison RH, Somer E. The Nutrition Desk Reference. Keats Publishing; 1995.

Giovannoni G, Ebers G. Multiple sclerosis: the environment and causation. Curr Opin Neurol. 2007;20:261-268.

Ginde AA, Mansbach JM, Camargo CA. Association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and upper respiratory tract infection in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169:384-390.

Heath KM, Elovic EP. Vitamin D deficiency: implications in the rehabilitation setting [review]. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2006;85:916-923.

Michels KB, Mohllajee AP, Roset-Bahmanyar E, Beehler GP, Moysich KB. Diet and breast cancer: a review of the prospective observational studies. Cancer. 2007;109(Suppl 12):2712-2749.

Munger KL, Levin LI, Hollis BW, Howard NS, Ascherio A. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and risk of multiple sclerosis. JAMA. 2006;296:2832-2838.

Wagner CL, Greer FR. Prevention of rickets and vitamin D deficiency in infants, children, and adolescents. Pediatric. 2008;1221142-1152.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body’s liver and fatty tissues. This vitamin acts as both a vitamin and a hormone.

Vitamin D is found in some foods, but the main sources are Vitamin D-fortified milk and sunlight. The ultraviolet rays of the sun react with cholesterol present on the skin and create previtamin D 3. This compound goes through a series of reactions involving the kidneys and the liver, and the final product is Vitamin D.

Functions

Vitamin D’s functions:

• Plays a crucial role in the growth and maintenance of strong, healthy bones.
• Maintains normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus.

Adequate intake of Vitamin D may also reduce the risk of hypertension and several forms of cancer, including colon cancer and breast cancer.Recommended Intake

According to most authorities, the recommended intakes for Vitamin D are:

Age group (years)	Adequate Intake
	Females	Males
1 to 50	200 IU	200 IU
51 to 70	400 IU	400 IU
70 +	600 IU	600 IU

NOTE: A growing number of experts have expressed concerns that the standard intake recommendations may be too low. One review of studies published in The Journal of the American Medical Association in 2005 found that while 700-800 IU daily may reduce the risk of hip fractures, 400 IU is insufficient, and 600 IU is less than optimal.

Infants that are breastfed only may require additional supplementation with Vitamin D starting within the first two months of life. The recommended dose of Vitamin D in normal infants to prevent a deficiency is 200 units per day. Requirements for pregnant women are the same as for healthy adults. Some believe that pregnant mothers should take more Vitamin D than recommended. Furthermore, some experts believe that people at highest risk for Vitamin D deficiency (eg, older adults, those with limited sun exposure during the winter months) should take 1,000 IU or more daily. However, since the risk of Vitamin D toxicity increases with higher doses, such recommendations ought to be discussed individually with a physician.

Vitamin D Deficiency

Symptoms of overt Vitamin D deficiency are rare today, but can include the following:

• Rickets in children, a disease in which the bones become soft and weak.
• Osteomalacia in adults, a disease in which the bones become soft and weak.
• Muscle weakness.

More mild Vitamin D deficiency is thought to be relatively common, especially in higher latitudes, and may lead to increased risk of osteoporosis.

Vitamin D Toxicity

Since Vitamin D is stored in the body, and not excreted in the urine like most water-soluble vitamins, it is possible for it to accumulate and reach toxic levels. The recommended tolerable upper intake level (UL) for Vitamin D from dietary sources and supplements combined is 2,000 IU.

Symptoms of toxicity:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Poor appetite
• Constipation
• Weakness
• Weight loss
• High blood pressure
• Raised levels of calcium in the blood, which can cause confusion, heart rhythm abnormalities and deposits of calcium in soft tissues, like the kidney, heart and lungs.

Major Food Sources

Food	Serving size	Vitamin D content (IU)
Cod liver oil	1 Tbs.	1,360
Salmon, cooked	3 1/2 ounces	360
Mackerel, cooked	3 1/2 ounces	345
Sardines, canned in oil	3 1/2 ounces	270
Milk, Vitamin D-fortified	1 cup	98
Margarine, fortified	1 Tbs.	60
Liver, beef, cooked	3 1/2 ounces	30
Egg	1 large	25

A relatively small amount of sun exposure can provide adequate Vitamin D. In a study of naval personnel in submarines, six days of sun exposure proved capable of supplying enough Vitamin D for 49 sunless days. However, the actual synthesis of Vitamin D through sunlight is affected by season, latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog, use of sunblock and skin pigmentation.

Health Implications

Populations at Risk for Vitamin D Deficiency

The following populations may be at risk for Vitamin D deficiency and may require a supplement:

• Adults 65 and older. Studies suggest that adults over age 65 have less ability to synthesize Vitamin D through sunlight exposure than adults aged 20 to 30. They are also likely to spend less time out in the sun.
• Locales with limited sun exposure. People who live above latitudes of approximately 40° N and below latitudes of approximately 40° S are at risk for deficiency during most of the winter months.
• People with a reduced ability to absorb dietary fat. Because Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, fat is required for its absorption from foods. Some conditions that can cause fat malabsorption include Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, pancreatic enzyme deficiency and liver disease.

Tips For Increasing Your Vitamin D Intake

Here are tips to help increase your intake of Vitamin D:

• If you take a vitamin supplement, make sure it contains Vitamin D.
• Drink Vitamin D-fortified milk.
• Get sun exposure, but be careful to watch for sunburn. Sunlight is a major cause of skin cancer.

RESOURCES:
American Dietetic Association
http://www.eatright.org

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
http://ods.od.nih.gov

CANADIAN RESOURCES:
Dietitians of Canada
http://www.dietitians.ca/

Healthy Canadians
http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca

REFERENCES:
Dietary supplement fact sheet: vitamin D. Office of Dietary Supplements. National Institutes of Health website. Available at: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp . Accessed February 18, 2008.

Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Willett WC, Wong JB, et al. Fracture prevention with Vitamin D supplementation. JAMA . 2005;293(18):2257-64.

Duplessis CA, Harris EB, Watenpaugh DE, et al. Vitamin D supplementation in underway submariners. Aviat Space Environ Med . 2005;76:569-75.

Facts about dietary supplements. National Institutes of Health website. Available at: http://www.nih.gov/ .

Food and nutrition information center, US Department of Agriculture website. Available at: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome . Accessed February 18, 2008.

The Nutrition Desk Reference . Keats Publishing; 1995.

You may have heard that losing weight is as easy as eating less and exercising more. Well it’s true, taking in fewer calories than you use each day is the simplest way to lose weight.

Using the Body Mass Index

The first step is determining your current weight status: Are you underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese?

A good measure for this is the Body Mass Index (BMI), a standardized method used by many health professionals to evaluate weight and body fat. BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. It gives you an indication of whether you are at risk of health problems that are related to being overweight or obese. If your BMI is 25 or higher, you are at risk for a number of serious health problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, pregnancy-related disorders and osteoarthritis.

To find your weight in kilograms, multiply your weight in pounds by 0.45. For example:
If your weight is 130 pounds: 130 x 0.45 = 58.5. Your weight in kilograms is 58.5.

To find your height in meters, multiply your height in inches by 0.0254. For example:
If your height is 5’6″, that is 66 inches: 66 x 0.0254 = 1.6764. Your height in meters is 1.6764.
To square the number, multiply it by itself: 1.6764 x 1.6764 = 2.81

For the example above, the BMI is: 58.97 divided by 2.81 = 20.98 BMI values are interpreted as follows:

• 18.4 or less = underweight
• 18.5 to 24.9 = normal weight
• 25 to 29.9 = overweight
• 30 and over = obese

Although this is a reliable method, it is not foolproof. Because muscle tissue weighs more than fat tissue, heavily muscled people may fall into the obese range when they are not obese.

Eating a Healthful Diet
To lose weight, you need to take in fewer calories than you use. This is where your diet comes in; which may be in need of an overhaul. But, you don’t want to lower your calories at the expense of nutrition.

Try not to think of your new eating habits as “going on a diet,” instead, think of it as a lifestyle change. Adding more fruits, vegetables and whole grains to your diet and cutting back on animal protein, saturated fat and cholesterol are good for you no matter what your age. Creating a healthful diet that you can stick to throughout your life will help you achieve and maintain your desired weight, and losing even 10% of your body weight will lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of diabetes.

Getting Regular Exercise

To lose weight, you need to use more calories than you take in; this is where exercise comes in. Not only does regular exercise help you get to an ideal weight, it can help you stay there too. Additionally, muscle burns more calories than fat, so building up your muscles will allow you to eat more while maintaining your weight. If you don’t exercise already, it is time to get started. A good goal for many people to work up to is exercising 4 to 6 times a week for 30 to 60 minutes at a time.

There are several different types of exercise that you can do. An ideal exercise program combines four types of exercise:

• Aerobic
• Weight-bearing
• Strength training
• Stretching

It is a good idea to talk with your doctor before beginning an exercise program.

No Time Like Today

Now that you have the tools, getting started is up to you. Start slowly, have carrots or an apple for a snack, instead of a bag of chips. And take a walk around the block before or after work today. Just remember, the sooner you begin working toward your ideal weight, the sooner you can reap the healthful benefits.

RESOURCES:
American Dietetic Association

http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/index.html

US Department of Agriculture
Food and Nutrition Information Center

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic

CANADIAN RESOURCES:
Canadian Public Health

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/

Dietitians of Canada

http://www.dietitians.ca/

REFERENCES:
American Academy of Family Physicians website. Available at:

http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home.html.

American Council on Exercise website. Available at: http://www.acefitness.org/.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/ .

Wee CC, Hamel MB, Davis RB, Phillips RS. Assessing the value of weight loss among primary care patients. J Gen Intern Med. 2004;19(12):1206-1211.

Douketis JD, Macie C, Thabane L, Williamson DF. Systematic review of long-term weight loss studies in obese adults: clinical significance and applicability to clinical practice. Int J Obes. 2005; 29(10):1153-1167.

Fran Welch, 69, of Charlotte, NC, literally stumbled into the benefits of strength training. Six years ago, she tripped over a bedspread and twisted her knee badly enough to need a physician’s care. During rehab, she was given a set of weight-based exercises to help strengthen her leg muscles and speed her recovery. Fran has always been active, but she noticed a distinct improvement after following the new regimen.

That was all the convincing she needed. She’s been exercising regularly with small weights ever since. Her once injured knee has gone on to take her from the streets of Madrid to the forests of Montana’s Glacier National Park.

Fran discovered by accident something that researchers are now proving through scientific study. Seniors of all ages and physical situations can benefit from regular strength training.

Strong Muscles Mean Improved Health

The benefits of strength training include increased bone density, improved heart functioning, better blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes, and even reduced depression, according to Miriam Nelson, PhD, associate chief of the Human Nutrition, Exercise Physiology, and Sarcopenia Laboratory at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. The greatest benefit, however, may be strength training’s ability to build muscle.

“Starting in our 30s and 40s, people start to lose a quarter-pound of muscle every year,” explains Dr. Nelson, author of the best-selling book Strong Women Stay Young. “We believe that much of this loss can be stopped or reduced with simple strength training.”

Other conditions that might benefit include back pain, recovery from surgery, and even mild high blood pressure.

Stronger Bones and Greater Mobility

“There are documented cases of individuals who required a cane or a walker to get around, but after strength training they no longer needed those items for mobility,” says Michael Flynn, PhD, a professor of kinesiology and director of the Max E. Wastl Human Performance Laboratory at Purdue University.

In one study, Dr. Flynn monitored 29 women who ranged in age from 69 to 84. Fifteen were put on a weekly strength training program, while 14 people in the control group did not change their activity levels.

“The subjective reports from the participants were quite remarkable,” Dr. Flynn says. “They reported being able to do things that they couldn’t do before. Strength training can significantly improve the quality of seniors’ lives, as well as lengthen the amount of time a person can function independently and perform all the tasks we tend to take for granted.”

Getting Started

Dr. Nelson recommends you take the following steps before beginning a strength training program:

• Get good information: Talk with your doctor, read reputable books and visit reliable websites. Seek out exercises that are appropriate for your age and physical condition. Remember that workouts that fit naturally with your lifestyle are more likely to become permanent.
• Consult with your physician: You need to make certain you are medically stable before beginning any kind of physical activity program.
• Get the proper equipment or join a health club: “A lot of seniors like free weights,” Dr. Nelson says. She suggests trying dumbbells and ankle weights, and even using your own body weight. For example, doing squats can help improve body alignment and an overall sense of balance.

Once you’re ready to exercise, keep these basic principles in mind:

• Lift as heavy a weight as you can while maintaining proper form.
• Do two sets of 8-10 repetitions for each exercise.
• Exercise slowly and use a full range of motion.
• Work on paired muscle groups to get the most benefit. For example, if you’re exercising your biceps, also include exercises that will strengthen your triceps.

“You can get a pretty good workout in about 20-30 minutes a day, a couple of times a week,” Dr. Nelson says. “Within two to three weeks people notice a difference and can feel their muscles getting stronger.”

RESOURCES:
American Council on Exercise

http://www.acefitness.com

Strong Women

http://www.strongwomen.com

CANADIAN RESOURCES:
Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology

http://www.csep.ca

Healthy Canadians

http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca

REFERENCES:
About strength exercises. National Institute on Aging website. Available at: http://www.nih.gov.