Top 11 Healthy Eating Tips For The Over 50s

Do Low Impact Workouts Burn Fat?

If you are interested in low impact exercises because you are tired of dealing with the sore muscles that come as a result of doing high impact exercises (like sprinting and lifting weights), then you may be curious about how well low impact workouts do when it comes to burning fat. In this article, you will find out exactly that. You will also see good low impact workouts that do well when it comes to burning fat. Can You Burn a Lot of Fat with Low Impact Workouts? Yes, you can end up burning a lot of fat with a well-designed low impact workout. In many ways, a low impact workout might end up being the best option when it comes to burning fat. If you think about it, you can only do high impact exercises for a limited amount of time before you have to stop because of soreness, pain, etc. The nice thing about low impact exercises is that you can do them for an extended period of time with no risk of injury. This enables you to to burn a significant amount of fat and calories per session.

Good Low Impact Workouts to Try Sadly, not all low impact workouts are cut from the same cloth. Some are quite good when it comes to burning fat and some are not so good. For example, yoga, Pilates, and aerobics all fall under the banner of “low impact workouts” but they aren’t all that good at actually burning fat and calories. So, with that in mind, here are some low impact workouts that are guaranteed to help you burn fat and shed pounds.

Swimming By far the best low impact exercise is swimming. Swimming for just 30-minutes or so burns hundreds of calories and burns tons of fat as well. You don’t even have to do any sort of specialized swimming exercises. Just swimming regular laps can be a really great workout. Elliptical Machines Regular running, whether on the ground or on a treadmill, puts a lot of strain on your knees. An elliptical is a good way of getting the same cardio workout, without putting anywhere the same amount of strain on your knees.

Cycling Cycling is yet another great way of burning a ton of calories and a ton of fat while having very little negative impact on your body. Obviously, there are some physical dangers associated with cycling, but the chances of tearing a muscle are very low.

Top 11 Healthy Eating Tips For The Over 50s

Eating smart once you pass the magical 50 year mark takes some smart planning. Long gone are the days of pizza, ice cream and cheeseburgers not affecting your waistline, health or energy level. You are also a lot better informed than you were 20 or 30 years ago. Scientists, health experts and medical professionals have made some real strides the last few decades understanding just what makes us tick, and what constitutes a healthy diet. For instance, we now know that nutrition accounts for a full 60% to 70% of your level of physical fitness.

That explains a lot, especially when you realize how many hours over the years you spent sweating in a gym or aerobics class. Exercise is certainly a required component of proper fitness, but nutrition is much more important. Keep the following healthy eating tips in mind, and the next 20, 30 or even 40 years of living will be healthy, happy and full of energy.

Over 50 Healthy Eating Tip #1 Understand your lifestyle caloric ratio. Your system has slowed down considerably from 10 or 20 years ago. If you are not very active, your body will function properly on around 1,700 calories each day. If you are moderately active, roughly 1,800 or 1,900 calories is what you want to target daily. If you enjoy a very active lifestyle, you will probably need 2,000 to 2,300 calories to maintain your current body weight and stay healthy. (Remember, these are averages. Check with your doctor for your particular daily recommended calorie allowance.)

Over 50 Healthy Eating Tip #2 Make sure you are getting enough calcium. As you age, your bones become brittle. It is simply a natural part of the aging process. However, doctors and fitness experts now understand that you can get 100% of your required daily allowance of vitamin D through diet alone.

Just be careful about drinking a lot of milk and eating dairy products for your calcium. In recent years, it has been found that drinking cow’s milk actually causes your body to steal calcium from bones in order to regulate a healthy pH level. Vitamin D strengthens your bones and immune system, and you want to aim for about 1,200 mg per day.

Over 50 Healthy Eating Tip #3 Get plenty of protein. Just 5 to 7 ounces of protein each day is all you need to regulate healthy bodily functions. Eat protein at every breakfast, as this causes you to eat fewer “bad” calories throughout the day. Soybeans, nonfat yogurt, kidney beans, organic eggs, nuts and wild caught salmon are all excellent sources of protein, and also versatile in the kitchen. Protein is needed to build bones, muscles, skin and blood, and helps regulate a healthy body weight.

Over 50 Healthy Eating Tip #4 Eat more frequently. We now know that the “3 meals a day” recommendation by the USDA and other major health organizations around the world is not the healthiest. You should be eating 5 or 6 times a day.

Refer to your daily caloric intake in our first healthy eating tip. Then spread those calories over 3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks each day. Every time you eat, your metabolism is boosted. This is great for fat and weight loss. A side benefit is more energy, since your body is not processing so many calories at any one meal.

Over 50 Healthy Eating Tip #5 Limit salt, refined sugar and white flour. At any age, limiting your intake of these deadly 3 white food products can have an immediate and positive impact on your health. Eating fat does not cause you to become fat - eating sugar does.

The chemical process that occurs in your brain when you eat sugar is the same that happens to a drug or alcohol addict when they get the drug of their choice into their body. Refined sugar is that addictive, and is linked to a long list of illnesses, ailments and diseases. Salt and white flour are likewise absolutely unnecessary in your diet, and contribute to multiple health problems as well.

Over 50 Healthy Eating Tip #6 Ramp up your intake of antioxidants. Natural antioxidants fight dangerous free radicals in your body that can cause cellular damage to your organs. Raw foods, fruits and vegetables that are high in healthy antioxidants like betacarotene and selenium include kale, bananas, apples and other whole, raw fruits, romaine lettuce and other dark, leafy greens. To get the most antioxidants in your diet, vary the range of colors on your plate.

Over 50 Healthy Eating Tip #7 Make sure you are eating enough soluble fiber. Did you know that doctors believe at least 70% of all disease starts in your digestive system and gut? Soluble fiber improves your ability to digest and process foods properly, flushes your body of dangerous toxins and other unhealthy chemicals, and also helps regulate your natural body weight.

A healthy digestive system can ward off most of the diseases and health problems you encounter as you age. Soluble fiber is found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, oats and berries, and foods like beans, nuts, cucumbers and lentils.

Over 50 Healthy Eating Tip #8 Eat more raw foods. This may be tough for you after a lifetime of eating processed, packaged, cooked food products. However, it is absolutely essential to eat raw foods as you age. Aside from the benefit received by not ingesting a lot of additives, nitrates and preservatives not meant to be in your body, raw foods deliver enzymes that are important for healthy maintenance of your metabolism and other important physiological processes.

Over 50 Healthy Eating Tip #9 Make sure you are getting all the vitamins you need. A smart diet full of unprocessed foods, fruits, vegetables, whole foods and whole grains can provide everything your body needs to function properly and deliver a long, healthy life. Unfortunately, not all of us get all of the vitamins and nutrients we need in our diet.

A study published in the Journal of Nutrition for the Elderly in 2008 noticed that adults past the age of 50 were frequently deficient in calcium, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Schedule a checkup to see if you are mentally deficient in any particular area, then target your diet and supplement if needed.

Over 50 Healthy Eating Tip #10 Don’t trust the word “natural” on a food label. Food manufacturers have led us to believe that when you see “natural” listed on a food label, it means you are eating a healthy product. That may or may not be the case.

The consumer advocate organization and magazine Consumer Reports has done research on foods labeled natural, and the results are pretty scary. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has no definition for the word natural. Anything and everything can be labeled natural, whether it is healthy, processed, natural or not. Do your due diligence before you purchase any “natural” food product.

Over 50 Healthy Eating Tip #11 Focus on non-animal proteins. Steak, beef, pork chops, chicken breast and fish are protein-dense food items. However, research the last couple of decades has shown a direct link between a diet rich in animal proteins and a long list of cancers.

You can easily get all of the protein you need in your diet simply by eating fruits, vegetables and other whole foods. Replace animal proteins

with spinach, a baked potato, broccoli, corn, quinoa, tofu, beans, nuts and seeds whenever you can.

Bonus Over 50 Healthy Eating Tip #1 Get the proper amount of rest for your age. Why is this tip included in a resource for eating smart past 50? It’s simple. Proper rest helps regulate many physiological functions. That means your body can use the carbohydrates, minerals, nutrients, fat and protein that you eat in a healthy manner. Your digestive system processes foods more efficiently when you regularly receive 7 to 9 hours of sleep each and every night.

Bonus Over 50 Healthy Eating Tip #2 Stay hydrated. The reasoning for drinking plenty of fluids is the same as the previous bonus health tip. A human being can last only about 3 days without drinking water, but as much as 30 days without eating. That is how important fluids are to a properly functioning digestive, respiratory and circulatory system. Men should be aiming for around 3 liters (13 cups) of liquids a day, while women should drink 2 liters (9 cups) of beverages each day. (Speak with your doctor if incontinence becomes an issue with this level of liquid intake.) Bonus Over 50 Healthy Eating Tip #3 Here’s another healthy eating bonus tip for you. Get between 2.5 and 3.5 hours of moderately intense physical activity into your weekly routine. Again, like staying properly hydrated and getting plenty of rest, physical activity allows your body to use the foods you eat properly. This does not have to mean lifting heavy weights. Hitting a hiking trail, cycling with friends or even taking a 30 minute walk around your neighborhood can deliver the benefits of physical activity. Eating healthy once you surpass the 50 year milestone may be difficult. You might have eaten a less than healthy diet for much of your adult life. But the process itself is very simple – eat more raw foods, and fewer processed foods. Replace animal proteins with protein dense vegetables and fruits.

Figure your healthy daily calorie count, and spread it across 5 or 6 meals. Make sure you are getting enough calcium (especially women) in your diet, avoid refined sugar, salt and white flour, and eat protein at every breakfast. Enjoy this healthy “over 50” recipe while staying hydrated, getting plenty of rest and staying physically active, and your golden years can be just that.