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Exercise & Fitness for women over 40

National Women's Health Report, Dec, 2002 by Pamela Peeke

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Another way to push beyond a lack of motivation is to exercise with someone, experts say. It's hard to slough off your work if someone is waiting for you at the gym or on the street corner.

ASK THE EXPERTS

Q No matter what I do, I just can't find the time to exercise consistently. What should I do?

Getting Started and Staying Safe

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A You should stop thinking in terms of "exercise" and think in terms of movement. For instance, if you're gardening, that counts. If you walk briskly around the mall when you're shopping rather than lollygagging, that counts. You can also fit an activity into a spot that's already taken up by a daily activity. So if you watch the news every night at 6 p.m., watch it while riding a stationary bike or walking on the treadmill. If you read the paper every morning, read it while working out on your home machine. If you'd rather spend your free time curled up with a book, get a book on tape and take it with you on a walk around the neighborhood. Many of us are masters at multitasking. We need to make sure that getting our activity in is high enough up in our thinking that it's one of the things we multitask with. Another good way to find the time is to track how you do spend your time, including any exercise you did that day. Many of us are so busy we don't remember if we walked or not.

--Bess H. Marcus, PhD

Director, Physical Activity Research Center

Brown University Medical School, Providence, RI

Q My neighborhood isn't terribly safe for walking and the weather here is terrible. But I don't have room for a home gym. What should I do?

A Join a gym. Studies find that if you have to pay a membership fee, you're more likely to stick with your physical fitness routine. Other options include buying exercise videos, which can provide an excellent workout, or finding other places to walk. Malls, supermarkets, even public buildings with stairs that you can walk up and down provide excellent alternatives to walking in your neighborhood.

--Todd Stitik, MD

Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ

Q What does being fit mean and what is the best exercise to do?

A To be fit means you're moving at least a few minutes every hour, and that's how you build up your physical fitness. If you do three minutes every hour in a 10-hour period, you've done 30 minutes. The best exercise is any exercise that you like. Whatever works and whatever you'll stick to. Ideally, you should aim for a combination of activity so you're nor just doing the same thing. Your overall goal, though, is minutes. Build them up throughout the day.

--James H. Rimmer, PhD

Professor, Department of Disability and Human Development

University of Illinois, Chicago

References

(1.) Centers for Disease Control, Health 2002 Chartbook.

(2.) Older Americans and Physical Activity, American Heart Association, December 2, 2002. www.americanheart.org

(3.) Evenson KR, Wilcox S, Pettinger M, Brunner R, King AC, McTiernan A. Vigorous leisure activity through women's adult life: the Women's Health Initiative Observational Cohort Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2002 Nov 15;156(10):945-53.

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Exercise & Fitness for women over 40

National Women's Health Report, Dec, 2002 by Pamela Peeke

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