We’ve discussed how exercise is an effective approach to anti-aging, but the focus in the past was mostly on looking and feeling young and retaining balance and overall health. While some may be of the opinion that they don’t care about mental decline as long as they look fabulous, a recent article in Prevention Magazine¹ outlined a surprise anti-aging benefit of working out to keep you forever young.

Olga’s Secret

Researchers believe that staying extremely physically active was the key to Olga’s mental acuity well into her 90’s. Image via BBC News/YouTube

Timothy Gower’s article in Prevention introduces readers to Olga Kotelko, who lived to the impressive age of 95, and details the research she inspired and helped to advance. It wasn’t Olga’s longevity that sparked neuroscientists’ curiosity, but her extremely sharp mind. Right up until she passed away, Kotelko’s cognition was far better than other adults in the 90 to 95 age range, based on speed and memory tests. Additionally, an MRI scan showed that physically, though not perfect, her brain had fewer irregularities and aberrations than others her age. One neuroscientist quipped that if she were to guess Olga’s age based on her MRI, she would have thought her to be almost 30 years younger.

So what was Olga’s secret? The single thing that she did differently than the majority of nonagenarians was to be physically active. Olga didn’t just stroll around the mall, though. She excelled in track and field, and it wasn’t just that she gave the events a good go. Olga Kotelko won 750 (!) gold medals and set almost 40 world records in long jump, javelin throw, sprinting, and other events–and it was all accomplished in the years after she turned 77 and before she passed away at 95, proving that it doesn’t matter how old you are when you start, just as long as you do start!

Not Just Luck

Grow your brain while you grow your muscles–exercise has been shown to enhance growth factors that increase gray matter in the memory center of the brain.

Lest you rush to the assumption that Olga was just lucky, or had good genes, researchers have studied thousands of seniors and found that Kotelko’s results in staying mentally sharp can be duplicated by anyone who is inclined to make the effort. When the aerobic activity, physical activity, and brain activity was measured in adults between the ages of 60 and 80, the ones who were most physically active showed patterns linked to improved cognitive function. Specifically, their brains were more oxygenated, and their patterns of brain activity were better.

In fact, based on specific studies, researchers believe that, just like muscles, brains benefit from exercise because it increases oxygen and blood flow and reduces stress through increased endorphins and levels of norepinephrine. What’s more, a 2019 study linked exercise with memory activation. One of the most significant responses in the brain to exercise, however, is an increase in growth factors that actually support the creation of new nerve cells and improve cognitive agility. Further, research published in Scientific Reports found that people who work out regularly have more gray matter in the memory centers of their brains, the hippocampal region. Considering that there was a time when it was believed that there was nothing that could be done once neurons died, that revelation is huge.

A Dr’s Prescription to Reverse Brain Aging

Brain teasers are useful for improving cognitive function in your later years, but experts say that exercise is even more important.

The evidence for exercise being just as good for the brain as it is for the body is so overwhelming that doctors from psychiatrists to neuroscientists are recommending working out as a very real way to not just stop aging in the brain but to reverse it and even avoid dementia. Psychiatrist Dr. Gary Small developed a protocol for a 14-day program, detailed in his book “2 Weeks to a Younger Brain,” co-written with Gigi Vorgan. Though Dr. Small confirms that puzzles and brain-teaser games are useful, he says that working out is more effective because of the physical effects it has on the brain. Other doctors, including Washington University in St. Louis professor of psychology Dr. Mark McDaniel say that you’ll get the best results from engaging in both resistance training and cardio exercise.

What Works

Whatever your basic exercise routine, add something new like kickboxing or intervals for an element of challenge that will maximize brain benefits from working out.

Challenge is the key that optimizes the benefits of exercise to improve brain function, restore memory, and reverse the aging process. That doesn’t mean you should dive right in to signing up for a triathlon or biking across the country. Instead, suggestions from health and fitness professionals center around simply tweaking routines. Take a fitness class you’ve never participated in before to learn new routines and skills. Walk or jog a different route every month, maybe one that is rocky, uneven, or uphill, or add in some intervals. Even if you’re already accomplished at your favorite sport such as weight lifting or tennis, sign on with a trainer now and then to learn new techniques and exercises–or try something different like golf, rock climbing or kick boxing. Any physical activity that also requires you to learn something new increases communication in different parts of the brain, which just adds to the benefits your brain is already reaping from exercise.

¹Timothy Gower, “Forever Young,” Prevention, April 2016

Some women shy away from weight training because they don’t want to “bulk up”, but circuit training has emerged as a useful way for women to lose weight and get fit. First, the inherent flexibility of circuit training allows you to tailor your workout for toning and fat loss. That same adaptability means you can continually change up your workout to keep it interesting–which means you’ll be less likely to lose motivation to work out.  

How It’s Done

You can use your body weight or resistance equipment when circuit training. Image via Nicole Pearce/YouTube

You probably know what circuit training is, but let’s refresh our memories. In a typical free-weight workout, you go through a list of exercises, doing about three sets of each one before moving to the next. With circuit training, you can start with that same list of exercises but instead, you’ll do one set of one exercise and then immediately move to the next one and the next, resting no more than 15 seconds between each exercise. The sets are timed, too, instead of consisting of a certain number of reps. You just do as many reps as you can within the allotted time–anywhere from 30 seconds up to 1 minute. Once you’ve cycled through the complete circuit once, you start over, with the goal of going through the entire circuit 2 to 3 times. The number of exercises in a circuit is up to you. Beginners might start out with as few as 4 or 5 different exercises, but there can be as many as 12 or more different exercises in a circuit. If you attempt more than 6 exercises, though, you’ll probably only have the time and energy to go through the entire circuit once or twice.  

Examples of Circuit Routines

Just about any workout routine can be done as a circuit. Image via HASfit/YouTube

The number of different exercise combinations you can use for circuit training routines are endless. You can group upper body exercises together one day, then do a lower body circuit on a different day. Or, do a couple of full-body days, doing different exercises each day. For example, you might try crunches, rows, machine chest press and dumbbell flys one day, then squats, lunges, leg curls and leg press the next day. A useful feature of circuit training is that you can incorporate aerobic exercises in with free weight and machine exercises, jogging in place or climbing on the stair-stepper for a set (30 to 60 seconds) in between the resistance sets. This adds a fun dimension to your workout, and it’s nice to be able to get your cardio done at the same time as your resistance workout. 

Circuit Training Especially for Women

Women can tailor their circuit training to focus on specific fitness goals, and they love that circuits accomplish cardio and resistance training at the same time.

Anyone–men or women–can certainly benefit from circuit training, but the ease in which each person can adapt a circuit for their fitness goals makes it especially useful for women. If toning and fat loss are the main goals, circuit training can handily accomplish them with small adjustments to the routine. Lighter weights and longer set times will burn more fat and tone muscle without building it up excessively. Also, taking shorter rest times between sets will keep your heart rate up for more effective fat burning. The routines themselves can be tailored to concentrate on areas you want to work on most, like toning your abs, working on definition in your calf muscles, or tightening up the backs of your arms.

Circuit Training Equipment

The elements of numerous exercises and being able to quickly move from one to another makes the TargitFit Trainer perfect for women’s circuit training.

If you belong to a health club, you’ve already got some quality circuit training equipment at your disposal. Your gym might even offer circuit training classes you can attend. But if you prefer working out at home, your local sporting goods store will have a selection of equipment that can be used for circuit training at home. Items like resistance bands, dumbbells, and fitness balls are all basic items that can be purchased fairly inexpensively. Or, you can have access to over 115 gym-quality exercises with one piece of equipment with the TargitFit Trainer. The workout gear you choose depends on your budget and your preferences for exercise.

Diets for losing weight have become such a part of our culture that it’s second nature to mentally evaluate the approximate fat content in any food before deciding whether or not to eat it. Even when someone goes for it and indulges in that pile of french fries or buttery croissant, societal programming kicks in with a guilt trip. Dieters rejoice: this article has been written to explain the important role fat plays in staying healthy and to help you break free from the fallacy of fat-free indoctrination.

Diet Healthy: Include Fat

Eating fat doesn’t make you fat. Burning fewer calories than you consume–from any type of food–is the issue.

The news sounds too good to be true, and yet it is. A study published in the American Journal of Medicine found that high-fat diets weren’t to blame for excess body fat. Additionally, the research concluded that weight loss diet programs that reduced fat intake weren’t the solution for quick weight loss — or any type of weight loss, for that matter. In fact, HelpGuide.org reports that the nation’s obesity rates doubled during the height of America’s fanaticism over low fat diets. Though recommendations from professionals such as doctors and personal trainers used to be to cut the fat, that’s now considered outdated advice. These days, the smart money is on eating a balanced diet. So, logically, to diet healthy, you have to eat some fat.

Fact: Your Body Needs Fat

Those who have struggled with cutting fat to accommodate a quick weight loss diet will be gratified to know that there’s a reason they crave fat. It’s not just in your head: you really do need fat and can’t live without it. According to Medical News Today, fat is a nutrient that your body requires to function normally. Fat gives you energy and helps other nutrients work properly, too. Harvard Health lists some other important things fat does for your body such as:

• assisting in muscle movement
• helping build cells
• reducing inflammation and decreasing joint pain
• helping your blood to clot

Additionally, certain kinds of fats can help reduce serious injuries, such as fractures. So, you get it: your body needs fat. However, though sometimes it feels like making fat is what your body does best, it actually doesn’t produce some of the most essential fats it requires. That means you have to get them from your diet.

Up to 30 percent of your calories is a healthy level of fat intake.

Ah, but how much fat do you need? The CDC used to say that adults over the age of 19 should get 25 to 30 percent of their caloric intake from fats. Guidelines have recently been revised to recommend oils instead of eating solid fats, but the 25 to 30 percent guideline still applies in general, depending on your age or whether your a man or a woman.

Naturally, you should follow your doctor’s advice if he recommends a lower fat intake for you due to health concerns, but you still need fat even if you’re on a weight loss program. The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition published a study that recommended that natural bodybuilders get between 15 and 30 percent of their daily calories from fat. So, if a bodybuilder who is trying to eliminate as much body fat as possible is still supposed to get at least 15 percent, the average person trying to lose weight can be successful on the lower end of the non-competitor’s scale by getting between 20 and 25 percent of their daily calories from fat.

Sorting the Good From the Bad

Non-hydrogenated, natural fats are not only acceptable, but they’re good for you, too.

Simply eating all types of fat, wherever and whenever you can get it isn’t a smart dieting strategy, nor is it healthy. So what is a healthy diet that includes fat? It’s one in which you use oils instead of solid fats when possible. Yes, that means dipping a crusty hunk of French bread in olive oil and herbs is an acceptable and healthy alternative to slathering it with butter or margarine. The best fats for a healthy diet have little or no trans fats and are monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Dr. Mercola says that even some saturated fats are healthy, if they’re naturally saturated and not hydrogenated. These types of oils aren’t just better for you; they’re literally good for you. They can

• help lower your cholesterol
• curb hunger by making you feel satisfied
• decrease risk of heart disease
• enhance your immune system
• improve your metabolism
• support weight loss

Non-hydrogenated olive, sunflower, coconut and safflower oils are all healthy fats, as are the fat from avocados, nuts and fish. Get most of your 25 to 30 percent from these sources and try to stay below 300 mg of cholesterol, and you’ll do well.

Common Sense: The Best Way to Lose Weight

Use common sense. Eat a variety of foods–including fat–in moderation instead of overdoing some and eliminating others.

Isn’t it funny how when people hear something is bad for them, they go overboard avoiding it altogether, and when something is good for them they do the opposite and overdo it? The experts and the studies may point to fat as being necessary, good for you, and effective for losing weight,  but that doesn’t equal permission to go on a full-fat diet. The best way to lose weight is to maintain control and focus on moderation. Eat all types of foods, not eating too much of any one type. Try to eat healthy fats when you can and be sure to get enough protein, too. When you toss fruits, veggies and grains into the mix, you’ll finally be on a diet that is satisfying and doesn’t make you feel bad for eating what comes naturally.

It can be nice to have someone to work out with, but your health and fitness shouldn’t be tied to anyone other than yourself.

There are loads of reasons for wanting a workout partner when you make the commitment to lose weight, get in shape, or even take on a significant goal like training for a competition. Ideally, a workout partner would make the experience more enjoyable, keep you accountable, push you to break through plateaus, and be there to spot you when you’re lifting to failure. The truth is that not just anyone will consistently meet those criteria, and you’ll have to be as discriminating when choosing a gym buddy as you would interviewing for a roommate.

The Argument Against

You won’t be able to push your limits if your workout partner’s strength doesn’t match your own.

Having someone to talk to in the gym may be a nice little bonus a workout buddy can offer but, ultimately, it’s not a good idea to get hooked on working out with a partner. If their dedication wanes, your workouts and goals will suffer. Too many people bag it when their workout partners don’t show up or call at the last minute to beg off. Even if you can find someone who keeps you accountable and gets you into the gym, you still won’t get the most from your regimen if their goals, workouts, and strength don’t match yours. You’ll be using different equipment or have too much downtime between sets because you have to keep changing out weights. Plus, the stronger out of the two of you won’t be able to max-out on lifts because the other one may not be able to provide a safe and proper spot.

Experience is another issue that keeps people from being effective workout buddies. If one of the partners has a significantly higher skill level, that person may end up spending valuable time explaining fundamentals and demonstrating proper form instead of getting a good workout.

If You Must

The strikes against having a workout partner don’t mean that it’s impossible to find someone you can work out with–but, typically, you have to hire them, and they are called personal trainers, not gym buddies. I kid, but if you’ve decided that you absolutely must have a partner to work out with, don’t become so dependent on them that you can’t exercise without them. Also, take your time to make sure you end up with someone who will help you reach your goals rather than hinder you.

First, look for a partner who has similar goals, experience, and strength, so that you can avoid the pitfalls mentioned above. Double-check your schedules to make sure that you can both consistently work out at the same time on the same days so no one gets stood up. Also, you should both be flexible and open enough to be able to make changes when needed, even if those changes mean moving on to working out alone or finding a different gym partner.

Tips for Being the Ideal Workout Partner

This can be hard to accept, but it’s not all about you. If you are set on finding a good workout partner, you need to be a good workout partner. That means doing unto the other person as you expect them to do unto you. Muscle and Fitness came up with a list of rules of being an excellent workout partner including keeping your workout dates and showing up on time, knowing how to coach without over-coaching, and knowing when  your partner needs a spot so you can offer help when necessary, but don’t end up robbing him of a rep he could have pushed through.

Also, do your workout partner the courtesy of not bringing personal problems to the gym. You both look to each other for motivation and encouragement; if you hit the gym feeling down, you’ll bring your partner down, and both of your workouts will suffer. On the other hand, generating excitement and motivation will benefit the both of you. Forbes reported on research done on the effects of pasting on a fake smile. The results showed that even if a smile is forced rather than sincere, not only will your mood improve, but so will the moods of those around you–including your gym buddy’s.

Carb-lovers take heart: Resistant Starch makes you healthier and helps you lose weight.

Dietary carbohydrates have been so demonized, admitting to your love of bread and pasta can make you feel like an addict in a 12 step program. If you’ve tried to go Keto or attempted Atkins, there was probably a point where you would have gladly bartered your grandmother for a baked potato or a bagel with schmear. Thankfully, Prevention has good news for carb-lovers, and it turns out it’s not all that new. Based on studies from 2009 that actually expanded on a discovery from the early 1980s, nutritionists are saying almost any carb can be manipulated into a type of carbohydrate that not only helps you lose weight but can also make you healthier.

The “RS” Factor

Amylose is RS’s secret weapon that makes carbs harder to digest. Image via NEUROtiker/Wikipedia

There are two types of carbohydrate molecules that make up any starch: amylopectin and amylose. Amylopectin is highly branched, and they’re the ones that affect blood glucose and insulin levels. Amylose, however, is linear and limited, and they don’t tend to digest so well. Actually, Amylose starches don’t fully digest in the small intestine, and it’s this resistance to digestion that has earned them the title of “Resistant Starches” (RS).

What RS Means for Weight Loss

RS makes you feel fuller, faster, so you’re less likely to overeat.
Image via Rob and Stephanie Levy/Flickr

Your body can’t absorb what it can’t digest, so foods with a high RS factor offer all sorts of benefits when it comes to weight loss. Prevention says Resistant Starch can be considered a dietary fiber and that it works like other fiber does, taking up room in your stomach to make you feel fuller faster so you’ll eat less. In addition to that benefit, RS has been shown to actually turn off hunger hormones, offering more help in eating less. What’s more, nutrients are released into the bloodstream at a slower rate after eating RS, so your appetite will remain stable.

According to Precision Nutrition, you’ll only use around half the calories per gram when eating RS versus consuming other starches. That means only 50 percent of the RS calories you eat will be absorbed by your body. Since you can’t digest RS, it gets moved along from your small intestine to your large one, where it ferments and creates butyrate, a beneficial fatty acid that programs your body to use stored body fat and recently consumed fat for energy. By making sure that as little as 5.4 percent of the carbs you eat are RS, you could burn 20 to 30 percent more fat after a meal.

RS Fights Disease

The butyrate that encourages your body to burn fat also protects the colon lining, so it hinders the absorption of things that can cause cancer and helps your colon resist DNA damage that can lead to diseases such as cancer. Also, the fermentation process that RS promotes encourages high levels of healthy bacteria in your gut which results in a strong immune system. Plus, when RS bypasses the digestion process, your blood glucose and insulin levels stay on a more even keel. That’s good news not only for diabetics who thought they had to say “buh-bye” to carbs but also for those concerned about heart disease caused by arteries clogging up and hardening when blood sugar and insulin levels get chronically high.

Making Starch Resistant

Slip some hi-maize fiber into your pancakes and other baked goods to up the RS factor.

Some foods already carry RS, such as whole grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables and fruits like bananas. The starch in certain foods can be manipulated, however, to turn it into RS, and the process is so simple you may already be doing it for some of the carbs you consume. Apparently, heating and cooling foods such as pasta, potatoes, rice, tortillas, and bread crystallizes part of the starch into RS. That doesn’t mean you have to eat your baked potato cold, but allowing it to cool off after dressing it and before you eat it will increase the RS. Freeze your bagels and bread (they’ve already been heated when they were baked), and run cooked pasta under cold water–the heating and cooling cycle is what transforms regular starch into RS. And, if you want to get even more RS in your diet, make pancakes and bake muffins using RS-rich flour in place of about 1/4 to 1/3 of the all-purpose flour called for in recipes. Just look for “Hi-Maize Natural Fiber” on the label.

Think your diet is pretty healthy? If you’re eating the USRDA recommended daily amounts of the various food groups, then there’s a good chance you are eating healthy. However, if you aren’t making the right choices when it comes to some of the foods you eat, specifically in the fruits, vegetables, and grains categories, you probably aren’t eating as good as you think. The fact is, studies have shown that only about 5 percent of adult Americans get enough fiber in their daily diet. Because many foods contain fiber, you can’t exactly call it a super-food, but it is a super-charged nutrient that’s essential for health. Read on to find out why you need more of it in your diet and how to increase daily fiber intake to make your body healthier and even help with weight loss.

Benefits of Fiber

Sufficient fiber in your diet keeps the bacteria in your gut healthy–and that helps keep you healthy and trim.

So, here’s the odd thing about fiber: you can’t digest it, so your body doesn’t absorb nutrition from it. “Why should I eat something I can’t digest?” you may ask. Because your body can process it into something useful that has important health benefits. Fiber used to be categorized as either soluble or insoluble, but researchers have found that there are different sub-types including viscous and fermentable fiber, both of which your body is capable of processing. Those types of fiber get broken down in your system and can serve as food for the bacteria in your gut. If you don’t eat enough fiber, the “microbiome” in your intestines becomes imbalanced. The bacteria can begin eating away at the mucous lining of your stomach resulting in stomach and digestive problems and, eventually, immune reactions.

Remember, though, that a variety of different types of fiber is necessary for health, including the insoluble type. Even though your body can’t digest or process it at all, it’s still useful because it keeps your digestive tract clean. As it moves through your intestines, it activates movement of everything else, so nothing remains behind to keep your system from working properly.

If those benefits sound a little too vague to get you excited about dietary fiber, the Mayo Clinic points out that the fiber in oats, beans, and flaxseed helps lower cholesterol and can assist in keeping your heart healthy by also lowering blood pressure and reducing inflammation. Soluble fiber also helps control blood sugar, making it useful for people with Type 2 Diabetes and even helping reduce the risk of developing the disease altogether. Plus, the Institute of Cancer Research reveals that fiber-filled fruits and vegetables can protect against various cancers such as:

• colon
• esophagus
• larynx
• mouth
• pharynx
• rectum
• stomach

The Weight Loss Factor

There are numerous ways fiber helps you keep the weight off.

You may have heard that fiber can help with weight loss, but maybe you don’t understand how it works. Fiber tends to be low in calories, but it’s bulky, so it makes you feel full faster than less substantial foods do. Your body has to work at processing it—remember, some of it can’t even be processed!—so, you burn more calories when you eat fiber and it increases the amount of time your stomach takes to empty out. That means not only do you feel fuller after eating fiber, but you’ll feel fuller longer, so you won’t be tempted to snack between meals that include healthy amounts of fiber.

That explanation can sound like smoke and mirrors, but there’s more to fiber’s weight loss factor than trickery. One very specific type of fiber—glucomannan—has been shown to be exceptionally effective in reducing how much protein and fat your body absorbs. Plus, going back to those friendly little bacteria in your gut, studies have shown a link between obesity and decreased stomach bacteria, also finding that increasing dietary fiber to improve the microbiome in the intestines decreases obesity and risk factors for metabolic syndrome. Of course, you’ll get the best weight loss results if you not only increase your fiber intake but also shift gears on your overall diet to eat healthier along with increasing your physical activity, too.

Upping Your Fiber Intake

Mixing and matching fiber-filled foods is a delicious way to get more of the super-charged nutrient into your diet.

Yep, getting more fiber in your diet works to ward off horrific diseases and helps keep your weight down. So, how much do you need, and how can you make sure to get more of it each day? Basically, an adult should eat around 30 grams of fiber daily. While some people would like to think that’s as simple as taking a fiber supplement like Metamucil and not worrying about the fiber/diet/exercise factors, unfortunately, it’s not that easy. You may see some minimal results from supplements like those, but it’s better if you get a variety of different types of fiber from a variety of foods. The good news is, there are loads of delicious things you can snack on and use to prepare meals that contain fiber. Healthline lists over 20 of them, including:

• pears
• avocados
• bananas
• pears
• pumpkin
• beets
• artichokes
• legumes like lentils, garbanzo beans, split peas, and kidney beans
• quinoa
• whole grains
• nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and Chia seeds
• sweet potatoes

Each food delivers a different amount of fiber, but it all adds up. The good news is that some of the tastiest nibbles contain the most fiber, such as oats (10.6 grams of fiber per 100 grams of raw oats), popcorn (14.5 grams of fiber per 100 grams of air-popped corn), and dark chocolate (10.9 grams of fiber per 100 grams of chocolate).

Get creative when thinking of ways to eat more fiber. Combine food and fiber types, like topping a banana yogurt smoothie with whole grain granola and nuts. Cook up a delicious pot of seven bean soup. Or, go gourmet with a savory plate of pasta smothered in a delectable fiber-packed sauce. There are so many options, you might forget you’re actually eating healthier.

The impossible actually happened: you got older. You used to be younger, faster, thinner, more muscular — a whole lot different than you are now. Maybe there was a significant event that knocked you off course, or it may have been a combination of different things. Whatever it was, it changed the You you used to know into an older, slower, out-of-shape You. Right around 50, many people take stock and are dismayed at what they see. Some aren’t sure what to do about it, so they go out and buy a sports car or get some “work” done. Others know what they should be doing, but have trouble getting started.

The Mid-Life Nudge

No doubt–that sports car is fun to drive. But it won’t get you in shape or improve your health.

Everyone evaluates themselves in mid-life. It’s your body’s way of nudging you, saying it’s time for getting back into shape. No, there’s no scientific stats to back that up, but think about it: the people who buy the sports cars or who opt for plastic surgery are looking for a shortcut to feeling good about themselves. The irony is that they know that working out is healthy for them and may even realize that it will make them feel great, but they want to pass Go and skip directly to the feeling great part without putting in the work.

You already know why working out is important, especially as you age. If you used to be fit in your youth, it’s frustrating to no longer have the drive and dedication for it now. Compared to the essentially indifferent feeling you have today about working out, it seems like you were a different person back then. But you were. When you were younger, your reasons and motivation for getting in shape were different. Other things were important to you. You didn’t necessarily do it to keep your heart healthy or to ward off diabetes or osteoporosis. You did it because it was a challenge, because it put you in control of how your body looked and, in doing so, made you feel great. Plus, you had the energy to do it. The thing is, all of those reasons can still hold true. You want to feel good about yourself again? That should be motivation enough. When it isn’t, set aside all of the reasons you “should” start working out again. Revert back to the reasons that resonated with you the first time working out.

The Challenge

Challenge yourself with alternative resistance training.

There’s no doubt about it. It’s a challenge to get back into working out when you’re knocking on 50 or are looking at that age in the rear-view mirror. However, considering it that way could be what is interfering with your motivation. The type of challenge you need is related to improving yourself — meeting a new goal or learning a new skill — rather than simply getting started again. IDEA Health and Fitness says that when people master something new, it’s more likely to motivate them to keep working out. This could be learning a new aerobic dance routine, signing up for jiu-jitsu classes, or setting a goal to run in a marathon next year. If you used to lift free weights and want to build muscle and strength now, learn a new technique with a different form of resistance, such as the TargitFit Trainer offers. Enjoyment and seeing results are two top  motivating factors so, whatever you do, make it something you’re going to like doing.

Lock in a Goal

There’s no turning back once you’ve locked in your goal.

While we’re talking about marathons and such, don’t just set the goal. Commit to the marathon or any other sports/fitness competition you’re interested in. Signing up gives you a deadline instead of leaving your goal open-ended. If you’ve already obligated yourself to run the race next June or to attend the regional jiu-jitsu competition in the fall, you know you have to get started and keep working at it to be ready to go when the time comes.

It’s important to make your goal health or fitness related, though. The problem with using a wedding or class reunion as motivation to get in shape is that people tend to stop working out once those events are over. When your goal has to do with your training, reaching that goal sets you up to continue the forward momentum. Once you run the marathon or place in the amateur masters bodybuilding or power lifting competition, you can start thinking about doing even better next year or competing in new contests.

Eat the Elephant

Getting back into working out is as easy as eating an elephant.

You know how to eat an elephant, right? One bite at a time. Take on your return to working out at the same pace. One step at a time. According to the Thought Catalog, sometimes it will go as slow as

• deciding you’re going to work out
• changing into your workout clothes
• driving to the gym (or walking into your home gym, if you’re working out at home)
• warming up
• doing the first exercise, then the second, then the third, etc…

Often, even if it’s a struggle for the first four steps, by the time you do your first exercise, you won’t be resisting as much, if at all. The Thought Catalog also advises promising yourself that you can quit after 10 minutes of exercise if you’re still not feeling motivated. That’s kind of a dirty little trick because your endorphins will kick in, and you’ll usually start feeling pretty good before 10 minutes is up.

Finding the Energy

Eating foods with a low glycemic index keeps your energy up.

Much of the time, just the thought of working out is exhausting. If you don’t have the energy to get back in shape, make a few tweaks to your lifestyle. First, make sure you get enough rest. Everyone needs a different amount of sleep each night, but not getting your required amount will ensure you don’t feel like going through with it when it’s time to work out.

Adjust your eating habits, too. You don’t have to go on an all-out diet, just eat more foods with a low glycemic index, so you have the energy to work out. Harvard Health lists high-fiber veggies, whole grains and nuts (Brazil nuts, anyone?) to have a low glycemic index and reveals that protein and fat glycemic indexes rate almost at zero. Yep, that means exactly what it sounds like: fat is a better, more efficient food choice for energy than sugar.

Buddy Up

Having a workout partner gives you someone other than yourself to be accountable to.

If you really, really do want to start working out again, make a pact with a workout partner. Someone who has similar fitness goals and who will help keep you accountable to show up for workout dates. No fair turning off your phone or letting it go to voicemail! When you just cannot muster the gumption to put down the beer, get out of the easy chair, and get to the gym (or the track or the aerobics studio…) that’s when you need your workout buddy the most, so take his calls! Yes, his infinite enthusiasm is irritating, but payback is sweet revenge when he takes a turn at trying to ditch the workout. Make it interesting, if it helps. Anytime someone misses working out, they have to pay the other person $10. Or $50. Or $100. Whatever amount is low enough to be realistic, but high enough to hurt.

Important Things to Remember

If it’s been awhile since you were working out consistently, it might be a good idea to check with your doctor first, just to make sure you’re good to go. You won’t be able to jump right in where you left off, so take it easy and allow yourself to ease into working out again. Start slow and be mindful of your heart rate and how you feel physically, stopping if you recognize that you’re overdoing. Remind yourself how great you felt in those younger days when you did work out consistently. No, there’s no guarantees that you’ll feel 20 again, but you will feel better and that’s a fact. Set a goal to get three resistance training workouts in each week and 120 minutes of cardio, but be lenient with yourself. If you only do two days of resistance training and 90 minutes of cardio, you’re still doing fine according to the CDC. Just keep going, working out whenever and wherever it fits into your life and your schedule. Pretty soon it will be just another part of your life, like doing laundry or brushing your teeth. Just like it was back in the day.

Strike a pose: biceps are one of the most commonly trained muscles.

Everyone wants big “guns.” Guys showing off their muscles strike a double biceps pose pretty much every time. Often the pursuit of big arms results in the neglect of other, just as important, muscle groups. While it is essential to build all the muscles in your body, this particular post is for those who have been searching for the best biceps workout. The research has been done, the experts have weighed in with their advice so, here it is. Help for building bigger biceps.

What Works?

Get off the plateau–work your biceps more frequently to increase size.

First off, you know that building big arms requires attaining hypertrophy in your biceps muscles. You have probably read and heard a lot of different and sometimes conflicting advice on how to go about that. Thankfully, someone finally sat down to compare the studies and came up with a conclusion. According to Strength and Conditioning Research, hypertrophy occurs more readily for trained people when they exercise the muscles more frequently. That means if you are not a beginner but have been working out long enough to see results and have hit a plateau, you should benefit from changing up your regimen to work your biceps more than once a week. You will still need to allow days in between for recovery, but the increased frequency will get you back on the building track. Frequency does not appear to have the same effect for untrained individuals, however, but beginners should see results from as little as one arm workout a week because any increase in activity will affect untrained muscles.

The Best Arm Exercises for Biceps

Exercises that activate the long and short heads of the biceps are the ones that are most effective for increasing size.

Arm exercises that activate the long and short heads of the biceps brachii are the best for an effective biceps workout. Pretty much any move in which you bend and straighten your elbows will activate the biceps either directly or indirectly. Indirect exercises are essential for developing bigger biceps, but we’ll talk about those in a minute. It is the exercises that directly activate the biceps brachii by challenging them to pull weight that are most effective for building big arms. These include all manner of curls such as cable and barbell curls, concentration, incline, and preacher curls.

Concentration curls are the most effective biceps exercise for isolating and activating the long and short heads of the biceps brachii. Image via Howcast/YouTube

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) commissioned a study to determine which biceps exercise is the most effective, as well as how effective the others are. Dumbbell concentration curls isolate the biceps more than other curls and were found to activate almost 100 percent maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) in biceps. The big surprise? No other arm exercises come close. The nearest contenders are cable curls and chin-ups, activating a respectable but still not competitive 80 percent MVC. That does not mean you should shun all but those top three arm exercises. Most curls will still help you build big arms. Even the lowest on the ACE list, preacher curls, still activated almost 70 percent MVC in biceps muscles.

A Biceps Workout

The incline bench press may be a chest exercise, but it indirectly works your biceps by recruiting them as dynamic stabilizers.

As you increase weight to challenge your biceps, you run the risk of straining your joints and experiencing wrist and elbow joint pain. Stack‘s solution to this dilemma is to employ those indirect exercises we were previously talking about to work on building while giving your joints a rest. Since many upper body exercises indirectly work the biceps, the recommendation is to work arms alone or work them with legs on the same day. Doing an arms day plus a legs and arms day, and incorporating different arm exercises each time you do your biceps workout will give you the increased frequency you need to build biceps muscles. An example of a week’s worth of training might look like this:

Monday: chest and back

Tuesday: off or cardio

Wednesday: legs and biceps

dumbbell concentration curls

chin-ups–weighted

EZ curls, both wide and narrow grips

Thursday: off or cardio

Friday: shoulders and triceps

Saturday: biceps

dumbbell concentration curls

cable or barbell curls

incline curls

preacher curls

Personal trainer Jim Ryno spelled out his biceps workout in a past issue of Muscle and Fitness¹. Naturally he recommends a variety of curls, but the especially useful takeaway is the method that he uses. Known as the 6/20 drop set, you use a heavy weight for your first set, one that limits you to no more than 6 reps. Then, with no rest in between, immediately do 20 reps with half the weight. You can rest 60 to 90 seconds–seasoned lifters know when to go again–before grabbing the heavier weight to go through another drop set. Do a total of 3 to 4 drop sets of each exercise.

Don’t forget the importance of hand grip exercises to improve your arm strength and performance for pretty much every arm exercise you do!

¹Ryno, Jim (2015, October). Straight Up: Biceps. Muscle and Fitness, Volume 76/Number 9, page 108

Everyone has those days they just don’t wanna–and some have them more than others!

Guaranteed—everyone, no matter who they are, experiences not wanting to work out. From fitness models to powerlifters to couch potatoes, we all know what it feels like to not be in the mood to exercise. Then, the guilt, whether the reason is health-related or goal-related, makes things just that much worse. We waffle with giving ourselves permission to take a day off, then feel like slugs for not doing what we know we should. Active rest has its place in any fitness regimen, but it’s far different from not working out simply because you’ve grown bored or outright hate doing it. Often, the times you don’t feel like working out are exactly the times when you might need it most. When you can’t get on board with the Nike slogan, here are some hacks to get over the hump.

1–Don’t Force It

Find an exercise that makes you feel good enough to smile while you’re doing it.

There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all exercise plan. People have different goals, different mentalities, and different abilities and limits. Lifehacker Dick Talens suggests you pick an exercise you’ll actually enjoy. If you love to run, do that. If you have fun doing aerobics, sign up for a class. If you’re just getting started, try walking in addition to an assortment of other solo activities and classes to see which activities you truly enjoy. Then, build your fitness regimen around them instead of trying to force yourself to participate in the latest fitness craze. If you like it, you’ll be more likely to do it on a regular basis instead of resisting and looking for excuses not to work out.

2–Set the Mood

Load up some tunes that make you feel like moving–then move!

Health.com recommends using music to condition yourself to workout, even when you’re not in the mood. Create a playlist of energizing, upbeat music and listen to it when you exercise. Whenever you get a case of the I-don’t-want-to’s, suit up in your workout clothes and pop your earbuds in. The combination of being dressed for the task and hearing the music will get you in the mood to sweat.

3–Incentivize Your Exercise

Treat yourself to something healthy and yummy for following through when you didn’t want to work out in the first place.

Whenever you feel like skipping a workout for no good reason, pick a reward that will entice you to get through exercising. It could be a whole wheat bagel and a light schmear, a non-fat latté from your favorite coffee shop, or that new pair of yoga pants you’ve had your eye on. Of course, incentivizing every workout can get a little spendy, but it’s an effective tactic for those days you just don’t feel like it.

4–Fuel Up

A wholesome snack replenishes your energy so you can feel like working out.

If you don’t feel like working out because of fatigue or lack of energy, you need to fuel up before exerting yourself. Have a snack to replenish your energy supply. Excellent pre-workout goodies include a protein shake, a hard-boiled egg and half a bagel, a pear and a tablespoon of nut butter for dipping, a handful of trail mix, or a yogurt topped with granola. About 30 minutes after your snack, you might be surprised to find that you actually do feel like working out. Also, remember to drink plenty of water during the day as well as during exercise. Dehydration can be another factor that makes you feel sluggish.

5–Change It Up

The library and YouTube are filled with videos of great workouts you’ve never tried before.
Image by FitnessBlender

Even if you’ve found an exercise plan you love, there are times when boredom kicks in and threatens to undo all the progress you’ve made. A great solution that you can implement immediately is to change up your routine. Do something different, like adding in an extra resistance training day at home or in the gym, or trying a kickboxing class. Heck, you can even check out some exercise DVDs from the library or find some on YouTube. If you don’t end up liking something, fine. At least you worked out when you didn’t feel like it. On the other hand, you might end up discovering your new favorite workout.

6–Phone a Friend

It’s a whole lot easier to do something you don’t want to if you have some support. When you feel a cop-out coming on, make plans with a workout buddy to exercise. Being accountable to someone else will ensure you show up. Plus, you’ll push each other to make it time well-spent. This is an exceptionally good tip for those who typically work out alone. Adding a partner to your exercise element is another way to change things up and make your workout more interesting.

7–Let the Dogs Out

When no humans on your contact list have time in their schedule for a workout, get some help from your true best friend. Playing with your dog is great exercise, especially if you take him for a walk or run. Prevention advises that even a game of tag or fetch can provide an effective workout. Don’t have a dog of your own? Borrow one or, better yet, talk to your local animal shelter about volunteering to walk shelter dogs.

Old-school high tops have their purpose, but they aren’t appropriate for all types of exercise.

The adage to “dress for success” applies to everything you do–including your workout. Maybe we should say especially your workout. Not so much the clothing, though you do want to wear comfortable clothes that are light weight, allow your skin to breathe, and don’t interfere with movement, but it’s the shoes that really make a difference. Offering protection and support for your feet, the shoes you choose should provide a sturdy foundation for whatever exercise you do. With the innovations in athletic shoes over the years, the basic one pair of gym shoes for every activity is a thing of the past. You now have more choices than Keds or Converse, and you need to consider what your personal exercise routine involves when you pick a pair of workout shoes.

Weight Lifting Shoes

When you lift weights, your body has to support excessive loads that you don’t normally haul around during a typical day. That means you need weight lifting shoes that offer support without being too cushioned. Shannon Clark of BodyBuilding.com points out that those with weak ankle joints should look for shoes that extend up over the ankles for added support. You don’t want or need a lot of cushioning, either. Many weight lifting shoes are made with little or no cushion at all because too much padding in the insole makes for an unstable foundation. Wrestling shoes are often the gym shoes of choice for weight lifters because they’re kind of like high-tops but without the ample cushioning that basketball players need, plus the soles have traction to keep your feet from sliding when you lift. The one element that makes them less-than-perfect as weight lifting shoes is that the forefoot tends to be tapered, as many traditional shoes are. Nick Colas‘s article for BodyBuilding.com explains that your toes need to be able to spread out when you lift weights, to provide the most sturdy foundation possible. That’s why good weight lifting shoes are wider in the forefoot area than other gym shoes.

Barefoot shoes are a comfortable fad, but you won’t get much protection with them for weightlifting and they may not provide the traction you need, either.
Image via osseous/Flickr

Then there are the barefoot lifting and special weight lifting shoes that are designed to offer an experience as close as possible to lifting barefoot. Aside from freeing your feet up to do what they naturally do when you lift weights, the argument for barefoot lifting and minimalist weight lifting shoes is that they place your feet in a flat, or almost flat, position. That is supposed to allow you to muster the force you need to lift heavy. Also, if you’re lifting barefoot or in a barefoot shoe, there will be no cushioned sole to cause instability. Though barefoot lifting and minimalist shoes do have their devotees, Muscle and Fitness advises that those two options don’t provide much, or any, protection for your feet if a weight or bar is dropped. Also, you won’t have any traction in bare feet, and the flexible soles of barefoot shoes aren’t great at holding your feet stationary, so you won’t have stability with them.

Running Shoes

Running shoes are designed to provide comfort, support, and shock absorption during your run. The surface you prefer to run on may make a difference in which running shoe you choose.

High impact exercise such as running requires different things from a shoe than weight lifting does. Running shoes typically have thick, medium-firm soles and significant cushion inside to help absorb impact. Runner’s World offers up a few different areas runners need to consider when buying running shoes, starting with a snug heel that doesn’t slip. When your foot pushes off to propel you forward, your toes will need room to spread, so a forefoot area that is wide enough for your foot to move a bit from side to side is essential. The shoe’s upper should feel secure without putting pressure on your instep. Running shoes should flex in the same place your foot flexes, so test them by pressing the tip of the shoe on a hard surface such as the floor or a countertop to see where the natural flex point is. Runners put their shoes through a lot, requiring running shoes to be replaced more frequently than other types of athletic shoes. Web MD recommends dating your running shoes and keeping track of the mileage you put on them, then replace them every 6 months or 500 miles, whichever comes first.

Aerobic Shoes

Just like running shoes, aerobic shoes should have a wide sole and cushioning, but the placement of the padding is different.

Even low-impact aerobics subjects your joints to some level of force, so you’ll need shoes with cushion for shock absorption if you favor aerobic workouts. Don’t make the mistake of thinking your thickly padded running shoes can serve double duty. According to Happy Feet Podiatry Clinic in Napa, California, the majority of cushioning in running shoes is in the heel, while the cushioning in aerobic shoes needs to be under the balls of your feet. Aerobic shoes should support your arches without putting pressure on them, and the upper should be comfortable but provide support as well. The forefront of the shoe shouldn’t be tight, either, as you’ll be executing a number of lateral and side to side moves.

Cross Training Shoes

No one shoe is ideal for every workout, but cross trainers come close.

Many people enjoy getting their exercise through more than one means, and buying a special shoe for each workout may not be in the budget. That’s where cross training shoes come in. Designed to be worn for a number of different types of workouts, they are as close to one-shoe-fits-all-activities footwear as you can come. However, you’ll probably find that, although they get the job done, they aren’t ideal for every type of exercise you wear them for. LIVESTRONG explains that, though cross training shoes are breathable, their multipurpose design tends to make them heavier than you might want for some activities. They do have ample cushioning, though, and tend to have thick, wide soles that offer good support, stability, and traction.

When fitting any athletic shoe, your toes shouldn’t be crammed up against the front. Instead, make sure there’s about a finger-width of space to prevent irritation, injury, and discomfort. Also, shop for workout shoes in the afternoon or evening. Your feet swell over the course of the day, and they swell during exercise as well, so it’s best to try on shoes after you’ve walked around for several hours.