CONQUERING BELLY FAT By Mirabai Holland © 2010

Mirabai Holland M.F.A. is one of the leading authorities in the Health & Fitness industry, and public health activist who specializing in preventive and rehabilitative exercise for people. Her Moving Free® approach to exercise is designed to provide a movement experience so pleasant it doesn't feel like work. http://www.movingfree.com

Losing your belly fat.
Once upon a time, not so long ago, belly fat was a sign of prosperity.
Much to our chagrin, that little, or not so little belly, it’s actually a sign that you may be at risk for some serious health issues like Heart Disease, Diabetes, and High Blood Pressure, among others.
Women tend to after menopause when hormonal changes start to alter our body shapes.
Whatever the cause, the evidence is clear. Apple shaped people are more at risk!
So, how much is too much belly fat?
It’s all about your waist size.
For women it’s a waist measurement of 33 or more.

So, okay you say, I’ve got too much belly fat. What can I do about it? I’ve heard there’s no such thing as spot reducing.
While that’s scientifically true, there’s a lot you can do to target any specific area of you body for work.
Aerobic exercise can burn calories and help you lose weight in general. Targeted ab exercises can help you develop lean muscle mass in that area and help flatten your tummy.
Full body strength training can raise your metabolism and help you return your body to its youthful shape.
Here are a couple of exercises you can do to strengthen and firm up that area.
Try using the old army exercise of sucking in your tummy during every day activities, pulling your navel back to your spine.
And you can try this exercise to help you firm up faster. It tones the center as well as the sides of your abdominals.
Lie down on your back and bend one knee up towards your chest.
At the same time, turn you torso and point your opposite elbow toward the knee.
Start with a few: work up to 20 repetitions over several weeks.
Then do 20 reps, take a short break and do another 20.

Putting weight on around your middle is easy. Taking it off is hard. Unfortunately there’s no secret formula. Take a no nonsense look at your diet. Reduce your potion size and cut out empty calories. Start exercising slowly, and progress in your comfort zone. Chances are that pretty soon you’ll be able to find your shoes simply by looking down

Moving Free® With Mirabai: Aerobic Rant: Dust Off Your Sneakers By Mirabai Holland, MFA © 2010

Exercise has always been trendy. From Jack LaLanne to the latest Wii technology, I’m sure you can fill in the blanks decade by decade. I’m not particularly upset by that. Trends drive the industry.
Some of them are downright wonderful as is the case towards softer workouts like yoga and pilates. One thing that does bug me though is the trend towards doing only yoga and pilates. They do little or nothing for your heart.
I love these forms of exercise but not at the expense of the basics.Remember Aerobics? (It’s trendier to call it cardio now)
But if one of your New Year’s resolutions is to get fit, you simply ain’t gonna be fit unless you get a regular dose of cardio. In case you forgot, aerobics is any exercise using your large muscle groups to increase the body's need for oxygen over an extended period of time. Low impact Cardio Dance, Brisk Walking, Jogging, Biking and Swimming, are all good forms of aerobic exercise.According to the National Institutes of Health a half hour of moderate aerobic exercise a day can reduce risk of heart attack by 50% and have a positive effect on most of the problems associated with aging.
Cardio energizes your body from the inside out. Your heart is pumping like mad. Your lungs and arteries are hard at work delivering the oxygen that you need to keep going.
Your muscles are getting a great workout carrying your body around. You’re burning a bunch of calories and if you keep it up for 30 minutes or more your natural mood enhancers the endorphins kick in and you get the exerciser’s high.

You can see why you'd want to get a daily dose of aerobic exercise.It goes a long way toward reducing our risk for disease, managing our weight, and lightening our mood to help us stay fabulous forever.
So dust off your sneakers. Happy New Year!

MOVING FREE WITH MIRABAI

Holiday Moderation: Bah, Humbug!
By Mirabai Holland, MFA ©2010
http://www.movingfree.com/
Mirabai Holland M.F.A. legendary fitness pioneer, specializing in preventive and rehabilitative exercise. Her Moving Free® approach to exercise is designed to provide a movement experience so pleasant it doesn't feel like work.

It’s starting again. All that advice about how not to gain weight, how to reduce stress and how to stay on your fitness program during the holidays. Well good luck with that. For years I’ve been giving out advice of my own. Moderation I’ve always say, “Just take a little taste of everything”.
Exercise on holiday mornings. Huh? Well, I’m throwing up my hands this year, kind of.
I’m not going to tell you to just take a little taste of pie when you really want to eat the whole piece, nor to bypass that great stuffing that you only eat once a year. Life is short and this behavior is not the culprit anyway. The fact is holidays are a time to embrace life, be social and enjoy activities bordering on the excessive.
And when you come right down to it, it’s not what you do during the holidays, it’s what you do the rest year.
So, if you really need to hear about moderation in your daily life, here goes.
Know that every pound equals 3500 calories and all calories are not created equal. Some are more nutritious than others and some are downright empty. Try to make healthy food choices, watch your portion size and read your labels.
Get at least a half an hour of moderate exercise most days of the week.
Take a few minutes to do something for yourself, something you like, every day.
For instance, every morning when I get up, I kiss my cat.

If you’re already doing this then you’ve got nothing to worry about this holiday season.
If not, you have my humble suggestion for a New Year’s resolution.

Send your Moving Free with Mirabai questions to: askmirabai@movingfree.com

Healthy Sweets from Vermont

Great Tasting Honey

Champlain Valley Apiaries, Middlebury, Vermont has been producing high quality honey since 1931. Their honey is extracted from blossoms of clover and alfalfa and comes in crystallized and liquid form. Their crystallized honey retains all its vitamins, and nutrients because it is neither heated nor filtered. And the flavor is wonderfully light and delicate making it a perfect ingredient to use in cooking or to simple spread on a piece of whole grain toast. And I like the liquid in my cocoa.

For an extra health boost try Charles' Royal Blend, a combination of crystallized honey, 10 grams Bee Pollen, and 10 grams of Royal Jelly.

Available online at www.champlainvalleyhoney.com

Deliciously Pure Handmade Jams & Preserves

Side Hill Farm, Brattleboro, Vermont produces all their jams & preserves with small batches of fruit, sugar and nothing else. There are no preservatives, pectin or other thickeners. There's just enough sweetness so as not to camouflage the fresh taste of the fruit. It comes through strong and pure whether you put some into your yogurt or just eat it plain for a quick healthy treat. There are many wonderful flavors to tickle your palate. Wild Blueberry, Blackberry, Apricot Orange Marmalade, and Strawberry are available online at www.vermontmapleoutlet.com/specialtyfoods.htm.

For more exotic flavors like Mango Habanero, Hot Red Pepper or Cinnamon Pear call 1-802-254-2018.

Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks

200 Year Old Maple Syrup? Not exactly. But Morse Farms, Montpelier, Vermont has been making its Maple Syrup for 200 years. They are part of the reason why Vermont Maple Syrup is the standard by which all syrups are judged. "We think you can taste eight generations of experience in our products." Their 100% pure Maple syrup is rich in calcium, potassium, B vitamins and niacin. It comes in 4 different grades of syrup from light to full body taste: Vermont Fancy Grade, Grade A Medium Amber, Grade A Dark Amber, and Grade B. I dribble it on my cereal in the morning and use it in my baking.
Available online at www.morsefarm.com

Send YOUR favorites to askmirabai@movingfree.com

Stretching and Aquacise Help with Arthritis

Recently, I got a question from a woman who said, “The arthritis in my hips has progressed to the point where I’m really feeling it after my half hour walks. I want to stay mobile as I age. Are there any exercises that will help me do this?”

It so happens, my husband also has osteoarthritis in his hips and I have been helping him with a couple of gentle stretches after his treadmill workouts.
Here are two exercises that flex and extend the hip as well as stretch the front and back of your thigh muscles.

1. Lie on your back with one knee bent with your foot firmly on the floor to help support your back. Wrap a towel around the arch of your other foot. Hold the ends and pull back as you extend the leg towards the ceiling flexing your foot. Hold for 10-30 seconds. Feel the stretch in the back of the thigh (hamstring) and in your hip. Repeat on the other leg.

2. Lie on your side with both knees bent Take your top hand and grab your top foot at the ankle. Tilt your pelvis forward and pull in your abs as your bring the ankle towards your buttocks. Hold 10-30 seconds. Feel the stretch in the front of your thigh (quadriceps) and in your hip. Turn over and repeat on the other leg.

Also, if you have access to a pool, light aquatic aerobics or swimming is great. Your buoyancy in the water will help take the pressure off your joints and allow you to work on increasing your range of motion. The warmer the water the better. If the water seems cold to you, invest in a neoprene shorty weight suit. You can find them in a sporting goods store or dive shop.

Of course always consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

To Weigh Or Not To Weigh: Should You Get On The Scale Or Not?

To weigh or not to weigh that is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of knowing ones outrageous weight, or to take arms against the budge by simply ignoring the scale and trying to eat less and exercise more. For some of us, the scale is a tool. For others it’s the enemy.

Some health and fitness professionals have made a compelling case for ignoring the scale, saying that measuring one’s percentage of body fat is the most accurate way to track ones fitness level because it indicates a healthy body composition regardless of height and weight. Whether you decide to use the scale or not it’s important to keep track of your percentage of body fat.

Here are some general guidelines according to the American Council of Exercise:

Body Fat % Women:

Fit: 21-24%

Average: 25-31%

Obese: > 32%

Body Fat % Men:

Fit: 14-17%

Average: 18-24%

Obese: > 25%

So why bother weighing yourself at all?

My personal prejudice is weigh yourself at least once or twice a week. I do, and I find that facing my weight on a regular basis helps me stay on track. Believe me there have been times when I’ve dreaded getting on the scale. But I do it anyway because no matter what it says, I feel relief. I find it liberating. Why? Because now I know where I am and what I need to do next. It helps me maintain a healthy weight. Also the scale I have, measures my body fat too so I am able to keep track of that at the same time.

In my practice I have helped hundreds of people lose weight. And most of them initially fight me about getting on the scale and I understand this because I know that terror. Part of the process of losing weight is to prepare one’s self to do it.

If you are not psychologically ready to lose, stepping on the scale can be a real turn off and actually deter you from losing weight. But once you’ll ready, facing that number can jumpstart your weight loss program and keep you motivated.

I give my clients a baseline of their body fat percentage and get them to use the scale. Then we set up a diet and exercise plan. You can lose weight by diet alone but a larger percent of your weight loss will be taken more from lean muscle mass than from body fat. The winning combination is to reduce calorie intake, do cardio every other day and strength training at least a couple of days a week. Cardio burns calories and strength training raises your metabolism and builds lean muscle mass while you are losing. Losing about 1% body fat a month and 1-21/2 pounds a week is considered safe and realistic.

So I’ve made my case for using the scale as a tool, and I hope you’ll try it when you are ready. Regardless, to be or not to be at a healthy weight should not be in question.

Send your questions to askmirabai@movingfree.com

5 Most Important Workouts

I’d like to remind you to get moving again if you want to “live long and prosper”.

So to make it easy on you do these 5 Most Important Workouts at least 4-5 days a week even if you begin with a little as 5 minutes a day working up to about 30 minutes.

Tip: Plan your workout:

Try to exercise as much as you can at the same time every day.

Have your workout clothes and accessories ready ahead of time so you can grab and take them with you or put on and go!

1. Aerobic Training

Feeling sluggish? Believe it or not a daily dose of aerobic exercise can help provide you with more energy and stamina. Aerobics is any activity that uses your large muscle groups like brisk walking, swimming, jogging, biking, climbing stairs, or low impact cardio dance. Starting out with as little as 5 minutes a day and building up to 30 minutes will help lower your blood pressure, increase your good cholesterol, HDL, improve your lung function, strengthen your heart, burn calories and elevate your mood.

2. Muscle Strength

Flab is one of those things we all really hate. What’s worse than wearing something that will reveal that little wiggle.

Studies show that if we do nothing we will steadily increase body fat as we get older.

So an inactive 25 year old woman may be at 23% (normal range of %body fat) but if she stays inactive by the time she is in her 60’s she can be as high as 43%.

The good news is this is completely reversible by adding some strength training exercises. And it doesn’t take much: just twice a week for 30 minutes or so.

Make sure you leave 24-48 hours in between for muscles to recover and grow.

Use your own body weight with push-ups (beginners can do them against a wall and modified squats or lunges. Start with a few and build up to 15 reps.

Or use resistance bands or hand and ankle weights. For this, you may need some professional help like purchasing an exercise video with a certified instructor, joining a gym or working with a certified personal trainer. Once you learn a simple routine you can do you can slowly increase the weight as you get stronger.

Tip: Start with 8 reps for each exercise. If you can’t finish the set the weight is too heavy. And if you can do a few more, you need more resistance. The key is to listen to your body.

3. Flexibility training

When was the last time you could touch your toes? Or in the morning when you wake up do you feel stiff? If this sounds like you then doing a few stretches every day could help you move more freely and even reduce muscle aches and pains.

Here are 4 easy exercises that targets some those tight muscles:

Neck Stretch (try doing it in the shower when your muscles are warming up)

Back Stretch

Hamstring stretch

Calf stretch

Try holding the stretch for at least 10-20 seconds!

Try doing an easy stretch or yoga video or class even once a week can help increase your flexibility.

4. Balance training

Because we see in older adults a loss of balance, which results in more falls," noted Holland.

— You can do this standing in line at the grocery store

— Stand on one leg and see if you can let go of the shopping cart

— Hold for about 10 seconds

— Also try standing on your tippy-toes and holding for a few seconds

— Balance should be done everyday — all you need is two to three minutes

5. Core training

"We see so many people as they get older avoiding their abs, which results in a bad back," said Holland. "They're not really supporting upper torso."

— Try a few minutes of abdominal exercises

— Reverse curl while you're lying in back and pull your knees into you

— Hold for five seconds and release

— Start with 10 reps a day and work your way higher

— Crunches are key — not full sit-ups — because some people can do more damage than good

— Keep back on the floor and don't go all the way up

— Really concentrate so you can feel you're abdominal wall contracting

— This will help support your back

Contact Mirabai at askmirabai@movingfree.com

Link Between Anger and Cholesterol?

Q: For years people have said, that getting angry can raise your blood pressure but I recently heard that it can also raise your cholesterol. Sounds crazy. Is there any truth to this?

A: Yes its true.

A study with 103 healthy mid-aged women conducted by the University of Maryland and published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine found that women with angry dispositions, given to frequent outbursts of temper, had higher cholesterol levels than those who were more even tempered. What all these women had in common besides having a short fuse is they were all sedentary and deconditioned.

But what I found most interesting is the study also found that having a short fuse didn’t elevate the cholesterol in women who were physically fit.

So the message here is if you are not already exercising on a regular basis, its time to get going. Even 30 minutes most days of moderate exercise can do the trick.

Then go and scream to your heart’s content.

Send your Moving Free® with Mirabai questions to: askmirabai@movingfree.com

Managing our Weight: Through Thick and Thin

Summer into Fall is when many of us have trouble managing our weight.

The key elements of maintaining a proper weight are learning to control portion size, eating a balanced diet, getting in touch with your hunger and exercising on a regular basis. Though exercise has always helped to burn calories, lose body fat and keep muscle tone, exercise alone will not keep your weight in check. Eating only when you are truly hungry can help you stay on track. Many of us engage in emotional eating: we eat when bored, depressed angry or even happy. To curb this tendency we must reckon with our inner selves. This can be getting on a scale, putting on a pair of pants that used to fit, and writing down what we are putting into our mouths.

For me, maintaining my proper weight is a constant struggle but it is one I embrace and so can you. Remember, the real reason for food is to keep us alive and well.

Choosing healthful foods is integral to feeling good and possibly preventing diabetes, cancer and heart disease and numerous other health problems. Between fast food and vending machines, it’s often a challenge to eat basic foods that are not prepared or processed with too much salt, sugar and preservatives. Yet a wealth of fresh vegetables, fruits, dried beans, whole grains and nuts are available if you just know what to look for and make time to prepare nutritious meals.

As we age, our immune systems become more vulnerable – especially if we are recovering from illness. The food and agriculture industries are allowed by the FDA to use a multitude of pesticides, antibiotics, hormones and even insect-based dyes to produce as much food as cheaply, and therefore profitably, as possible.

The movement toward organic foods and support for local farming in the U.S. has grown as more people become aware and concerned about the untested and unlabeled additives in our food supply. Although organic foods are often more expensive, the cost can be balanced by avoiding non-nutritious prepared foods – such as snack items, candy, sugary sodas and frozen meals – while choosing fresh produce, dried beans, whole grains and a limited amount of low fat dairy and lean meat and poultry.

Here is an important meal tip; eat a healthy breakfast. Why? Because it will give you energy to last through the morning so that you are not ravenous and prone to overeating at lunch. For the longest-lasting energy, balance three types of food in your breakfast: A serving of whole grains (a piece of whole wheat toast, a half-cup of oatmeal or a serving of whole-grain cereal per size listed on the package); two servings of fruits (which can include a glass of 100 percent juice) and a bit of low fat protein – such as yogurt, an egg, reduced-fat cheese, or skim milk on whole grain cereal. In calories and nutrition, it will beat a sugary, fatty pastry any day. Studies show that women who eat a healthy breakfast each day have an easier time maintaining a healthy weight.

Informative food-related web sites are:

Center for Science in the Public Interest (www.cspinet.org)
American Institute for Cancer Research (www.aicr.org)
USDA Food and Drug Administration (www.nutrition.gov)
Organic Consumers Association (www.organicconsumers.org)

Anti Drill Sergeant Personal Training

A friend was describing her personal training sessions to me the other day, and she said, “ there’s a fine line between coaching and abuse” The whole idea is to find someone who you like, and who likes you to be your teacher and motivator. Your trainer should teach you to exercise safely and effectively when you’re alone and motivate you to love exercise by making it fun. And if you love exercise, you can get and stay fit for a lifetime.

Certification by a national certifying organization and experience are also key. Make sure your trainer is certified and has several years of experience.Meet the person, and make sure you click. If you’re not sure, keep looking.

Don’t be shy about asking to see her/his personal training certification. Ask for client references too, (and call them).

Here are some of the top certifying bodies in the USA:

American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA)

National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)

American Council on Exercise (ACE)

Aerobics & Fitness Association of America (AFAA)

Finding the right trainer can be a daunting task but when it’s right, its music.

By the way, this training partnership is a two way street. No trainer wants to be treated like a servant or even an employee. Treat your trainer as you’d like to be treated and you may make a lifelong friend.

You can contact Mirabai at: askmirabai@movingfree.com

Fabulous Forever Flexibility

Flexibility is range of motion around your joints. There are two types of flexibility. Static flexibility - how far you can stretch and hold a body part and dynamic flexibility - how much range of motion you have when you move. Both are important and you need a flexibility program that incorporates slow dynamic movements like Tai Chi, as well as static stretches like Yoga or Stretching routines.

Muscle fibers can become misaligned during normal movement. Our muscles produce chemical waste products when they work. These chemicals need to be eliminated so they don’t build up and cause aches and soreness.

Muscle fibers can become misaligned during normal movement. Our muscles produce chemical waste products when they work. These chemicals need to be eliminated so they don’t build up and cause aches and soreness.

Also, as we age, are connective tissues; tendons and ligaments tend to shorten and become stiffer. That’s why we become shorter and less flexible as we grow older. These connective tissues require as much maintenance as our muscles do. Stretching helps maintain them.

Muscles can’t stretch themselves; they only know how to contract and relax.

In a perfect world that would be enough but the fact is relaxed muscles never completely relax because there are neurological receptors in our muscles and connective tissues that keep them poised for action like a racecar at the starting line.

This is a good thing because it keeps us upright while standing and our heads from falling into our plates when we eat our dinner.

Muscles are bundles of protein fibers sort of like bunches of elastic celery. They are attached to bones on both ends by a network of tough connective tissues called tendons. Tendons are neither bone nor muscle. Although tendons are somewhat elastic, they can only be stretched about 4%. Muscles on the other hand are capable of stretching over 50% of their normal length.

When we stretch a muscle and deliberately hold it for a few seconds, proprioceptors in the tendons, called gogi tendon organs, tell the muscle to relax, not contract and we are able to hold the stretch and even stretch out a little further.

So start your stretching with a little Tai Chi –like movement to lubricate your joints and raise your core body temperature then do static stretches. Hold the stretch for a few seconds to allow those gogi tendon organs to kick in and then try to stretch and hold a bit further.

There’s more to stretching than just flexibility. Stretching is a form of meditation that creates a sense of well-being and promotes peace of mind. One finishes a routine with a more positive outlook as well as the feeling that your body is more alive, more accessible to you.

Stretching can slow down your aging clock and help you stay fabulous forever.

Send your Moving Free® with Mirabai questions to: askmirabai@movingfree.com

Stress Busters

Given the current global financial crisis, I thought I should talk a little about Stress.

Feeling stressed? Me too!

Stress has been around since the beginning of time.

It started as the flight-or-fight reflex when early humans confronted a life-threatening situation, and now, stress itself has become a life-threatening situation.

Well, if we can’t eliminate all causes of stress, which is the way to go if you can do it, but good luck. What can we do about it?

Here are a few quick and easy things:

Relax. No really, conscious relaxation is a form of Yoga or Meditation. Sometimes you only need a few seconds and you feel a lot better.

Try this at home or at work:

Sit down and close your eyes (if you’re on the street, duck into a doorway and keep your eyes open and one hand on your purse)

Let your muscles relax

Concentrate on your breathing

Breathe in and hold your breath for 1 second – 1 one hundred thousand, Breathe out

Breathe in again a little deeper and hold for 2 seconds – 1 one hundred thousand, 2 one hundred thousand – Breathe out

Breathe in deeper and hold for three, then four, then 5 seconds

When you get to around 3 seconds of breath holding your stress level should start to drop and your mind should to clear itself for thoughts.

After 5, you should feel pretty good. This actually works!

Eat better. Substituting good food like fruit for sugary snacks and drinking less caffeine and less alcohol can make a big difference

At home, put on some music and dance around for a song or two.

If you have the time keep going. After a few minutes, as your heart rate goes up your mood will improve. This is because you’re now doing aerobic exercise, a great mood elevator, after about 20 minutes you’ll feel even better because the endorphins, your body’s natural anti-depressant drugs will kick in and all will be right with the world for a while.

By the way a half hour brisk walk or putting on an aerobics video works just as well.

Another great stress reducer is getting a massage. Professional massage therapists are great, but for just plain stress, getting your significant other or a close friend to give you a massage works just as well, maybe better. Be sure to return the favor.

Last but not least, snuggle with a dog or cuddle with a cat.

For more information, contact Mirabai at www.movingfree.com

Vitamin D: The Sports Vitamin?

Vitamin D is an important Vitamin.

It’s the sunshine vitamin you absorb through your skin when you’re outdoors.

· It helps stabilize our mood. That’s why people in northern climates with less sunlight get SAD, Seasonal Depressive Syndrome, those winter blues.

· It works with other chemicals in your body to help keep your immune system healthy.

· Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, and important element in building and

maintaining bone mass.

· And preliminary scientific evidence points to Vitamin D as a sports performance aid.

A 2009 study with adolescent girls at the University of Manchester, England found that the girls with higher levels of vitamin D had better muscle performance and speed than those with lower Vitamin D levels. It’s also thought that exercise may increase your body’s ability to absorb Vitamin D.

Anecdotal evidence shows sports performance appears to improve in the summer when people are exercising in the sun and Vitamin D levels would be highest.

There are 2 types of Vitamin D:

Vitamin D2 –the kind that’s found in fortified food and supplements and Vitamin D3 the kind you absorb from sunlight.

Conventional wisdom was that Vitamin D3 was more effective, particularly when it came to your bones, than D2. But recent research at Boston University School of Medicine showed that effectiveness is about the same for both types

Because of our lifestyles, most people don’t get enough Vitamin D from sunlight.

Even those who are outdoors a lot use sunscreen to prevent skin cancer and therefore don’t absorb enough Vitamin D.

So, most of us need to eat Vitamin D rich foods like Eggs (particularly yolks), Liver, Mackerel, Tuna and Salmon or fortified foods, like milk, or orange juice, and Cereal, or take Vitamin D supplements to get the daily recommended adult dose of 400 – 800 international units (IU) per day.

Adults over 50 should get 800 – 1000 IU daily.

These are just general recommendations. Actual requirements vary from person to person. Check with your doctor.

Send your Moving Free® with Mirabai questions to: askmirabai@movingfree.com

Warm Weather Weight Loss

Whenever the weather gets warmer, the idea of putting on summer clothes generates a ton of panicky emails asking about quick weight loss. Here are a couple of familiar ones.

Q: I need to lose 20 pounds. I am doing aerobics three times a week and watching my calories but I am losing so slowly, I was wondering if there is any other type of exercise that could help me lose weight faster? I am really getting frustrated and I am almost ready to just give up.

Frustrated

A. Try adding 2-3 days of weight training to the mix.

Studies show the winning formula is a combination of aerobic and weight training exercise. Moderate aerobic exercise burns calories while you are doing it and for a short time afterwards. Weight training burns calories too but it also increases your lean muscle mass. So as you add more muscle, you’ll burn more calories all day long. Research from Tufts University found that after 12 weeks of weight training, total calorie burning increased by about 15 percent which for an average adult, could amount to an extra 240 to 400 calories a day.

Q: I’m carrying about 10 extra pounds around my middle. I’ve got 12 weeks to get into my dress for my daughter’s wedding. I would hate to have to go out and buy a bigger size. Is there anything I can do to get rid of this belly by then?

A: As we get older, particularly after menopause, women tend to carry extra weight around the middle. This change in body shape puts you at higher risk for heart disease and cancer. So, it’s even more crucial to do something about it.

Fortunately, it’s not as difficult as you think.

If you lose a pound a week, you’ll still have 2 weeks to spare, just in case you get a little hungry.

So, here’s a formula for losing the weight and toning up at the same time.

One pound = 3500 calories. So to lose one pound a week eliminate 500 calories each day (500 X 7 days = 3500 calories)

Eat 300 calories less, and do one half hour to one hour of aerobic exercise, like brisk walking, to burn the other 200. You might want to write down everything you eat for the next 3 days or so to help you figure out what you can do without. Or, simply cut your portions in half.

As for aerobic exercise, you don’t have to do the whole workout at once. Three 10-minute walks are just as effective as one half hour walk. You should also do some abdominal exercises about 20 a day to help tone up that belly as you lose weight. And, exercise actually picks up your metabolic rate so you burn more calories even after you’ve finished exercising.

Now, just try not to trip on your way up the aisle!

Mirabai can be reached at askmirabai@movingfree.com

Need a Good Night’s Sleep? Try Easy Aerobics

Health experts recommend eight hours of sleep a night for most adults. Yet so many of us get fewer than six-and-a-half hours during the work week.

We all love a good night’s sleep. But did you know that not getting one not only makes you dull and stressed, it can also make you pack on the pounds.

Too little physical activity is clearly part of why we’re overweight.

But a lack of sleep may make weight loss and weight control more difficult by altering your metabolism. It may also be changing your eating and exercise patterns.

In a Japanese study, children sleeping less than eight hours a night were almost three times as likely to be overweight.

Lack of sleep may change hormone levels and thus influence weight gain. Higher levels of the hormone insulin have been linked to a shortage of sleep.

Because insulin promotes fat storage and controls blood sugar, extra insulin could make weight loss more difficult.

Studies also show that a lack of sleep leads to lower levels of the hormone leptin, which can cause an increased appetite. Sound familiar?

A third hormone affected by too little sleep is cortisol, linked by research to stress. When people feel threatened or stressed, their cortisol levels rise in a “fight or flight” reaction. In one study, people whose cortisol levels rose highest in response to stress had more waistline fat – and fat at the waist is related to the greatest number of risks for heart disease and other ailments.

If you were wondering where this is all going here it is. Results from a Stanford University study show

exercise, particularly aerobic exercise in the late afternoon or right after work can turn this all around.

The physical stress of aerobic exercise produces fatigue and a rise in body temperature. A few hours later, your body temperature drops. That coupled with the fatigue from your exercise triggers your brain to induce a deeper, longer sleep.

What time of day you do is as important as doing it. If you exercise too close to bedtime you may be up for hours climbing the walls. Getting a half hour brisk walk is all it takes.

If you belong to a Gym, get there and mix it up on the cardio machines.

Or get yourself a good cardio dance video by a certified instructor.

In any case quality zzzzzs equals quality of life and may even increase longevity.

Here is a good resource book called

Sleep to Save Your Life: The Complete Guide to Living Longer and Healthier Through Restorative Sleep by Gerard T. Lombardo MD, available at www.amazon.com

Send your Moving Free® with Mirabai questions to: exercise@movingfree.com

An Ounce of Prehab is Worth a Pound of Rehab: Exercises To Improve Your Golf Game

Q: My husband and I both love golf and we are finally finding the time to play together. Last month we played about three times a week.

Now, I am complaining to him about my shoulder hurting and he is complaining about his back. Are there any exercises we can do to get rid of these aches and pains?

A: There are over 20 million golfers in the United States alone. And those who play frequently, including the pros, are often plagued by over-use injuries.

It’s the repetitive motion of the golf swing that’s the culprit. And if your form is less than perfect you can hurt yourself on a single swing.

It uses the same muscles every time: mainly shoulder (rotator cuff) core (side of the waist, abdominals), and arms (elbow, forearm and wrist)

Also, like any other physical activity, it’s good to warm-up your body at least 5-10 minutes before starting to play. A brisk walk, a few arm circles and practice swings with a towel will help to elevate your body temperature, lubricate joints and increase blood flow to your working muscles.

As for the current aches and pains, you probably have to rest those muscles until they heal.

The good news is, there are Prehab exercises to help you play injury-free in the future and they will also help improve your game.

“An ounce of Prehab is worth a pound of Rehab.”

Here are some essential exercises:

Towel warm-up

Roll up a towel lengthwise and take a few practice swings to warm-up the muscles you’ll use when you add the weight of the club.

Side Bend

If you have hand weights, great. Otherwise, grab some cans from your pantry.

Stand feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, arms at your sides. Without bending forward or back, bend directly to one side, while sliding the weight in your opposite hand up the side of your body to your armpit. Do the same on the other side. 8-12 reps on each side, alternating side to side.

Areas Worked: Side of the Waist

Core Strength & Stretch

Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position.

Gently stretch your right arm out in front of you till its level with your torso. At the same time raise your left leg and straighten it behind you. Hold for 10-20 counts and slowly return to starting position. Switch sides and repeat. Areas Worked: Abdominals, shoulder, hip and back of leg.

Oblique Twist

Lie down, knees bent, feet hip width apart. Place your hands behind your head.

Lift and turn your torso to point your right elbow towards your left knee (keep your elbow back in line with your shoulder) and return to start. Do 8 reps. Switch sides and repeat. Areas Worked: Abdominals, particularly the side abs.

Rotator Cuff

Holding cans or hand weights bend arms at the elbows to 90 degrees in front of you.

Keep your elbows bent and bring your arms out to your sides.

Repeat 8-12 reps.

Areas Worked: Shoulders

Wrist Curls

Hold hand weights at your sides, elbows at 90-degree angles, palms down. Keep arms stationary, and using only your wrists, slowly curl the weights towards you until your knuckles are facing the ceiling. Repeat 8-15 reps

Flip weights palms up. Do 8-15 reps in this position.

Areas Worked: Forearms and wrists.

Diamond Stretch

Raise arms over-head linking hands together. Slightly bend elbows and gently move them back.

Hold for 10-20 counts.

Areas worked: Shoulders, chest and upper back.

Send your Moving Free® with Mirabai questions to: exercise@movingfree.com