What is an Aging Athlete?

Do you consider yourself an athlete? Wikepedia defines an athlete as: a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill. I like to add to that: a person who is focused, dedicated, and disciplined.

Are you aging? Of course, we all are. Wikepedia says: advanced years.

I like these definitions because it allows for each of us to define for ourselves that we are an aging athlete. We like a sport or physical activity and continue to train at some level as we grow older. Also we didn’t have to be young high school athletes to start.

So, What is an aging athlete blog? It is a place to share much of what I have learned over the years with others with a similar mindset. I like talking with other aging athletes to learn more about what they do and why they continue to train as they age. Continue reading →

If you are planning on losing weight for your New Years Resolution here are some things to consider to make it a successful resolution.

New Year New You!

You can’t outrun the wrong diet! Well maybe when you were younger you could! However that all changes as we age. If we continue to eat the kind of food and amounts that we did when younger our bodies start to show it. Are you finding that you are gaining weight and still exercising? Have you extended your workout yet you’re still gaining weight? Are you at the point where you feel you should just accept it as part of getting older or do you want to do something about it?

If you have decided to do something about it realize this. You can lose weight on any diet. Truth be told and you know that it’s true. We’ve all probably done it at some point in our lives. So what happened? Why couldn’t you maintain what you got to? It’s not really your fault. The fact is in most programs the weight loss usually involves muscle loss more than fat loss thus slowing your metabolism. The result is often quick weight loss followed by swift and significant weight gain. So what type of program would be the most beneficial to you?

A program that is about nourishing the body, as opposed to caloric restriction. Caloric restriction is how most diets work which is why we fail to keep the weight off. We need to fuel our bodies to maintain the energy needed for us to lead a healthy life. You don’t want to be counting calories. You don’t want a one-size-fits-all program that stops people from eating the foods they love. Instead you want to focus on how to become healthier and create a new life.

A program that emphasizes a low-glycemic approach to eating. Finding new favorite foods, and helping keep blood sugar levels where they need to be to become a fat-burning machine. When blood sugar is high it’s nearly impossible for the body to burn fat: a low-glycemic diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, beans, lean proteins, dairy and healthy fats helps maintain normal blood sugar levels, leading not only to fast and consistent weight loss, but increased energy, decreased cravings, and improved mood. It’s about eating right, not eating less.

A program that you follow in order to retrain your minds and bodies to think healthier, so you can live healthier. After all that should be your main focus. You want to be healthier and weight management is key to living the quality of life we desire. Like any discipline you want to learn, you want a program that offers experienced coaching on the idea of a personal trainer to keep you focused on track with what you are striving to excel in. You can buy a book on a discipline; however you don’t really learn it unless you work with a trainer or instructor who knows how to get to where you want.

It is sustainable. So it’s not just a slimmed down you, but a healthier you. With time and dedication (like any discipline) your lifestyle and eating habits become second nature. That is a big must when choosing a program. Is it realistic, healthy, and sustainable?

You Can’t Outrun The Wrong Diet

Outrun Your Diet

Well maybe when you were younger you could! However that all changes as we age. If we continue to eat the kind of food and amounts that we did when younger our bodies start to show it. Look at many retired athletes. How about the local athletes as they have aged? Or even look at yourself! Are finding that you are gaining weight and still exercising? Have you extended your workout yet you’re still gaining weight?

Well you are not alone. I started gaining weight as I aged which lead to me working out harder and longer to keep from buying a new wardrobe. I failed and had to start buying the next size up in clothes. I must say though it wasn’t from developing a gut. It was just an overall broadening of my body which I eventually realized was a natural occurrence as we age, or so I was lead to believe.

I started dieting and had some results but it was hard to stay with it since it involved caloric restriction. I came about my program by accident, I wasn’t really looking since I accepted weight gain as normal part of aging. However when I learned about glycemic impact eating and that it was not based on counting calories I decided to give it a try. As it turned out I needed another wardrobe change, because I was back down to about the same size I was 20 years ago. It is now 3 years later and I feel great. This program is about creating a nourishing and sustainable lifestyle, not a diet. I eat more than I used to and enjoy what I am eating.

I recently read an article in Men’s Journal about how the Lakers were utilizing a food program similar to what I am doing. That’s because Tim DiFrancesco the head strength and conditioning coach learned of the program and realized “We’ve been fueling athletes wrong for years.” The team is leaner and meaner now.

In closing I want to tell you the story of a client of mine. She had great success with the program and it changed not only her body but how she looks at food. With time she learned to enjoy more foods than ever and felt nourished and healthy. She was doing all the right things. Due to a job change she had to give up her workouts. However she didn’t change her new eating habits. It’s been about a year and she has maintained her weight throughout. We were recently talking about that and how pleased she is with herself. She is also looking forward to getting back to her workouts.

Once you realize how you should eat and actually do it you will find you don’t need to compete against your diet.

A weight management program fit for athletes!

Let’s face it. You can lose weight on any diet. So why is the program I use just what an athlete needs?

It is about nourishing the body, not caloric restriction. Caloric restriction is how most diets work. As athletes we need to fuel our bodies to maintain the energy needed for our routines. With the program I use we don’t count calories. We don’t offer a one-size-fits-all program that stops people from eating the foods they love. Instead we focus on how to become healthier and create a new life.

The program emphasizes a low-glycemic approach to eating, finding new favorite foods, and helping keep blood sugar levels where they need to be to become a fat-burning machine. When blood sugar is high it’s nearly impossible for the body to burn fat: a low-glycemic diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, beans, lean proteins, dairy and healthy fats helps maintain normal blood sugar levels, leading not only to fast and consistent weight loss, but increased energy, decreased cravings, and improved mood. It’s about eating right, not eating less.

It’s a program that you follow in order to retrain your minds and bodies to think healthier, so you can live healthier. After all that’s a main focus of athletes at any age. We want to be healthier and weight management is key to living the quality of life we desire. Like any discipline you want to learn, this program offers coaching on the idea of a personal trainer to keep you focused on track with what you are striving to excel in. You can buy a book on a discipline; however you don’t really learn it unless you work with a trainer or instructor who knows how to get to where you want.

It is sustainable. So it’s not just a slimmed down you, but a healthier you. With time and dedication (like any discipline) your lifestyle and eating habits become second nature. Like I said in my opening. You can lose weight on any diet. What happens when you get to your desired weight? You can’t keep on cutting calories, so the weight comes back on.

When I decided to lose some weight and to implement the program in my life I made the conscious decision to follow it. It has been about three years now and I don’t really think about it much. Well actually since I coach the program I have to think about it for my clients. However the change in your life is worth it.

Strength or Cardio Which Burns More Belly Fat?

I recently learned of a new study out of Harvard comparing strength training and cardio to belly fat in men so I took notice. I of course thought the study would once again prove what we all know and that is cardio burns fat, while strength builds muscle. There have been numerous studies over the years to confirm this. However there was a big difference with this study. First the outcome was a surprise. Second previous studies were a short range of time, while this one was a long range of time.

The study looked at the fitness habits of 10,500 healthy males 40 plus years old. The surprising outcome was that those who did 20 minutes a day of strength training accumulated half as much fat as those who did only cardio. This really surprised me. I’ve known that strength training has been shown to be essential in aiding bone mass along with some fat burning. However I never thought it would be shown to burn more fat. Of course the study also showed that the men who did both had the best outcome. Also the study was based on a 20 minute workout and longer of course had better results.

What to do? Well obviously you want to do both strength and cardio. There is no doubt about the benefits of each to create a healthy, trim, and fit body. Before I learned of this I changed my workouts to include both strength and cardio in them. I did this more as a way to reduce my time at the gym. As I’ve aged I’ve questioned my need to be there for over 2 hours. I would do cardio every day for an hour and on my strength training days I would add another 45 minutes, then abs, and finally stretching. Now on strength days I mix the cardio and abs in between my sets and finish in an hour and 15 minutes. I admit I feel great and feel tighter overall now. My routines along with following the TLS Weight Loss Solutions that I coach others in has me back in clothes that I stopped wearing back when I was in my 40’s and I love it.

To read the full article go here

Make No Bones About It

Are you an aging athlete who is concerned about your bone health?

Do you want to do what you can to help preserve your bone health?

Are you overwhelmed by the numerous studies and claims out there?

I know I am, so I was pleased when I received my December issue of Nutrition Action Health Letter. There is an article written by Bess Dawson-Hughes the director of the Bone Metabolism Laboratory at Tufts University. It’s quite informative and I will try to give a short overview of the info.

She starts off with letting us know that for the most part we don’t realize our bone mass is low until we have a break. There is a test for it and women 65+ and men 70+ should have it. Unfortunately there are fewer and fewer operating scanners because reimbursements have fallen so low that only hospitals can afford them.

However aside from testing there are a number of things we can do ourselves to help our bone mass. Genes and lifestyle play a role, however genetics plays a more limited role the older you get. By 65 lifestyle really drives the change in bone mass. Diet and exercise are risk factors you can change. Funny how that recommendation seems to pop on most any illness we are trying to avoid.

Let’s talk about diet. We need to get an ample amount of calcium and Vitamin D. You should be able to get most of your calcium from food however you may need to supplement. A quality Calcium Supplement 500-600mgs twice a day is better than a large dose once a day. Vitamin D is hard to get from food and if you don’t get much sunlight to make it then she recommends a Vitamin D supplement 800-1,000mgs a day.

There are foods that create acids in the body that lead to bone breakdown. I didn’t know that. They are cereal grains and proteins ( animal and plant). The good news is fruits and vegetables provide alkali to the system which is good. However cutting protein (depending on the individual) and/or cereal (even whole) grains will lower your acidic load.

Finally exercise is hugely important, both aerobic and strength. The ones that put a load on bones are better for the skeleton. Swimming and bicycling (great exercise) don’t count because they don’t put that load on your bones. Exercise info www.nof.org/exercise

To see the full report you need to be a subscriber to Nutrition Action Health Letter which is published by The Center for Science in the Public Interest. www.nutritionaction.com

I Can’t Believe it’s……..BUTTER???

Have you been eating a lot of carbs for stick-of-butter-salted-600x400 fuel? That’s what we were told to do. Pasta before a marathon or other endurance activities. I know that’s what I used to do. Well there have been some interesting studies and articles out there that are saying hold back on the carbs and bring on some fat.

“Much of what we were told about fat over the decades is a fully saturated MYTH!” That’s according to Dr. Deedra Mason. “A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, says that cutting out on carbs, not fat, can lead to more weight loss. Taking in to consideration how numerous studies also support the benefits of fat, including naturally saturated fat for heart health and you have a double Whammy on the fight against obesity!”
In the November issue of Men’s Journal there is an article Less Carbs, More Fat. It also talks about studies that suggest that the old rules about diets and how we should eat are wrong. A diet that reduces carbohydrates in favor of fat, including the saturated fat in meat and butter, improves nearly every health measurement, from reducing our waistlines to keeping our arteries clear, more than the low-fat diets that have been recommended for generations.

TLS the program I use for myself and coach aging athletes on emphasizes a low-glycemic diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, beans, lean proteins, dairy, and healthy fats.

So what should you do?

Cut the carbs! That doesn’t mean completely. However it would be good to learn about complex (you want a lot) carbs vs simple (cut back on)carbs.

For instance I used to eat a lot of pasta for the carbs and would compliment it with veggies and protein. Now I eat a lot of veggies and protein and compliment it with a bit of pasta.

You can read about it in more detail in the November 2014 Issue of Men’s Journal.

Dr Deedra Mason, ND. Dir. of Clinical Ed. & Research – Learn about Dr Mason at: http://www.nutrametrix.org/faculty-speakers/

Strength Training: More weight vs. More Reps What do you do?

Lift more weight to build muscle! Sound familiar? That’s what science has always believed was key to building muscle. Well not so says a study published in The Journals of Gerontology titled: Muscle Protein Synthetic Responses to Exercise: Effects of Age, Volume, and Intensity.

What they did was have a group of young men (average age: 24) and a group of older men (average age of 70) do either three or six sets of leg extensions. They then took biopsies of the men’s leg muscles to measure whether they were making protein. This is necessary for building and repairing muscle.

The younger group had little or no impact by doubling the sets. However the older group had greater protein synthesis when doubling the sets. Important to note is that it didn’t matter whether they were using lighter or heavier weights. The results suggest that the muscles of older men need to do more work to activate the protein synthesis in the muscles.

So what should you do? As the study suggests. Double your sets. I also read in another publication that was referring to this study and it mentioned more reps. So for myself I decided to lighten the weight and increase reps as opposed to doubling sets. It’s a time factor. For one thing I do a mix of cardio and strength. This is how I like to train. To keep the pace and timing the way I like it, doubling the sets would obviously double my overall time and workout. So I aim for 24 reps per set. As an athlete you most likely have a routine that works for you. However it may be worth working in more reps one way or the other.

As a note though: The study was only conducted on young men 18-30, and older men 65-75.

Below is a link to the published abstract.

http://biomedgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/content/67/11/1170.abstract?sid=98a20898-f24f-4354-a495-6f1888aecad5

Breathing 101

One of the things I help coach my clients in is proper breathing. The proper way of breathing is diaphragmatic, which is quite different than the shallow breathing we learn. Yes I said learn. Watch an infant breath and you will see the proper way of breathing. They breathe naturally and fully their bellies rising and falling. When inhaling the diaphragm pushes down and the lower stomach expands outward. When exhaling the diaphragm pushes upward to force the air out of the lungs and the belly moves in.

As a new karate student I would be winded and sucking for air, unlike the senior students. They said I needed to learn how to breathe and should start taking meditation classes with the Master. He taught me to focus on breathing deep in my Hara, using my diaphragm and with daily practice I learned to breathe this way. I remember one day I was sparring and I realized I had no trouble with breathing and I wasn’t putting my focus into it, It had become natural.

Besides allowing you to breathe while doing your routine it is also great when being challenged. For example, when you get to that steep hill when biking and put your focus on breathing correctly and just let your body do what it is trained to do. This is also a useful tool when preparing to compete or anytime you need to clear your head and get the job done not just as an athlete, but also as a person dealing with challenges in your life.

Why I’m doing this

Are you a focused-dedicated-disciplined person who has been training in a sport or activity through the years? Then you are probably used to having people tell you how lucky you are! Right? Well that’s what motivated me to start my blog.

It all came together one day at the gym when yet another person told me how lucky I am to be in my 60’s, still working out, and remaining trim. I thought about that as I left the gym and reflected how I wasn’t as trim a couple of years prior. Yes I was working out and eating I thought correctly. However I was no longer wearing a 32″ and finding the 34″ getting too tight and wondering will it ever stop. At the time I was already a TLS Weight Loss Solutions coach and a nutraMetrix consultant in the business of helping HP’s who wanted to implement integrative wellness solutions in their practice. TLS is the weight management program that was offered..

So I knew about TLS and how realistic, effective, and proven it is I decided that since I am educated on the system and able to educate HP’s on it then I should give it a try. Let me just say that even though I was gaining weight and inches it was more of a total body thickening. I didn’t have a big gut or anything like that. Actually some people didn’t understand my concern with my weight gain. The thing is I wasn’t happy. Well I am a success story. I wanted to stop the slow thickening my body was doing over time and I did. What I didn’t expect is to trim down back to my size and weight of 20 years prior. So as I’m driving home and thinking about my conversation with a member which caused my trip down memory lane it all came together. Here I am thinking that if they only do what I did they would have positive results. It was my aah hah moment and I knew then that I wanted to help aging athletes like myself who still train and want to manage their weight as opposed to giving in to the aging myth.

With that rickspates.com started.

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Below is a link to the published abstract.

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