Irongeezer    A Guide to a Healthy, Active, and Fit Lifestyle    Irongeezer

Take your body measurements to gauge progress.  Portion out your snack on a plate, not from the bag, to stay aware of how much you’re eating.  Buy or portion out treats and snacks in small bags or packages.  Store especially tempting foods, like cookies, chips, or ice cream, out of immediate eyesight, like on a high shelf or at the back of a freezer. When buying in bulk, store the excess in a place that’s not convenient to get to, such as a high cabinet or at the back of a pantry. Skip buffets. Skip seconds. Skip added salt. Skip added sugar. Skip solid fat. Skip soda. Skip skin on poultry. Skip Rope!

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The Irongeezer Motto - "Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.." Plato 427 - 345 BC    There are 1,440 minutes in every day. Schedule at least 30 minutes for physical activity and 30 minutes for mental activity!   CLICK ON THE IRONGEEZER TO GO TO IRONGEEZER.ORG > > > > > >

IRONGEEZER.ORG A Guide to a Healthy, Active, and Fit Lifestyle.

About Exercise Aerobic Exercise: Top 10 reasons to get physical Regardless of age, weight or athletic ability, aerobic exercise is good for you. See why — then prepare yourself to get moving!At least 30 minutes of daily aerobic activity — such as walking, bicycling or swimming — can help you live longer and healthier. See how aerobic exercise affects your heart, lungs and blood flow. Then get motivated to reap the rewards!  During aerobic activity, you repeatedly move large muscles in your arms, legs and hips. You'll notice your body's responses quickly. You'll breathe faster and more deeply. This maximizes the amount of oxygen in your blood. Your heart will beat faster, which increases blood flow to your muscles and back to your lungs. Your small blood vessels (capillaries) will widen to deliver more oxygen to your muscles and carry away waste products, such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid. Your body will even release endorphins, natural painkillers that promote an increased sense of well-being.  Regardless of age, weight or athletic ability, aerobic activity is good for you. As your body adapts to regular aerobic exercise, you'll get stronger and more efficient.  Aerobic activity can help you: 1. Keep excess pounds at bay. Combined with a healthy diet, aerobic exercise helps you lose weight — and keep it off.   2. Increase your stamina. Aerobic exercise may make you tired in the short term. But over the long term, you'll enjoy increased stamina and reduced fatigue.   3. Ward off viral illnesses. Aerobic exercise activates your immune system. This leaves you less susceptible to minor viral illnesses, such as colds and flu.   4. Reduce health risks. Aerobic exercise reduces the risk of many conditions, including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain types of cancer. Weight-bearing aerobic exercises, such as walking, reduce the risk of osteoporosis.   5. Manage chronic conditions. Aerobic exercise helps lower high blood pressure and control blood sugar. If you've had a heart attack, aerobic exercise helps prevent subsequent attacks.   6. Strengthen your heart. A stronger heart doesn't need to beat as fast. A stronger heart also pumps blood more efficiently, which improves blood flow to all parts of your body.   7. Keep your arteries clear. Aerobic exercise boosts your high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol and lowers your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad," cholesterol. The potential result? Less buildup of plaques in your arteries.   8. Boost your mood. Aerobic exercise can ease the gloominess of depression, reduce the tension associated with anxiety and promote relaxation. 9. Stay active and independent as you get older. Aerobic exercise keeps your muscles strong, which can help you maintain mobility as you get older. Aerobic exercise also keeps your mind sharp. At least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three days a week seems to reduce cognitive decline in older adults.   10. Live longer. People who participate in regular aerobic exercise appear to live longer than those who don't exercise regularly. Start slowly: Aerobic activity is safe for most people, but it's important to get a doctor's OK first — especially if you have a chronic health condition. When you're ready to begin exercising, start slowly. You might walk five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening. The next day, add a few minutes to each walking session. Pick up the pace a bit, too. Soon, you could be walking briskly for at least 30 minutes a day — and reaping all the benefits of regular aerobic activity.   Other options might include cross-country skiing, aerobic dancing, swimming, stair climbing, bicycling, jogging, elliptical training or rowing. If you have a condition that limits your ability to participate in aerobic activities, ask your doctor about alternatives. If you have arthritis, for example, aquatic exercises may give you the benefits of aerobic activity without stressing your joints. Source: Mayo Clinic FAST WORKOUT - Aerobic Exercise - 10 Minute Cardio Blast   Ten Minute Cardio Blast   10 Minute Cardio Blast! To get the most out of 10-minute cardio workouts, you want to focus on working harder than usual.  The following workout offers some ideas for how you can work hard during the time you have.   1 minute - Brisk walk or march in place 1 minute - Light jog outside, around the house or in place 1 minute - Jumping jacks 1 minute - Long jumps - jump forward, landing with both feet 1 minute - Light jog 1 minute - Jumping jacks 1 minute - Squat and kick, alternating legs 1 minute - Light jog 1 minute - Long jumps 1 minute - Brisk walk to cool down   If you're feeling creative, make your own workout using some of the activities listed below. Each exercises will burn about 100 calories (depending on your weight, fitness level, and intensity) in 10 minutes:   Running - 1 mile Jumping rope Stepping - 30 steps per minute, 7 inch step Cycling - 13 mph High-impact aerobics Running up stairs Circuit training   Calisthenics - pushups, jumping jacks, plyometric jumps and kickboxing-type moves  Source: About.com   This Cardio Blast will be posted here thru 2010, refer to it as often as you like. Always check with your doctor about your exercise plans.

About At Home Strengthening Exercises  For More Go To < www.irongeezer.org <   What You Need to Get Started: 1. Floor mat 2. Free weights (two hand-weights between 3 and 15 lbs. each, depending on your level) 3. Bench 4. Consult your physician to make sure these exercises are appropriate for you. Doing these strengthening exercises should build up your muscle strength and bone density and increase your metabolism. Always perform the exercises in the order given and do the entire routine twice a week (should take around 40 minutes each time.) If time is a problem, try splitting the routine in half and doing the exercises 4 days a week. For instance, do the first half of the exercises on Monday and Thursday and the second half on Wednesday and Saturday. Perform each exercise in 2 sets of 12 repetitions with a short break in between, unless stated otherwise.   1. Chest Press Using a bench and hand-weights, lie on your back with the weights in your hand and upper arms in line with your shoulders. Using a slow, controlled movement, press your arms up to a fully extended position, then back down to the starting position.   2. Row Start by placing your right hand and right knee on a bench with your left foot on the floor and left hand hanging down with a hand-weight. Your back should be flat and parallel to the ground. Slowly pull the weight up to your shoulder and squeeze your shoulder blades to finish. With control, return to the starting position. Repeat on the opposite side.   3. Abdominal Crunch Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Cross your arms across your chest with your hands on opposite shoulders. Look up at the ceiling to keep your neck relaxed. Slowly contract your abdominal muscles to lift your shoulders off the floor and hold the crunch for a 2-count. Then relax your shoulders back to the floor. Begin with 12 repetitions, but build up to 20. **For additional resistance, move your hands up beside your ears with your elbows out to the sides. Place your feet up on a bench or sofa.   4. Side Crunch Start as you did for the abdominal crunch, lying on the floor with your knees bent and arms across your chest with hands on opposite shoulders. Again look at the ceiling and keep your neck relaxed. Contract your abdominal muscles and lift your shoulders off the floor, but twist so your right elbow goes toward the left knee. Relax back down to the floor. Do 12 reps in each direction. **For additional resistance, move your hands up beside your ears with your elbows out to the sides. Place your feet up on a bench or sofa.   5. Biceps Curl Sit on a bench with your legs spread apart. Place your right elbow inside your right knee with the hand of that arm resting on the top of the opposite leg. Your left hand holds the weight and the arm starts straight (just inside the left knee). Slowly bend it up until the weight is up at the shoulder, then return to the starting position. Repeat the set on the other arm.   6. Overhead Press Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with your knees slightly bent. Hold the hand-weights in your hands beside your shoulders (if you use a single bar, it should be resting across the top of your chest). Using slow control, extend your arms straight up overhead, without locking your elbows. Then bend your elbows and return to the starting position.   7. Tricep Dips Sit on the edge of a bench with your hands on the edge next to your buttocks. Slide your butt forward off the edge of the bench, bend your arms and drop your body down until your elbows are almost at 90 degrees. Then lift your body back up (but don't return your bottom to the bench until you've completed all 12 repetitions). For an easier option, keep your feet on the ground with your legs bent. The intermediate option would have your legs straight out in front of you. The most challenging position is elevating your feet on another chair or bench.   8. Lunge Start by standing with both feet together. While maintaining a tall posture, take a giant step forward while bending your forward knee (but don't push your knee beyond your foot). Then press forcefully off your forward leg to return to your starting stance. Alternate 10 reps on each leg. **To increase resistance, hold light dumbbells. Source: PBS. Exercise. These exercises will be posted here thru 2010. Refer to them as often as needed.

About Eating and Exercise: Time it right to maximize your workout     Knowing when and how much to eat and drink before you exercise can make a big difference in how you feel during and after your workout. Here are some tips.   When you eat and what you eat can affect your performance and the way you feel while you're exercising. Coordinate your meals, snacks and what you drink to make the most of your exercise routine.   Eating a lot before exercise can slow you down   When you exercise after a large meal, you may feel sluggish or have an upset stomach, cramping and diarrhea. That's because your muscles and your digestive system are competing with each other for energy resources.   "Your body can digest food while you're active, but not as well as it can when you're not exercising," notes Stephen DeBoer, a registered dietitian at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. This is partly because your body is trying to do two things requiring blood supply and energy simultaneously — digesting the food you just ate and providing fuel to keep your muscles active.   Time it right: Before, during and after your workout   On the flip side, not eating before you exercise can be just as bad as eating too much. Low blood sugar levels that result from not eating can make you feel weak, faint or tired, and your mental abilities may be affected as well, making you slower to react. So what can you do?   Eat a full breakfast. Wake up early enough to eat a full breakfast. "Most of the energy you got from dinner last night is used up by morning," says DeBoer. "Your blood sugar is low. If you don't eat, you may feel sluggish or lightheaded while exercising." If you plan to exercise within an hour after breakfast, eat a smaller breakfast or drink something to raise your blood sugar, such as a sports drink.   Time your meals. Eat large meals at least three to four hours before exercising. If you're having a small meal, eat two to three hours before exercising.   Most people can eat snacks right before and during exercise. The key is how you feel. Some people feel lightheaded during the first 10 to 15 minutes of their workout if they eat within the hour before exercise. Do what works best for you.   Don't skip meals. Skipping meals may cause low blood sugar, which can make you feel weak and lightheaded. If you're short on time before your workout, and your choice is candy or nothing, eat the candy because it can improve your performance, compared with eating nothing. But keep in mind, all candy is high in sugar and low on nutrients, so a snack of yogurt and a banana would be a better choice.   Eat after your workout. To help your muscles recover and to replace their glycogen stores, eat a meal that contains both protein and carbohydrates within two hours of your exercise session if possible.   What to eat: Getting the right fuel for your best performance   Food provides your body with necessary energy. To make the most of your workouts, focus on:   Carbohydrates: Your body's chief source of fuel   You'll feel better when you exercise if you eat foods high in carbohydrates and low in fat. Your body stores excess carbohydrates as glycogen — primarily in your muscles and liver. Your muscles use stored glycogen when needed for energy.   Cereals, breads, vegetables, pasta, rice and fruit are good sources of carbohydrate. But right before an intense workout, avoid carbohydrates high in fiber, such as beans and lentils, bran cereals and fruit. High-fiber foods may give you gas or cause cramping. Fructose, a simple sugar found in fruit, can increase the tendency for diarrhea with high-intensity exercise.    If you don't like to eat solid foods before exercising, drink your carbohydrates in sports beverages or fruit juices. "Research shows it makes no difference in performance whether you drink your carbohydrates or eat them," says DeBoer. Do what feels best to you.   A diet containing at least 40 percent to 50 percent of calories from carbohydrates allows your body to store glycogen, but if you're a long-distance runner or you exercise for long periods of time, you might want to consume more carbohydrates regularly and consider carbohydrate loading before a big athletic event.   Protein and fats: Important, but not your body's top fuel choice   Protein isn't your body's food of choice for fueling exercise, but it does play a role in muscle repair and growth. Most people can easily get the protein they need from such foods as meat, dairy products and nuts, and don't need additional protein supplements.   Fat is an important, although smaller, part of your diet. Fats, as well as carbohydrates, can provide fuel for your muscles during exercise. Try to get most of your fat from unsaturated sources such as nuts, fatty fish or vegetable oils. Avoid fatty foods just before exercising, though. Fats remain in your stomach longer, causing you to feel less comfortable.    Water: Drink plenty to avoid dehydration   Your body uses the water in your blood to carry nutrients such as sugar (glucose) to cells and to remove waste products from the cells. The presence of water in your body ensures that you can safely sustain physical activity. As you exercise, your body produces heat. This heat leaves your body as you perspire, taking with it electrolytes — elements, such as potassium, calcium, sodium and chlorine. If you don't replace the fluid you lose during exercise, your heart rate increases and your temperature rises, putting you at risk of dehydration as well as compromising your workout. Source: Mayo Clinic

“Obesity, be not proud”    By Tatjana and Cliff Eggink   Two thirds of the American public is either overweight or obese. Adults and kids alike are gaining pounds and suffering dire, life altering, life threatening health consequences:  Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease are among those consequences. We all know the list of diseases and their outcomes. So there is no need to belabor that point, is there?   Yet, why are so many of us unwilling to change eating and exercise habits? The doctors don’t know. The exercise physiologists don’t know. The researchers don’t know. The government doesn’t know. Actually, no one knows what to do about this looming health care crisis that will cost all of us, not just financially in increasing health care costs for everyone, not just for the overweight and obese, in increasing insurance premiums, money lost for sick days, and loss of productivity… (and yes, Michael Moore, the nation’s gadfly on health care in his recent movie Sicko, needs to participate in that aspect of health care – the diet and exercise - and not just rant about what others need to do)…, but most importantly, beyond the dollar signs of the issue, are the misery of lives reduced to couch sitting, huffing and puffing, missing out on really delicious, nutritious, fresh food, instead gorging on synthetic, industrial tastes of, let’s say, “Twinkies.” (however, any mass produced food will do fit the bill here- as long as it is cheap, fast and satisfies fat and sugar and/or salt cravings).   All the “health apostles,” as some call the reasonable voices for a sensible approach to food and activity, have tried to educate, cajole, beg, plead, threaten, negotiate, but have finally resigned. Doctors do it – resigning themselves to the prescription pad, managing disease with the latest pharmaceutical – statins for high cholesterol, for instance. What often should go on that prescription pad is a simple: “Exercise and eat sensibly!” Then, let’s just see what happens. Maybe that might prompt even one person to a positive change.   Doctors are not to blame though; some even try this approach, but are rebuffed by patients, who are irate that a doctor would discuss nutrition and have the audacity to suggest getting their duff moving. The government has resigned – it has tried throwing money, in the form of public education, at the problem, but no change has happened. The nation, the industrialized world as a whole, as a matter of fact, just keeps getting larger. So, what happened? No one seems to know. We are suggesting that it is not the fault of television, the food manufacturers, the pharmaceutical companies, or any one else, but the “fault,” if we can call it that, lies within ourselves. As a people, we have an odd relationship to bodies, food, and who we admire and at what tables we worship. On the one hand, we salivate over every detail of some emaciated glamour life, and sneer at the discovery that this celebrity actually does have cellulite; that’s the euphemism for fat, by the by. All the while, as we are glued to the television screen fixated on this celebrities’ life, we are eating a bag of potato chips. On the other hand, we are willing to try most fad diets, at least once – swearing today that carbs are good, then bad; tomorrow, it’s the cabbage soup diet, the South Beach diet, and next, we discuss the “wondrous, marvelous, awesome” moment of sports television, a gluttonous, disgusting hot dog eating contest, complete with spewing vomit from one of the contestants. That’s just sick, depraved, and alarming on so many levels. What does it say about us and our culture when we award a person who can force-fed himself until he spews or wins?  Metaphorically, not historically, we have sunk to the level of a declining Rome, just before the fall of that once great civilization. The Romans, too, vomited at their lavish banquet, so that could continue eating. Interestingly enough, force-feeding geese to produce foie gras is coming under scrutiny and has been outlawed. Right or wrong? At any rate, someone is watching out for the geese. But what about the overweight children? Isn’t it abuse on some level to allow your children to eat themselves into a state of obesity? Do we sense there is a disconnect here somewhere? Our mental state, our bodies, our nature are out of sink. And that’s the essence of the problem.   Can we fix it? Yes, but the cure is hard. It worked with smoking. Yes, bigger is not better; bigger is bad. We are not talking about people either. Don’t make the cars, houses, chairs, beds, plates, portions, etc, bigger: keep ‘em normal. Once we accept larger as normal, larger becomes normal, and we can grow larger yet. Not a good idea. But that’s not going to happen until we make obesity as much as a pariah as smoking has become. Remember, in the not too distant past, smoking was normal, perfectly acceptable; now, it is marked as a “disgusting, tumor causing habit” – well, guess what, so is overeating. I already hear the politically correct choir chiming –  and yes, o course, the overweight are humans with feelings and no one suggests here that those should be ignored, or that people should be outcast, ridiculed or shamed in any way – we are all here to help. Just remember, if you think that this is tough medicine, substitute every idea about obesity in this sassy piece with smoking, and you will find, for instance, that smokers are people with feelings and rights, too, and we weren’t nearly as politically correct when it came to them. Why? Maybe because eating is a necessity, smoking isn’t. Maybe because eating is seen as benign, compared to smoking. Maybe because smoking, as in second hand smoking, affects others, but guess what, so does obesity – we all pay for that health crisis in the end. And lest you think the authors speaks from a lack of experience: One has been a smoker, and I understand addiction, and one of us has weighed 205 pounds (now 135), so he understands being overweight.   A Challenge to You? You Can Do It! What Can Irongeezer.com Do For You?  Read On!

"If I can be active, so can YOU!" Cliff "Irongeezer" Eggink, age 73, swimming & walking on the beach the day after an Ironman What is Irongeezer.com's MISSION?   Our mission will be posted here every month to help you get active and stay active. The primary goal of this free healthy LifeStyle Webzine is to help, guide, and inspire YOU to live an active, healthy lifestyle. We will never promote old wives tales, pills, quackery, or snake oils. Our Web site will be a basic easy to use site, no sign in, free, no spam.  What can Irongeezer.com Webzine DO FOR YOU? If you are just starting to get active, Irongeezer.com will encourage and guide you with the most current exercise and nutrition information available. We offer free online starter coaching information (as well as information on other free Web sites) to help you get started. Perhaps the activity that you enjoyed most as a child is the activity that you want to start with? If you are an old hand at staying fit and healthy, GREAT! Use this LifeStyle e-magazine as a review of what you have learned over a lifetime. Also, we ask you to send us your sage ideas to pass along to others. In this way, you will have the opportunity to help others live an active, healthy LifeStyle.  GET ACTIVE! Our permanent reminder to those of you that are not yet active. Step 1: Get up and be grateful that you are alive.  Step 2: Pick an activity. Play kickball, four square, dodge ball, do Nordic walking, Irish road bowling, wiffleball, synchronized swimming, four-on-four flag football, arm wrestle, exercise for weight loss, cross-train, stretch, play ping-pong, golf and carry your clubs, do yoga, do pilates, stand while you fish, play tennis, shoot some hoops, skate, kick a ball, play catch, jump waves, dance, hike, water-ski, stroll, horseback ride, skull, meander, bike, go to a gym, set up a gym at home, walk with purpose to do your errands, jump on a pogo stick, garden, clean house with gusto, rock climb, wash the car, be your own chore service provider, fidget, aquajog, fence, row, kayak, canoe, play handball, peddle boat, dragon boat, play croquet, throw a frisbee, bowl, participate in pool aerobics, do tai chi, play bocce or pickleball, play squash, H2O hockey, badminton, or racquetball, play horseshoes or shuffleboard, lift weights, surf, boogie-board, ski, skim board, play lacrosse or tether-ball, windsurf, do karate, jujitsu, ballroom dance, snorkel, curl, snowshoe, train for a sprint triathlon, scuba dive, jump rope -the possibilities are endless.  Step 3: If you don't know what activity to choose, start out doing what you liked to do as a child! PLAY.  Step 4: After you have picked an activity, and before getting active, get a physical from your health care provider. Also see your doctor before increasing the intensity, speed, or duration of any activity that you are already involved in.  Step 5: GET ACTIVE! Then relax, rest, and recover. Eat to fuel your LifeStyle, no more, no less. What is the origin the name IRONGEEZER.COM? What is an IRONGEEZER™? Originally, Irongeezer™ was a nickname given to a boomer, or older person who completed an ironman distance triathlon. Irongeezer™. However, it has evolved into the following: An IRONGEEZER™ is considered a bit eccentric, because he/she is active. Far from being curmudgeonly, his geezerism or eccentricity manifests in a passion for physical activity, involvement in a healthy lifestyle, which sets him apart from many of his peer group. An Irongeezer has the iron will of mind and body to maintain a "HALE & HARDY" lifestyle amid an ever-increasing, slothful, unfit population.......an active person of any age (young or old) can become an Irongeezer™. IRONGEEZER™: A "Hale & Hardy" individual, or A "Hale & Hearty" individual.