Older Women Must Exercise Longer to Lose Weight?

By Diane Hernden and Grant Hernden

A recent study out of Harvard University in Boston concluded that older women who want to maintain their weight, without cutting back on calories, need to exercise moderately for 1 hour a day. For the majority of women who are already overweight, even more exercise was recommended.

According to the study, "moderate exercise" is where you can raise your heart rate and break a sweat while still being able to carry on a conversation. Brisk walking, leisurely cycling, dancing or playing tennis were cited as examples of moderate exercise.

For women who are already feeling stretched for time to stay fit and healthy, this study has stirred up a lot of conversation.

The truth: exercise with volume and intensity - not time

In reality, the type of exercise older women need to do to maintain a steady and healthy weight is different than the "moderate exercise" suggested in this study. The volume and intensity of your exercises are the 2 most important factors to maintain a healthy weight as you age. Focus on this and you can minimize the time you spend on exercising.

Proven exercise strategies for older women

If you want your exercise program to give you the best results in the time you have available, do the following:

• Train with cardio intervals. The cardio exercise you choose to do (i.e. jogging, cycling, treadmill, rower, elliptical) needs to be done with short bursts of intense exercise followed by a slower pace. For example, cycle hard for 30 seconds followed by an easy cycle for 60 seconds. Repeat this interval 8 to 10 times, 3 to 5 times a week, for optimal results. This should take you about 15 minutes a workout.
• Lift heavier weight. Women need to lift weights to maintain lean muscle tissue that declines naturally with aging. Muscle is the calorie-burning engine that keeps weight in an optimal range. More specifically, lifting a weight heavy enough where you can only do low reps is much more effective in managing your weight than lifting a lower weight for high reps. A high weight/low rep workout program, with 1 exercise for each major muscle group, should take no more than 30 minutes to complete, repeated 3 times a week.
• Eat throughout the day. Eating every 3 to 4 hours tells your body to secrete those hormones that make us feel full.
• Consume protein at each meal or snack to keep your body from craving food (especially sugar).
• Eat high-fibre foods like whole grains and vegetables. This also keeps us feeling full.
• Don't skip meals. Eating 1 large meal at dinner is a sure way to gain weight in the form of increased body fat.

Now that you know the truth behind this study, it's easy to see that how the type and intensity of your exercise - not time - is most important. This will keep your optimal weight over the long run without feeling as though you need to exercise for long periods of time every day.

Grant and Diane Hernden, Certified Personal Trainers and leading longevity fitness and nutrition experts, are authors of the Defy Aging System: an exercise, eating and life balance plan designed specifically for men and women over 50. http://www.AgeDefyingWorkouts.com

Check out "The Healthy Zoomer" blog by Grant and Diane Hernden. Featuring tips and tricks for Boomers/Zoomers on how to exercise smart, eat well and fit it all in: http://www.TheHealthyZoomer.com

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