We’ve heard it before. It’s typically very difficult to lose weight once you hit 40. Why is that? We’ve been told it is because our metabolism slows down. But what exactly does that mean and why does it happen?

A very recent study in Cell Metabolism reports that the dip in estrogen levels that occurs with menopause (called perimenopause) reduces activity in important estrogen receptors in the brain. These receptors control how many calories you burn. Less estrogen equals a sluggish metabolism. It was discovered that you burned approximately 50 fewer calories a day. On top of that, hormonal changes frequently cause weight gain due to factors like increased appetite, an increase in Cortisol production, and insomnia (making you less likely to exercise because you’re tired).

The solution? Lift weights. Consistent weight lifting adds enough muscle mass to burn an extra 45 calories per day. The trick is to lift weights three times a week, doing three sets of ten repetitions with a variety of lifting exercises. We’ve talked before about the benefits of lifting weights, not just for boosting the metabolism, but for increasing bone density (reducing risk of osteoporosis), strength gains, the fact that muscle burns more calories than fat does, and the pure aesthetics of it all.

There are other things we can do to boost our metabolism. Cardio (activities that keep you moving, and thus work your heart muscle; dancing, walking, running, bicycling, swimming) is also very important in boosting your metabolism. According to David Neiman, PhD, Professor of Exercise Science at Appalachian State University, just two to three vigorous hours of exercise per week at 45 minutes each could help you lose a pound of fat every two weeks. This loss comes from the combination of calories that you expend during the exercise, as well as afterward.

As we age, we sometimes think we can’t do certain things. We slow down. But slowing down may cause much more harm than good. When was the last time you danced? Joined a team? Walked a curb? We’ve got to practice those balancing skills that prevent us from falling. Try using those cognitive skills that are needed to learn a new dance. Why can’t we join a tennis league at age 60 or 70?

Unfortunately, I see it all the time. The less we do for ourselves, the weaker we get physically and mentally. For example, though retirement homes now come with a wealth of amenities, there can be a lot of harm in taking away daily tasks for convenience. Someone to cook meals, clean the living space and perform daily chores may aim to make life as easy as possible, but these things are often what can maintain or even improve our quality of life as we age. Kudos to my almost 80-year-old mom who lives in an independent living apartment, but still chooses to shop for herself and cook some meals. AND who still drives across town to come back to her health club (Fitness Forum) because the “Power Splash” water aerobics class is more challenging than what her living facility has to offer and the weights available can’t be beat!

So this week on your ‘To Do’ list, put your cardio and/or weight lifting activities at the top, along with keeping a can-do attitude. There’s no reason to say “the heck with it” just because you’re 40+ or retired or because being lazy is easier (and sometimes more fun). Get out there and pump some iron…or at least take a brisk stroll around the block!

by Daily Muse via Forbes.com

When it comes to making New Year’s resolutions, I pride myself on originality. I’ve made some good efforts in the past: from flossing every day (still inconsistent on that) to taking more pictures (getting better) to taming my sweet tooth (the single bite taken from each type of an assortment of donuts last weekend is evidence that this one still needs work. But hey, at least I didn’t eat all 12!).

But what if I ditched the search for the perfect cocktail party conversation, and left my resolution up to my doctors? What do they wish I’d change?

To find out, I asked a handful of health professionals what resolutions they’d like to see their patients make. Some responses were expected: quit smoking, cut back on drinking, trim your waistline, and take your medications correctly, for example. Others were less so: “Stop buying self-help books,” said Lorenzo Norris, MD, a psychiatrist in Washington, D.C., who encourages his patients to write their own instead. “Stand up and advocate for your reproductive rights,” urged Rachna Vanjani, MD, and Ob/Gyn resident at Boston University. All are worth considering.

So if you need some inspiration, steal one, two, or all of their ideas and get ready to make your body (and your doctor) happy in 2012.

1. Get Moving

The results of my informal poll are unanimous: If you make only one resolution this year, make it exercise. “I wish my patients would take exercise more seriously,” said Vanjani. “It is the single best thing you can do for your health.” From acting as a natural anti-depressant to warding off heart attacks, adding just three 10-minute bouts of walking a day can be transformative for the mind, body, and soul. A resolution to get active may not win you creativity points, but it’s still one worth making. In the words of Michelle Obama, let’s move.

2. Make That Appointment

For many seemingly healthy young women with overbooked schedules, the concept of a check-up can seem almost frivolous. But whether or not you feel ill, a lot can be going on in your body that only doctors (and their screening tests) can usually detect. So make 2012 the year you get on track with all your appointments—go see (or get) a primary care doctor, a gynecologist, a dentist, and an eye doctor. (A therapist isn’t a bad idea, either.) Waiting until something’s wrong can mean waiting until it’s too late.

3. Eat Three Meals a Day

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and yet, we also know that a lot of women still don’t eat it. There’s also been increasing buzz about women skipping lunch in favor of logging more hours at work or “saving up” their calories for dinner.

But consistent meals are critical for maintaining energy, concentration, weight, and digestive regularity. And, if your body doesn’t know the next time it’s eating, it will hold onto what it can, when it can (hello, bloating!). Trying to lose weight? “Three meals a day—and cutting the snacking, healthy or not—will definitely help,” said Hannah Brillowski, a nutritionist in Wisconsin. So if you’re a meal skipper, commit to three (balanced, appropriately portioned) meals a day. Enjoy the food—and the health benefits too.

4. Know Your Family History

Have you ever felt totally confident filling out that family history form in the lobby of a doctor’s office? If the answer is “no”—or even “kind of”—change it to “yes” in 2012. You’ll make better use of your time in the clinic and enable your doctor to better assess your risks.

To get the scoop, talk to your family and write down what you discover. If you don’t know where to begin, check out the Department of Health and Human Services’ easy-to-use (albeit corny) online tool that will help you create a family health portrait that can be updated over time.

5. Be Thankful

Being thankful isn’t just nice—it’s also healthy. “Those who practice gratitude see emotional, health, and interpersonal benefits,” says Erin Peterson, PhD, a clinical psychologist in Washington, D.C. She suggests writing regularly in a journal about things you appreciate (it can be as simple as “my fluffy bathrobe” or “the birthday card I sent my mom wasn’t belated—for the first time ever”). In as little as three weeks, you could notice a significant boost in happiness.

No matter what you resolution you choose, you should also resolve to keep resolving. January is not the only—or even the optimal—time to make resolutions. And just because you drop the ball one day (or week or month), doesn’t mean you can’t get back on track. As Dr. Peterson tells her patients, “Give yourself a break. You don’t have to be perfect—good enough is just fine.”

I was going to call this blog post ‘You Down with CECs, Yeah You Know These’…but I wasn’t sure how many people would get the reference…OR think it was clever/funny.

At any rate, when we open up registration for FitnessFest Conference & Expo twice each year, we tend to have quite a few phone calls regarding the continuing education credits (CECs) that our conferences have to offer. CECs are required to be renewed by all legitimate certifying organizations every two years, and that requirement is really why FitnessFest was founded. Rather than search high and low for workshops over the course of those two years and ‘piece’ CECs together — this online workshop is worth .15, this workshop in Phoenix is worth .2, this workshop in Flagstaff is worth .15 –  FitnessFest allows you to knock ‘em all out in one shot (one weekend).

For which certifying organizations does FitnessFest offer CECs? How many CECs are available? What if you’re not certified through those organizations? What if you’re not certified at all?

Here, your answers (in brief). Not that we mind relaying this information over the phone, but sometimes it’s’ just easier to see it in writing. You can also share this post with co-workers or friends that may have the same questions.

For which certifying organizations does FitnessFest offer CECs?

FitnessFest currently offers CECs for the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), and the Aquatic Exercise Association (AEA). In a nutshell:

ACE: ACE-certified instructors and trainers are probably the largest group we reach. ACE has been around since 1985 and has become a highly respected and established resource for fitness professionals. We see that both group exercise instructors and personal trainers are often certified through ACE and are qualified to teach everything from Pilates to TRX.

AFAA: AFAA began in 1983 and has issued over 300,000 certifications to fitness professionals worldwide. Noted as the world’s largest fitness educator, AFAA delivers comprehensive cognitive and practical education for group exercise instructors and personal trainers; however, in our experience we do not see many personal trainers who are AFAA certified these days. With other personal training-specific organizations, most of our AFAA-certified participants have been AFAA certified for quite some time and are generally all group exercise instructors.

NASM: Probably the leading organization for personal trainer certification to date, NASM was established in 1987 and has quickly become a popular certification among our FitnessFest attendees. To ensure that we bring to the table what NASM-certified participants need, we have added many more personal training-related workshops over the past few years and have recently included NASM presenters in our line-up.

AEA: Incorporated in 1984, AEA is an organization committed to the advancement of aquatic fitness worldwide. I don’t think we’ve ever had a water aerobics instructor who attended FitnessFest for CECs and wasn’t AEA certified. This is THE certification for aquatic fitness.

How many CECs are available?

Possibly the most-asked question when it comes to CECs and FitnessFest, people always need to know how many CECs are available. The minute we decide on our conference schedule and compile all the required information, we send applications away to the certifying powers that be. As soon as we receive the CEC award amounts from ACE, AFAA, NASM and AEA, we post them online and print our brochures.

If in doubt, or before we have CEC information available for you, you can generally use the guidelines below to estimate CEC award amounts:

-Guidelines -

What if you’re not certified through those organizations?

Don’t sweat it! We have several conference participants that are not certified through ACE, AFAA, NASM or AEA. Some of the other certifications we tend to see are the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the International Sports Science Association (ISSA), and so on. Every now and then we have participants that aren’t certified at all. But, if you ARE certified with an organization other than ACE, AFAA, NASM or AEA and you DO want/need CECs, the process is usually pretty simple. Contact your certifying place, tell them you would like to attend our conference and petition for the CECs to be accepted, and ask them what information they need. I’ve seen a few places charge a $10 fee to petition and ask for a conference brochure with workshop descriptions, or some may ask for a certificate of completion, but whatever it is (okay, not the $10…) — we’ve got you covered. Give us a call and we’ll send you any documentation you need to get you through the petition process. Because we work with ACE, AFAA, NASM and AEA, the other organizations know we’re legit!

What if you’re not certified at all?

There’s an easy answer and a hard answer to this one.

Easy Answer: Fine with us! If you want to come spend a weekend with a whole bunch of awesome fitness enthusiasts, learn a lot of amazing stuff from leaders in the fitness industry, shop the Expo, do some insane workouts and go home feeling like a whole new you…come on down!

Hard Answer: So as fun as that all sounds, there’s still registration and payment…so you will need to decide if it’s still something you want to do for the weekend, even though you’re not earning CECs. While we try to keep our pricing extremely affordable so that we can keep bringing this conference to the masses, it may not be as exciting for those that aren’t certified if they have to fork over some cash and get a whole lotta sore muscles in return. That being said — it would definitely be worth it if you are strongly considering a career in the fitness industry. In fact, it would be a wonderful place to ‘get your toes wet’.

So there are some basics. Again, please share with those who may be interested or who may need some clarification on ‘all that CEC stuff’. And remember, we’ll always be by the phone to assist you when you have any questions or concerns about FitnessFest (or just want to chat). That’s right, LIVE assistance. No recordings here. We like to talk to you.