Water Exercise Makes Moving Easy!

Visit Mature Lifestyle Magazine for our monthly fitness and chronic disease column and the May issue for more information on the benefits of water exercise.

Let’s get down to it here. Here are some exercises that you can do in the water to help build muscle strength without the added stress on your joints. The water provides the resistance and makes it easier to move, however you need to do some work as well. Push, pull, whatever the exercise, against the water so that you feel the resistance and get something out of it. Make sure you do not hold your breath but instead always be breathing in and out as you exercise, especially when you exert force. If you need to hold on to the side of the pool for balance then do that too. The key is that you have made a great step toward getting fit. Water exercise can be the best way to do that if you are suffering from stiff joints, injuries, are overweight, or at an age where water just ‘feels better’!

Try push-ups (left) against the pool wall for increasing upper body strength!  Try bicep curls (right) for arm strength for easier lifting. Work up to 2-3 sets of 10-12 repetitions. Do not hold your breath while exercising. And for heavens sake do not drink the water!

Personally, if I saw myself in a bathing suit right now I’d probably want to drown myself so I prefer land exercise at this time. My joints hurt but my mirror hurts more. But don’t do what I do, do what I say!!

Water exercise does not build bone strength because of the buoyancy of the water and non-weight bearing nature. MyFitScript advises that you supplement water exercise with weight-lifting exercises. Resistance or weight training builds lean muscle mass, strengthens bones and increases your metabolism level to help burn calories.

Come back to our website this month on May 18th and receive your FREE water exercise program. Visit the Store for a strength-training program that best fits your needs and compliments your water program. Each month we give away free exercise programs for one day only so keep checking in with us. Check out Resources for education and tools to assist you with your programs.

Also….check out Coach Teresa’s monthly column Fit To Be Happy, for motivation techniques and how to make exercise fun! Send her a message or question. She would LOVE to help you work through those fitness challenges and move you to getting some results!

See you in June for cancer and exercise.

It’s YOUR move!

Welcome and thanks for checking in for this month’s feature article!

Please also read MyFitScript’s Monthly Feature in Mature Lifestyle Magazine (click).

Check back with us for your FREE Weight Management Fitness Program for one day only on

April 18th

 Please check out our STORE for more MyFitScript programs!

Manage Your Weight with a Side of Math! 

If you hate vegetables..then try a side of math to help you maintain a healthy weight!

In my April’s Feature article in Mature Lifestyle Magazine, you can read about the math of weight management. I will review it here briefly.

One pound of fat equals 3500 calories. The equation of weight loss verses weight gain simply means burn it or eat it. There it is folks. There’s the ‘X’ we’ve been searching for since grade school math! (I still can’t find it)

If you want to lose a pound of fat then you must burn, or expend 3500 calories, or, eat 3500 less calories. Or both.

If we break it up in manageable steps, 500 calories a day for one week will do the trick (500 x 7 = 3500). Doing a combination of exercise and eating less will help maintain muscle tissue while losing fat.

 Let’s move on to finding your starting point. Knowing where you start, or knowing your baseline, helps you to measure your progress. Body Mass Index, BMI, is a common method in determining what your healthy weight ‘should’ be. It is highly regarded in the industry and helps guide us toward our goals.

 Your BMI is calculated from your height and weight. It is a fairly reliable indicator of body fat for most adults, with the exception of athletes and the elderly. Because it is based on height and weight, athletes tend to be heavier due to the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. It is often difficult to get an accurate height and weight in the elderly and therefore BMI may not adequately measure health status. Studies also show that a higher BMI in the elderly tends to have greater health benefits and may protect against osteoporosis.

You can calculate your BMI with the following formula OR, you can visit numerous websites that have BMI calculators that calculate it for you! Try www.eatright.org.

Weight (in pounds) / [height (in inches) x height (in inches)] x 703.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses BMI to define overweight and obese:

Underweight: BMI below 18.5

Normal weight: 18.5 to 24.9 (Ideal)

Overweight: 25.0 to 29.9

Obese: 30.0 and above.

People with very low or very high BMIs tend to have the greatest health risks. Even so, BMI is only one factor in your overall health. If your BMI falls into the normal weight category and you engage in unhealthy behaviors like smoking or lack of physical activity, you will still have a higher risk of health problems.

If your BMI is in the overweight category, you will have a lower overall health risk if you engage in regular physical activity and have normal limits for blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Talk to your healthcare provider to decide if other assessments need to be done and whether lifestyle changes such as eating smarter and moving more will improve your health.

It’s YOUR Move!

Welcome and thanks for checking in for this month’s feature article!

Please also read MyFitScript’s Monthly Feature in Mature Lifestyle Magazine (click)

FREE Osteoporosis Senior Fitness Program

Check back with us on March 12^th for your FREE program for one day only.

MY birthday! Happy Birthday old bones!

 Please check out our STORE(click) for the Adult Osteopenia Fitness program and other ‘bone kind’ exercise programs!

In the Mature Lifestyle Magazine article we talked a bit more about osteopenia and osteoporosis; Joan Rivers who serves as an Ambassador to the National Osteoporosis Foundation; and causes and risks.  An estimated 10 million people suffer from osteoporosis in the US. Many more have low bone mass, putting them at risk of breaking bones and developing the condition. Although around 80% of sufferers are older and women, osteoporosis can strike at any age. I discovered my osteopenia at age 45. As a distance runner and long time exercise fanatic, I was shocked to learn that my bones were that of a 70 year old. Heredity is the cause in my case, however other causes include lack of exercise, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, being very thin, being white or Asian, and regular consumption of carbonated beverages.

So you’re in big trouble if you smoke in your Lazy Boy lounger drinking your fourth diet soda with a dirty martini or two before you go to sleep.

You know that MyfitScript practices safe exercise so please check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program. This is especially important if you know you have bone loss or osteoporosis.

 The three types of exercise best suited for osteoporosis and are needed to help build strong bones are:

• Weight-bearing
• Resistance
• Flexibility

 Weight-bearing includes high impact activities such as running, jogging, jumping, however these high-impact activities may put stress on your spine or lead to fractures in weakened bones. If you already have bone loss, lower-impact activities such as walking, dancing, or stationary cycling may be more suitable. Although cycling and water exercise is not necessarily weight bearing since the bike or water holds you up, these types of exercise can help build muscle and places less stress on joints during activity. We refer to these activities more as resistance exercise that is addressed below.

 If you have osteoporosis please be careful of exercises that involve bending and twisting at the waist. These motions can put you at risk of fracture. Exercises that involve waist twisting and bending include sit-ups, toe touches, and rowing machines. Some sports such as golf, tennis, bowling, and some yoga also include some twisting at the waist. Talk to your doctor before choosing any of these activities or beginning an exercise program.Walking is probably going to be your best bet and walking as little as three to five miles a week can help build valuable bone health!

 Resistance exercise is very important and is the foundation of MyFitScript programs. Resistance training means you’re working against the weight of another object like a machine or dumbbell, or a stubborn husband.  Resistance helps with osteoporosis because it strengthens muscle and builds bone. Studies have shown that resistance exercise increases bone density and reduces the risk of fractures. Now that’s a twofer! (two for one)

Resistance exercise for osteoporosis includes free weights or weight machines, tubing, and water exercise.

For best results, do resistance exercises two or three times a week and follow your MyFitScript exercise prescription. Remember to progress slowly and make the exercise more challenging by gradually adding weight or repetitions.

 Flexibility is another important form of exercise for osteoporosis. Having flexible joints helps prevent injury.  Try to do gentle stretching and flexibility exercises daily. Do not hold your breath and do bot bounce when stretching.

We’ll be talking more about water exercise in May but check out our STORE now for our AQUA Fitness program if water is your thing or our Flexibility Fitness program for stretching and flexibility exercises to compliment your strength training program for Osteoporosis.

See you next month. It’s YOUR move!