It is Never Too Late to Get Fit

Getting fit and sporting a hot body is not just for the twenty-somethings.  It is never too late, things are never too bad, never too far gone, and we are definitely never too old to become our best healthy self.  Our minds can play evil tricks on us and  make us believe our goals are unattainable.  That simply is not the truth and the first step that needs to happen is to change the thoughts about our life and body and begin the process of kicking out the mental clutter.

Once we begin each day with a positive focus and have faith in what we want to accomplish, we are ready to make the goals come true.  It will be a daily choice to not give in to old patterns, old doubts and fears, and self sabotage.  This will be a time of inner strength development and facing all the crap that held you down for so long.  It will be an emptying of the old self into the trash and an awakening of the new stronger you ready to make things happen.

Each day is a new opportunity to change and make decisions that will bring us closer to reaching our fitness goals.  Start with small realistic goals like losing 10 pounds or registering to walk your first 5K.  Begin keeping a food journal to honestly see your eating habits and then get tough with yourself and start eating healthier foods.  Plan an exercise time on your calendar and do not skip out because it is important and you are worth the effort.  The simple steps of eating right, exercising 3 to 4 times per week to start, maintaining a food journal, and keeping a positive attitude will provide the results you want.

Do not think that this is a quick fix and mentally prepare for a lifestyle change. Regardless of the time, it will pass anyway so you might as well be working on health improvement.  This is not about perfection but always progress as we strive each day to be healthy.  Self pity will not be your friend and not an excuse to throw in the towel.  There will be days when it feels really hard and you may even want to give up but know that you are stronger than that.


Hot bodies are earned not given and believing this goal can happen at any age or circumstance is half the battle.  You are now armed to put in the physical work and fuel your body with the right foods to achieve your goals.

Helpful Tips:

• Eat a wide variety of healthy foods that include lean proteins, good carbohydrates and healthy fats.
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
• Get to bed at a decent hour and try for 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
• Exercise 3-4 times per week to start and progress as you get stronger.
• Include weight resistance training 1-2 times per week to start.
• Keep a food journal for accountability... be honest with yourself.
• Dump the junk food and replace with healthy food options.
• Pay attention to portion sizes and read food labels.
• Eat several small meals per day and do not allow yourself to feel hungry.
• Weigh in only one time per week, pay attention to how your clothes are fitting, and how you look naked. 
• Make time for prayer and positive self talk to keep up the motivation.
• Set realistic small goals to start like losing 10lbs or signing up to walk your first 5K. 
• Hire a qualified personal trainer for guidance and motivation if going it alone feels too overwhelming.

Read my article "Training for My First 5K: What Do I Eat?" on About.com for even more great information on healthy eating and reaching personal goals.

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Stay Healthy!
Darla

STARTING IS NOT THE END, MAINTAINING IS A LIFETIME

Starting to adopt a healthy lifestyle and achieve personal fitness goals can feel exciting and even easy in the beginning.  We plug into our fitness pals, fit bits, get motivated eating healthy foods, excited about the new workouts and with smiles on our faces dive head first into what is absolutely fitness euphoria.   It feels good to eat healthy, exercise and talk about it with our family and friends. Self motivation is at it's peak running on a full tank of gas and determination full throttle.  We are on top of the world and nothing will stop us from reaching our goals, right?

The struggle is usually not in the starting but in the maintaining.  We all need to start the process of getting healthy and we also need to continue creating healthy habits that eventually morph into a lifestyle.  Week three of the start may not feel as good anymore or as exciting but going out with friends downing a few drinks and sopping up some bread sounds more appealing.  Week four seems to be filled with obligations that are somehow more important than the promise we made to ourselves to get healthy.  Week five starts a two week vacation that will not include anything healthy and focused around a food frenzy that will surely expand the waistline.  In a short time, starting to eat right and get healthy has taken a back seat and old patterns have returned.  The struggle is real for many out there.

The processed food items make their way back into the pantry instead of the good carbohydrates that were there just a month ago.  Healthy fats are replaced with saturated fake food products, pizza and burgers are the staple over lean proteins and vegetables, and water intake is at an all time low.  Choices and behaviors like this happen all the time and if you are reading yourself between the lines, you are not alone.  It can cause feelings of failure, frustration and discouragement with the "give up" attitude fighting to take over the mental game. None of us are immune to falling into poor eating habits and reasons to not exercise. It can start as simply as telling yourself "just this once" that develops into a week, month and even a year.

The only choice that can be made is telling ourselves to STOP doing the things that are bringing us back into unhealthy patterns.  Somehow that motivation to START needs to come full circle again, and through whatever methods of accountability it takes.  If you are unable to do it alone, hire a qualified personal trainer or find a workout partner.  If you are sabotaged at home, start creating two separate meals to ensure that you are eating healthy.  If too busy seems to be a problem, it is time to look at your priorities.  The time is now to start achieving your fitness goals, but even more than that, learning how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Check out my latest article  "Ten Foods You Should Eat Every Day" for optimum fitness on About.com.  

TEN FOODS YOU SHOULD EAT EVERY DAY

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Stay Healthy!
Darla

I DON'T TAKE SUPPLEMENTS OR BELIEVE IN MAGIC

What I mean by supplements are those products that promise to create a fit and healthy body by popping or drinking whatever is in the bottle.  I guess that is where I do not believe in magic either.  I am a hard nut to crack when it comes to endorsing or promoting "enhancement" type supplements or drinks.  Those that promise to burn fat faster, create bulging muscles, and guarantee the ability to leap over buildings in a single bound.  In addition, they can come with harmful side effects I personally am not willing to chance. The next time you pick up a bottle of magic, take a close look at the label that will typically read "results obtained when combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise program."  BAM ... what is the point of wasting money?  Once a healthy diet and exercise program are implemented results will follow and that is without taking whatever is in that bottle.  Also, all supplements are not regulated and many not clinically studied, and fall under the category of food and not medicine.  

Of course any supplementation is a personal choice, and I am not a downer on all

things that may assist with improved health and wellness, and in some instances may be necessary for some people.  I do indulge in the occasional protein shake, take multi-vitamins fairly regularly, and my body seems to respond well to glucosamine for reduced pain in my joints.  This is more a maintenance body insurance program for me and I am not looking to enhance the way I look by taking anything that I have listed.  I do not believe drinking a protein shake is going to define my muscles but do benefit from a boost of vitamin C if I feel the symptoms of a cold.  

The primary source of my nutrients come from the healthy food I eat daily and not from dietary supplements. Because I eat a wide variety of food coming from lean proteins, good carbohydrates, and healthy fats  I feel very confident that all of my nutrient daily allowances are being met.  I fuel my workouts with healthy carbs, recover my body with lean proteins, and protect my cellular function with healthy fats.  

I lift weights as part of my exercise program, but do not feel I need an over abundance of protein to make my muscles larger and leaner.  I do not sit around eating loads of chicken breast and drinking several protein shakes per day.  That is just crazy and would do nothing but tax my organs and create a constipation issue.  The demands I place on my body through exercise do require more calories of ALL of the food groups and I just focus on eating healthy several times per day to satisfy those needs.  There is nothing magic about that and in fact maintaining a healthy body is pretty simple and will only require eating right and exercise.  

Read my article  "Are Supplements Really Necessary"
 for even more valuable information on the subject.

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Stay Healthy! Darla 

LEAN UP NATURALLY

The best part about getting healthy and achieving a lean body is that each of us already have what it takes to make that happen.  Also, it does not cost lots of money nor does it require anything special, not even a gym membership.  We can achieve a lean body naturally and that happens with how we live.  Our lifestyle determines what are body will look and feel like.





Being consistent with eating healthy, exercise, staying hydrated and getting plenty of rest will create a lean physique naturally.  It starts with our shopping lists and the foods we are buying to maintain the body we have.  If we are buying crap then we will create a body of crap.  I know that sounds bluntly harsh, but the truth can sting when it hits us between the eyes.  The same goes for exercise and guaranteed if you are not moving and taking care of that body with a regular fitness program, it will let you know through injury or stiffness.

We can lean up naturally by purchasing healthy foods and eating at home most of the time.  Nothing special about that and no extra dollars except our normal grocery bill filled with healthy food instead of fake food.  This way we know what and how much we are eating and at a cost saving.  Eating healthy even 80% of the time will result in weight loss and an overall leaner look.  Also, reducing alcohol consumption to no more than 1 to 2 times per week will make this happen even faster.  Drinking plenty of water and considering that an essential nutrient will also hasten the lean up process.

Get up and move that body!  No gym membership required and much can be accomplished with a brisk walk for at least 30 minutes several times per week. Add in a few push ups, squats, crunches and stretching and you have a complete at home program that will yield a tone physique.  Achieving a lean body is not complicated or expensive and I challenge anyone on that statement.  It is in our daily choices, will power and the want to be our best healthy self that controls what we are in the physical sense.  We all have the ability, but the choice is always up to each of us.

Exciting news!  I am the new Sports Nutrition Expert and freelance writer on the subject for About.com.  My page is dedicated to the newbie exerciser, fitness enthusiast, or seasoned athlete wanting all the current information on nutrition as it relates to health and fitness. Come by for even more great reads by yours truly and I look forward to hearing from you here on Stay Healthy Fitness.

As always, thanks for stopping by my Blog and I look forward to reading and responding to your comments.  Do not forget to subscribe to get all my free updates!

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Stay Healthy!
Darla

Sports Nutrition Expert and Writer

MAKE IT HAPPEN

How simple that sounds but it really is a choice.  The weekend is upon us and all the excitement of what that means to each of us: a break from work, social drinking, parties, indulgence in unhealthy foods, and plain slacking off from our goals of living a healthy lifestyle.  It is almost as if the weekend turns us into different people ... the "Jekyll and Hyde" of fitness and health exposed.







I admit to letting my hair down a bit on the weekend, and especially a little more this Sunday and Monday to celebrate Mother's Day and my Fabulous 51 Birthday.  However, I do not agree with plunging completely into the dark side of forgetfulness of living a healthy life, and not being able to exemplify what that means not only to me but those I teach and motivate on the daily. Moderation is knowing how to moderate.  A treat day does not need to turn into a cheat weekend because I guarantee that guilt and feeling like crap will come knocking at the door.

It is really OK to enjoy indulgences in life and that is called living and being realistic.  It is a wise healthy person that knows how to do so in moderation, without guilt, and getting right back on healthy track the next meal, or next day. Studies have actually shown that mixing up the nutrition and throwing in an occasional quality splurge day can benefit the body similar to muscle confusion when the exercise program is changed.  If you have been hardcore depleting your body of much needed nutrients and your muscles are screaming for some glycogen or blood sugar, a cheat meal or day can benefit both physiologically and psychologically. When you shock your system with a high influx of calories at one time, the body's metabolism will show an increase and you'll kick start your 'furnace' into high gear once again.

Wherever you are in your fitness program and especially with eating healthy, learning how to moderate splurges will make or break the success of reaching goals.  How you think about what you are eating is important because eating healthy should be a lifestyle and not looked upon as a punishment or burden. This type of thinking will lead to resentment of adopting a healthy lifestyle and the rebel within will eventually revolt and return to those foods that created the state of un-health in the first place.

YOUR CHOICE

Healthy foods not only taste good but are great for you.  Gravitate towards foods in their rawest forms, especially produce.  Enjoy the textures and tastes of vegetables, fruits, and raw nuts.  Indulge in lean proteins on the grill like salmon and chicken breast.  Stay away from processed junk, soda and basically those foods that do not support a healthy lifestyle.  Alcohol should be kept to a minimum or eliminated altogether.  Drink water over soda or sugared processed juices. Don't allow this fast paced society and marketing of "fake foods" pull you down a road of illness and obesity.  Enjoy those things minimally and in moderation and get back on track with what eating is really supposed to be ... HEALTHY!

MAKE IT HAPPEN AND STAY HEALTHY!

I dedicate this Blog to my beautiful Mother and friend.  Thank you Mom for blessing me with your love and support.  I love you dearly and wish you a very Happy Mother's Day.

Every Day is Mother's Day

Darla Leal, Fitness Expert and Fit at 50

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INTENTIONS ARE GOOD, BUT THEY MUST BE LIVED OUT

I was reading my daily devotion this morning and on the subject of intentions. I was immediately drawn into the meat of the subject and felt it was talking to me personally.  Can you relate?  Isn't it so true how we have all these good intentions, dream about how we are going to carry them out and then some how along the way, they get pushed aside and forgotten some how.  Well, not really forgotten, because they are still there dancing across the pages of our thoughts now and then, at least in my case. I am sure we can all agree to being guilty of not following through on good intentions to make something happen. As I read further, I understood the importance of  writing down the intentions beginning a plan to follow through with action.

Moving from intention to action takes a plan.  This applies to all things in adopting a healthy lifestyle and staying true to taking care of the important things in life.  What has helped me is prayer and setting up challenge systems where I complete three goals of intention for that day.  Today I plan to get in a morning workout, help my ailing father to the doctor, and meet up with family later this evening.  Another goal was writing this blog and I was stumped at what to share with you at first, but enlightened after reading my devotional.  It is amazing how things happen like that.

Having good intentions are well, good, but remain thoughts until living them out takes place.  The goal of weight loss, toning, and improving overall quality of life takes action and intending to create that is wonderful, but the follow-through is what will create the health, the fit body, and overall awesome feeling of accomplishment. Those things that we think about all the time must come to the forefront of our actions.  Has a family member or friend been on your mind to call?  Pick up the phone.  Has that surprise date with your spouse been put off for months? Time to bring on the romance.  Are the intentions to workout four times a week not happening? Get your calendar, schedule your workouts and do not cancel.  Intending to eat at home more to save money and improve the quality of your food intake?  Write a healthy food list and head to the store.

Every step we make is a step closer to fulfilling our goals and taking our intentions further than our minds.  Let's not get stuck in just thinking about it and feeling good about our thoughts only to have them fizzle out and remain stuck as things we just talk about in friendly conversation.  It all sounds good but living it out by example and action will be the proof in the pudding.

Stay Healthy Happenings:  I just created a Stay Healthy Google+ account and excited to share that with you for even more MOTIVATION, support and fitness fun.  Head on over and ADD me today and Stay Healthy!

Darla Leal, Fit at 50

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Stay Healthy!

                                                

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LOSE 12 POUNDS IN 6 WEEKS

Losing 12 pounds is not only a realistic goal, but can be done before summer begins.  I am not talking about anything “fad” or unhealthy, but straight up implementation of consistent healthy eating, exercise, water, limited alcohol intake, and plenty of rest.  Application of a healthy lifestyle in all aspects will allow for approximately 1 ½ pounds on the lower end and up to 3 pounds on the higher end of weight loss per week.  Working successfully with clients who are implementing the healthy eating guidelines that are supplied with their workout routines are losing in the middle range of 2 pounds per week. 

Think about what this means in terms of time and the realization that this is only six weeks of sticking to a consistent fitness program that promotes no diet but eating lots of fabulous healthy food, exercising that body at least four to five times per week for a minimum of thirty minutes, eliminating the sodas and keeping alcohol to not more than two nights per week and two drinks maximum, preferably red wine, and lots of water.  Sometimes it just takes the motivation of bikini or board short season to motivate a person to make it happen.  A consistent program will guarantee fat loss, lean mass gain and the beginning of a lifestyle of health. 

This sounds not only doable but exciting and realistic.  This can almost fit into the have it now plan that everyone seems to be looking for, except doing it the healthy way provides knowledge of what and how to eat, how to exercise, and how to live this lifestyle happily for life.  It becomes a habit and natural way to live each day and maintains all the positive results gained within the six weeks of consistent application.  It is time that we stop over-complicating weight loss and start implementing the simplicity of eating healthy and exercise.  We make things harder than they are, want all the results, but do not want to give up a current unhealthy lifestyle.  Now therein lays the issue.  If we want to see the changes, we need to make the changes and giving something 100% effort for at least six weeks should provide the personal feedback needed to continue to make the right decisions.

I will give an example of what I may eat in a day to maintain me as a 5’6”, 125lb female at 50 years young:

1 cup coffee with natural vanilla creamer

Meal 1: Organic morning round with 1tbsp peanut butter

Meal 2: Green shake: 1 cutie, ½-cup chopped pineapple and lots of power greens, water and blend until combined. 1 slice organic seeded toast topped with soft cooked organic egg, or slice of organic sharp cheddar cheese

Meal 3: ¼ cup fresh blueberries, ½ cup Fage yogurt, ¼ cup organic ground flax meal, handful raw mixed nuts (stir it up and eat)

Meal 4: Grilled Salmon or Chicken with large side roasted vegetable like Brussel sprouts and cauliflower (drizzle olive oil on veggies, and large tbsp. basil pesto, mix well, roast)

Meal 5: Kind bar, or 1oz square of dark chocolate with 1tbsp peanut butter

I exercise five times per week and for 30 to no more than 60 minutes total.  I am a believer of being focused and getting my workout done in that amount of time.  I also listen to my body and if I require more rest, I may only exercise in a structured fashion four times in that week.  I am an active person, so on other days I am enjoying the outdoors at the dog park with my husband, going on long walks, hikes or swimming. 

Losing one to three pounds per week studies have shown provides healthy, long term sustainable weight loss, unlike the “fad” counterpart diets that may shed weight quickly but it appears plus more once the program is over.  Summer is around the corner and now is the right time to implement a six-week fitness challenge makeover and begin with the short-term goal of shedding 12 pounds.  Start right where you are, begin a fitness journal and track your food intake and exercise, do your best, and have fun with the journey. I would love to hear from you sharing your start and finish stories so that we can encourage and support each other along the way.  

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list, or if you want to receive my free updates, use the button below to select your feed preference. I look forward to responding to your comments and appreciate your shares. 

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