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Your Health and Your Weight

Healthy Living Through The Ages! Like a good friend, a good attitude towards fitness ...
doesn't abandon us as we age. It matures right along with us, evolving as our lives change.
That means Healthy Living Through The Ages!Like a good friend, a good attitude towards fitness andnutrition doesn't abandon us as we age. It matures right along with us, evolving as our lives change.
That means we don't have to give up the activities or the foods we love based on the number of birthdays we've celebrated."Research suggests that half the drop in function assumed to be linked to aging is now thought to be related to inactivity," says Elizabeth Ready, an exercise physiologist and associate dean of educationand recreation at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. So healthy, active women can continue to pursue challenging physical activity even into old age.
Still, a certain amount of common sense is in order. What was demanding and fulfilling in our 20s, for example may be too time-consuming in our 30s and 40s, too extreme in our 50s and just downright foolishin our 60s.Our nutritional needs also evolve as we age, says RosieSchwartz, a registered dietician/nutritionist in Toronto.
"What is considered a healthy diet for a 25-year-old woman in her peak reproductive years will be different than that of a 60-year-old at increased risk of osteoporosis and heart disease." And women of all ages need to ensure that they're getting enough of the female-friendly nutrients -- calcium, folate, iron and zinc -- that are essential for maintaining a woman's health throughout her life.Read on to discover how tweaking your fitness andnutritional goals can keep you looking good and feelinggreat at any age!Health Concerns:This is the time to establish healthy lifestyle habitsthat will help prevent heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and other diseases later in life, says "Dr. Miriam Kaufman, a specialist in adolescent health atthe Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
Proper nutrition, exercise and sleep are also the first stepsin managing stress and anxiety.This is a time of life, too, when mental health can beat risk -- major depression, bipolar disorder,schizophrenia and substance-abuse disorders havetheir onset at this age. Kaufman recommends that eventhe healthiest young person visit a family doctor oncea year.Fitness Goals:Our bodies are in peak form in our 20s, so now is thetime to expand aerobic capacity and sample some newsports.
Since you're less likely to have financial constraints, children and a mortgage in your 20s, you may want to indulge in active vacations and invest in good-quality sports equipment.Suggested Activities:Team sports or rugged individual pursuits such as rockclimbing and mountain biking, as well as high-impactactivities such as jogging and aerobics, will helpbuild strong bones for the future.Nutritional Goals:No matter how energetic you are, late nights and skipped meals can take their toll and nutritional shortfalls each up with you, says Schwartz. Make sureyou're getting enough iron - 18 milligrams per day --since too little can lead to iron deficiency anemia,the most common nutritional deficiency in Canadian women.As well, health experts recommend that all women of child-bearing age take 0.4 milligrams of folic acid (folate) daily at least three months before conception to help reduce the chances of birth defects such asspina bifida.
Studies have shown that folate may alsohelp reduce the risk of heart disease and cervicalcancer.Maintaining a healthy weight also safeguards yourability to conceive, since being too heavy or too thininterferes with ovulation. And a health weight ha a major impact on your health later in life, helping toprevent diseases such as osteoporosis, diabetes andhigh blood pressure.Healthy Living Through The Ages in the 30s!Health Concerns:After the age of 35, your body begins to exhibit the first stage of aging, says Helen Perrault, an exercise physiologist and chair of McGill University physical education department in Montreal.
Bone mass has reached it's peak, and endurance and muscle mass arestarting to decline. Muscle loos in sedentary individuals can be as much as half a pound a year.Loss of muscle mass causes the body to burn fewer calories daily, which can slow down metabolism by asmuch as two percent per decade, says Perrault.
That,combined with lack of exercise, child-bearing and a busy work schedule, can have a nasty effect on weight. With women trying to juggle family and workaday demands, high levels of anxiety and stress are also a concern during this decade.Fitness Goals:Motherhood and fitness can be uneasy partners, according to a 1999 study at the University ofMinnesota in Minneapolis which found that physical activity dropped 14 percent after women had children.
With time at a premium, traditional exercise programs may be too difficult to follow, says Robin Mech, a fitness co-ordinator at the MacMab Street YWCA inHamilton. Mech recommends trying two 15-minute workouts instead of one 30-minute workout.
"You'llkeep your fitness level up, and it'll be easier to fitthem into your schedule," she says. Mech alsorecommends being flexible and what kind of exercise youpursue.
For example, take the stairs every chance youget and do bicep curls with the milk/grocery bag whilewaiting in line at the grocery store.Suggested Activities:Try activities such as jogging, walking or cycling,which can be performed close to home and involve a minimum of scheduling. Bicycle, walk or in-line skate when you're doing local errands or visiting friends inthe neighborhood.
It may be easier to try to exercise as a family, cycling or hiking together, than tosearch for those elusive 30 minutes of private time.Nutrition Goals:These are the time-crunch years, says Schwartz, andhealthy meals can fall by the wayside as work deadlines and kids'after-school schedules get in the way. However, taking the time to eat properly can help counteract the effects of stress.That means getting enough zinc and B vitamins to bolster your over-challenged immune system.
Schwartzrecommends choosing whole-grain foods over refined one, and incorporating lots of legumes such as kidneybeans and chickpeas into your diet. And don't forgetto feed your bones with calcium-rich foods.Studies have shown that calcium may also help ease some of the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, helpcontrol blood pressure and protect against colon cancer.
Women age 19 to 50 should consume 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day. If you rely on a supplement to meet your calcium needs, choose one with Vitamin D and Magnesium.
These nutrients work in tandem with calcium to protect optimal bone health.Vitamin D, for example, increases calcium absorption byas much as 30 to 80 percent.Read more in the next newsletter will be centered on"Healthy Living Through the Ages for in your 40s and 50s."=====================FREEBIES ===================== Health Concerns at The Adolescent Years!http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu exts/guide oc oc07.htmlEat For Your Future!Take time out to enjoy healthy food, and we don'tmean half-eaten burgers. Your body will thank youfor it laterhttp://www.ivillage.co.uk/health/agestage/yngadult/articles/0,12709,181170_183133,00.htmlFree public health book online!http://www.ahealthyme.com/article/bellhowell/102538415Be Breast Aware!Breast cancer isthe most common cancer among women.But checking yourself out once a month will help yourecognize what's normal and what isn't.http://www.ivillage.co.uk/health/agestage/yngadult/articles/0,12709,181170_183107,00.htmlCool Test Quiz from Nutrition to Illnesses!http://www.ahealthyme.com opic/quizarchiveWhat Your Period Says About Your Health at 20, 30, 40!http://magazines.ivillage.com/redbook/dh/health/articles/0,12840,284480_289153-2,00.htmlWhat You Need To Know In Your 20s!http://www.healthnet.com/healthy_woman/attention_women/20s/07_your20s.aspWhat You Need To Know In Your 30s!http://www.healthnet.com/healthy_woman/attention_women/30s/08_your30s.aspNational Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (6/2002)!http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/nhanes/databriefs/dietary.pdfSusan RutterInstructor/NutritionistHealthy YOUbbies"We Are What We EAT"http://www.geocities.com/healthyoubbies/email: [email protected] Article Tags: Living Through, Heart Disease, Getting Enough, Health Concerns Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com .