Do you struggle to be fit and eat right? A lot of people hate to diet and exercise, but you can be healthy with an Aerobic Lifestyle! Let Maria Davies teach you how.
The Aerobic Lifestyle After 50+
You are bombarded with advice on how critical it is to your health and well being to exercise but you can’t escape it. You know you should be doing something but you’re not a gym person and even if you were, now you can’t go there.
As well, you don’t like to get all sweaty, you just can’t get yourself motivated to watch that video and do all the things the cute twenty-something guys and girls are demonstrating, you haven’t been able to touch your toes for years and don’t particularly want to try. Getting down on the floor and getting back up again is harder than it used to be. So, you just try to ignore the noise.
The Difficulty of Self-Isolation
Now on top of everything else, you’re locked into your home, some of us can’t even go for walks, you’re glued to the TV to try to stay on top of the latest information. You find yourself sneaking a snack or two, your meals aren’t as carefully planned as before, so now real guilt is added to the mix, not to mention the extra pounds creeping up.
The reality is that yes, you DO NEED TO EXERCISE in some form, even if minimally and even if only for a few minutes a day. If you make the commitment, and you should right now, exercising will not only keep you healthy, but it will help you to focus on something other than our current situation. Make the commitment right now to build in the things I’m suggesting. Focus on it daily!
You Are Not a Terrible Person
Just because you hate exercise and never had any success with dieting, doesn’t mean you are a terrible person doomed to look and feel unfit. I have the solution and it’s really easy, well sort of. You do have to commit to doing this ALL THE TIME, not just sometimes.
I call this: The Aerobic Lifestyle With a No-Diet Diet.
So, what is the Aerobic Lifestyle? Many years ago, I bought a little book with that title, but since I’ve lost the booklet and long forgotten the author, I can’t properly credit her. Suffice it to say that this is not an original concept with me.
Here are the aerobic things you need to do without ever hitting the gym or the exercise mat.
Never Bend, Always Squat
We bend down to retrieve things many times during our normal day, but if we squat instead, we are now working our glutes, our thighs, and our abs. If you’re a bit out of shape, squatting may be a bit difficult, so in the beginning, hold on to something while squatting & getting up out of a squat.
Twisting Instead of Walking a Step
Twist instead of walking a step to retrieve an item just out of reach. Now you’re working your mid-section, otherwise known as the rectus abdominis.
Toe Holds
When reaching for something on a high shelf, try to get up on your toes and hold for a few seconds, don’t use a step stool unless the item is really high up. Now you’re working your calf muscles.
Use The Stairs
When there are stairs, don’t use elevators. Walk up at least four or five stories and walk down at least seven or as many as the building has to reach ground-floor. Now you’ve done your cardiac exercise.
Park Faraway
Park your car or get off the bus/train a good half-mile from your destination and walk. Walking is the best overall exercise and easy to do. Some of us may still be able to do this, if you’re not one of those, resume when we get our lives back.
Walking
Walk, walk and walk some more. Walking is a great aerobic workout. If you can’t do it now, wait until quarantines have been lifted.
Gardening
If you have the opportunity to do some gardening, this is also an aerobic activity. You will be bending, squatting, digging, and working the different muscle groups.
Dancing
Join a dance class, when life returns to normal. Dancing is a terrific aerobic activity.
Swimming
If a pool is available, or you live near a lake or ocean, swim! Start with about fifty strokes and work up to one-thousand. Completing one-thousand strokes takes about 45-minutes. Again, this will have to wait for most of us until life returns to normal.
The No-Diet Diet
Now, about the no-diet diet. Normally, this would be a lot easier as we could shop whenever we felt the need for it. Now times and choices are more limited, but the same principle still applies. It’s called portion control. You don’t have to cut out anything, don’t have to watch carbs, fats, calories or sugars. All you have to do is eat smaller portions of everything. Sounds easy but it will take practice.
The goal is to eat about half the amount you usually pile on your plate. You may have to work up to it over a period of a few days. If you must snack, pay extra attention to healthy snacks such as nuts and veggies. One of my favorites is cutting up carrots, cukes, and celery stalks and putting them into a Ziplock bag with vinegar, oil, and salt. Then shake it so the dressing covers the veggies. It’s delicious!
If you try the Aerobic Lifestyle, let me know how you do with it in the comments below! I would love to hear from you.
Maria and her husband Richard Nuscher have lived in retirement on the island of Grenada in the West Indies for the past 6 years. Before retiring, Maria was a successful Realtor. Now Maria spends her time volunteering for the Willie Redhead Foundation, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the architecture and culture of her beloved island. In addition, she maintains her website, publishes a newsletter, guest writes for several websites and enjoys gardening, growing many of the things they eat. She is also an unofficial leader of what she calls her “Explorers’ Group,” made up of like-minded friends who enjoy exploring the island and organizing fun outings. She is also an avid member of the Honey Good Network!
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