WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JULY 2024

2024 Goals
Words of the year: simplify, empowered, and authentic.

SIMPLIFY—make (something) simpler or easier to do or understand.
EMPOWERED—give (someone) the authority or power to do something.
AUTHENTIC—.
of undisputed origin; genuine.

I will be authentic and empowered while working to simplify my life.

1. Do 12 different crafts this year: color, origami, draw, sew, candles, crochet, loop looms, paint with water, macrame, photography knit, bead jewelry, make cards, scrapbook, 10/12 -100%
2. Walk average of 7250 steps a month 3/12 100%, 61%, 100%,100%,76%,100%,100%,100%
3. 30 minutes activity 30/30 days a month 100%, 100%,100%,100%,100%,100%, 100%
4. Journal 9/23 days a month 100, 74%, 60%, 52%, 70%,39%
5. Meditate 30/30 days a month 100%, 96%,100%, 77%, 100%,100%
6. Family phone calls 13/12 monthly. 100%,100%,100%,100%, 100%,100%
7. Save $1000 for emergencies by depositing $50 a month into savings and not touching it. 6/12 0, 100% April up to $389 savings
8. Research and apply for senior independent living in Roswell, one a month. 6/12. 100%, 100%, 100%, 100%, 100%,100% Spreadsheet started for comparison

Overview
Session 4: Physical Activity
Eating well and exercising go hand in hand when it comes to getting healthy. In the last few sessions, we focused on making changes to the way you eat. In this session, we will focus on moving your body more. Getting at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week is one of the major goals of this program. Physical activity plays a big role in reducing your risk for chronic disease such as diabetes and heart disease. The goal of this session is to explain the health benefits of activity and the role activity plays in reaching a healthy weight.
During this session, your coach will meet you where you are and help you increase your activity level slowly, steadily and safely. You and your coach will look at the barriers in your life that may keep you from being active. You will work on ways to overcome these barriers and work toward a goal of 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity each week.
Before starting a new exercise plan or adding new activities to your current plan, always talk to your doctor.
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Lifestyle Activity & Exercise
There are two main ways to get active: lifestyle activity
and exercise:
➢ Lifestyle activity: Actions (not planned) you perform as part of your daily life.
● Examples: Taking the stairs instead of the elevator, housework, gardening or taking care of your kids
❖ See Handout: Activity at the Office
✓ Skill Building Activity: Ways To Increase Lifestyle
Activity (your coach will lead you through this activity)
➢ Exercise: Structured actions using repetitive motions of large muscle groups to improve physical fitness. Exercise varies by the amount of time, intensity and type of activity.
There are four main types of exercise:
● Cardiovascular exercise
● Walking, running, swimming & cycling
● Strength training
● Weight lifting, push-ups & squats
● Flexibility
● Stretching & yoga
● Stability
● Yoga, planks & crunches
If you are just starting out, start slowly with exercises that increase your heart rate such as walking at a faster pace than normal. Once these activities become
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habit, you and your coach will work together to add in new types of exercise. Today, we introduced the four main types of exercise that make up a balanced exercise plan.
In a later session, we will talk about each of these types of exercises in more depth.
❖ See Handouts:
▪ Low-impact Exercises
▪ Strength Training
▪ 5 Ways to Make Walking a Workout
Both lifestyle activities and exercise have shown to improve overall health by:
➢ Reducing pain and fatigue
➢ Promoting a healthy weight
➢ Boosting mood
➢ Increasing energy and vigor
➢ Maintaining mobility
➢ Improving sleep
➢ Reducing stress
Physical activity also helps your body to be stronger and healthier by:
➢ Strengthening heart, lungs and bones
➢ Reducing back pain and injuries
➢ Promoting healthy blood sugar levels
➢ Promoting healthy blood pressure
➢ Promoting healthy cholesterol levels
➢ Reducing the risk for developing chronic
diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers
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Energy Balance and Exercise
Being active on a regular basis can greatly reduce your risk for developing chronic diseases by helping you to lose weight.
In session 2, you learned about calorie or “energy” balance. To continue to lose weight and keep it off, it is also important to increase the amount of energy you burn by being more active. It is the combination of exercise and healthy eating that will help you to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
To continue to tip your energy balance toward weight loss:
➢ Increase your lifestyle activity as well as exercises such as walking and strength training ➢ Keep in mind that walking one mile at a moderate pace burns about 100 calories
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➢ Note that, while being more active, you may stall weight loss (or even gain weight) if you are not also keeping your food and drink intake in balance. Eating a cookie after walking a mile will not tip the energy balance towards weight loss
✓ Skill Building Activity: Managing Your Weight With Exercise (your coach will lead you through this activity)
Common Barriers to Getting Active
Engaging in regular activity takes planning and preparation. In fact, 2 out of 3 adults do not do get enough activity.
These are the most common barriers:
➢ Not enough time to exercise
➢ Not convenient to exercise
➢ Lack of motivation and confidence
➢ Find exercise to be boring or not fun
➢ Fear of an injury or being injured already
➢ Not knowing how to set personal goals or monitor progress
➢ Lack of support from others
➢ No parks, sidewalks, bike trails, or safe walking paths near home or the office
➢ Travel for work or pleasure
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Where there is a will, there is a way!
Solutions for Getting More Active
(Adapted from the CDC)
Lack of time
● Monitor your routine for 1 week. Pick at least three 30-minute time slots you can use for activity.
● Add activity to your daily routine (i.e. bike to work, walk the dog, etc.)
Social influence
● Invite friends/family to exercise with you.
● Make friends with active people.
Lack of energy
● Plan physical activity for times in the day when you have the most energy.
Lack of motivation
● Give yourself a non-food reward if you reach your exercise goal.
● Invite a friend to exercise with you.
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● Signupfora5Ktohaveagoaltowork towards.
Fear of injury
● Learn how to stretch to prevent injury.
● Choose activities that are low risk.
Lack of skill
● Pick activities that you already know how to do, such as walking or climbing stairs.
Lack of resources
● Pick activities that do not involve gear (i.e. walking, jogging, body weight exercises, etc.).
Weather conditions
● List activities that you can do in any weather (i.e. indoor cycling/swimming, stair climbing, etc.).
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❖ See Handout: Staying Active While Traveling
✓ Skill Building Activities (your coach will lead you through these activities): ● Overcoming Barriers to Exercise
● Finding Time for Being Active
● Having a Backup Activity Plan
Preventing Injury
By having a balanced activity plan, you ensure that your whole body is fit. This is one way to prevent injuries. For example, if you only trained your legs, you would be at greater risk for a back injury since you did not train your core. Aside from having a balanced activity plan, make sure to warm up and cool down before any activity to prevent further injuries.
A proper warm up and cool down should include about 5-10 minutes of dynamic and static stretching. Dynamic stretching involves more movement and gets your blood flowing (i.e. side-to-side lunges). Static stretching involves holding a stretch for a few seconds before moving on (i.e. toe touches). Both types of
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stretching are important to warm your body up for an activity.
R.I.C.E Method
Sometimes injuries occur no matter how much you prepare. If you are injured and feel that it is severe, seek medical help right away.
If the injury is not severe, use the following R.I.C.E. method to help it heal faster:
➢ Rest the injured area
➢ Ice the injured area
➢ Compress the area with a cold cloth or bandage
➢ Elevate the injured area above your heart
Summary
This week, you are beginning an exciting step towards improving your health. You will begin to see and feel great benefits when you are more physically active. Being physically active helps you to lower your risk of developing a chronic disease by helping you to lose weight. Other benefits of physical activity include improved sleep and mood. If you are not currently active, do not worry. Your coach will help you get started. If you are already active, your coach will work with you on creating a balanced activity plan. If you are new to exercise, consult with your doctor before starting a new activity.
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Keep Moving
In the sessions that follow this one, keep an eye out for this section (“Keep Moving”) where you will get a weekly tip that will help you reach your activity and movement goals.
Activities
□ Begin/continue to log all physical activity.
□ Work with your coach to include all four types of
balanced activity this week.
□ Create a physical activity goal with your coach that will lead you toward the ultimate goal of at least 150 minutes each week.
□ Goal setting: Work with your coach to set one goal this week associated with this session. Example: I will schedule three, 30-minute sessions of activity this week.
List your goal here or message it to your coach: ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
Discussion/Questions
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□ Post one way you are going to increase your activity this week.
□ Ask your group members about the types of exercise they enjoy.
Always consult your doctor before starting a physical activity program and when you are unsure of the severity of an injury.
“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.”-Plato
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Activity at the Office
➢Imagine if you could not only get your work done, but also, increase your activity at the same time.
➢Below are ideas on how to multitask and include activity at work.
Ways to incorporate activity at work: Stand up:
✓Rather than sitting at a desk, put your work station on an elevated surface because standing burns more calories than sitting.
● Walk breaks:
✓Take 10 minutes every 2-3 hours to circle the
building or walk up and down the stairs.
● Take the stairs:
✓Try using the restroom on a different floor, and
use the stairs instead of the elevator.
● Use your lunchtime:
✓After eating, put on a short YouTube video to
take you through some stretching exercises, or take a walk around your building.
● Meet and walk:
✓Schedule a walking meeting with a co-worker
who is also trying to get healthy.
● Walk and talk:
✓Instead of sitting while on the phone, try moving
about your office.

Low-Impact Exercises
✔ Low-impact exercise is ideal​ for preventing injuries or for those who may have pre-existing injuries.
✔ L​ow-impact exercises can be aerobic, strengthening, and help with your balance and flexibility.
Here are 8 different low-impact exercises to try:
1) Yoga (many different varieties)​:
● Classes can range in length of time. Try out a yoga
class or video for strengthening, balance & flexibility.
2) Swimming​:
● Increases lung functioning. If swimming laps seems
boring, try out a water aerobics class.
3) Walking (anytime and anywhere)​:
● You burn the same amount of calories walking a mile
as you do running.
4) Elliptical:
● A gliding motion is ideal for sore knees or ankles.
5) Strength training (planks, squats, lunges, etc.)​:
● They are low-impact, but you still work up a sweat.
6) Pilates​:
● Strength and stability and usually done on a mat or
machine.
7) Skating (and Rollerblading)​:
● Lower-impact than running and fun.
8) Golf​:
● It is a great activity to do with friends. Skip the cart.

Strength Training
Benefits of Strength Training
● Reduces signs & symptoms of: Arthritis
Diabetes
Osteoporosis
Obesity
Back pain
Depression
Many other common diseases and ailments
● Reduces the risk of falling by improving balance
● Improves sleep quality
● Studies have shown that lifting weights 2-3 times a week can
increase muscle mass and bone density.
● Slows physiological aging
● More muscle increases calorie burning efficiency
Examples of Strength Training Activities
● Push ups
● Pull ups
● Abdominal crunches ● Squats
● Free weights
● Weight machines
● Kettlebells

5 Ways to Make Walking a Workout 1. Add weights
✔Small hand weights or ankle weights can up the intensity while adding a bit of strength training to your walk.
2. Challenge yourself
✔Find a hill or stairs that you can walk up and down for an added challenge.
3. Take a furry friend
✔Whether you take your own dog or make a trip to your local humane society, walking with a dog can increase your speed.
4. Explore a new trail
✔A new trail can offer unexpected inclines, rough terrains, and balancing acts such as walking over logs and under branches.
5. Invite a friend
✔Walking with a friend is likely to encourage you to walk longer.
✔Enjoyable conversation will make it feel effortless.

Staying Active While Traveling
➢​ It’s important to include physical activity even when traveling.
Tips for exercising on the go:
• Pack your sneakers! You can walk anywhere:
o Around the block o Around the hotel o Around a nearby shopping mall o Around the airport, etc.
• Find a local gym. Many gyms provide a complimentary day/week to try out their facility.
• Get out and enjoy the city or town you're visiting. • Book your stay at a hotel with a workout facility.
• Pack your workout DVDs, yoga mat, exercise bands, etc. and have a quick workout in your hotel room.
• You can do body weight exercises (push-ups, squats, lunges, chair dips, planks, etc.) anywhere!
• Use an exercise app or You Tube exercise video. • Book a personal training session at a local gym. • Look up local biking and hiking trails.






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