Mature Fashion: Shrinking your Waist

Over the years I have read (or heard) that it is not possible to "spot" reduce; I do not believe this to be true because it has happened to me personally.  

At one time I had "saddlebags", actually from the time I was about 18 until well into my late 40's.  I was just developing that middle aged spread and I knew I needed to increase the amount of exercise I did per day.  I liked dogs (still do), and began to take the dog for long walks both morning and evening, leave the car in parking spaces far from my destination, and walk, walk, walk.  within six months I lost the saddle bags and some weight, but I remained somewhat heavy around the waist, a fate I still "enjoy".  I simply have not put in the amount of discipline I need to concentrate on shrinking my abdomen.  I am still convinced that if I give the same amount of attention to exercising the muscles in my abdomen, etc. that I cannot lose the two inches I desire to lose.

I just read an article in Bazaar (Beauty Bazaar, page 222) outlining a 25 minute exercise sequence that is believed to work, according to the expert who created this series of abdominal exercises.   I am determined to complete (and although I have lost four pounds this year, I still have five to lose to reach my goal) this routine and see for myself if I can repeat my success in shaping a localized part of my body.

This article outlines six specific exercises to be performed and  a diet that is reported to flatten the belly; as expected, drinking green tea, avoiding carbonated drinks, and limiting cruciferous vegetables (the gassy ones; i.e., cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc) and the legume family (beans, etc.) and drinking your eight glasses of water a day, will, in fact whittle the waist.  No amount of loss is given in the article, but I will still set my goal for a solid two inches....although any amount is an improvement.

Mature Fashion: Housework Aerobics

We all have them; weeks when there is just too much to do in the time available. This week has been one of the weeks where it has been difficult to meet my exercise commitments (appointment for new brakes on car, appointment for lube job, run errand in another town, etc.)  Those duties plus more than usual "sit down" time in front of a computer, etc.  make it even more difficult to maintain a healthy body.  Exercise, in general, is just NOT one of my favorite things.  All of those little interruptions can play havoc with an exercise routine(s) and I am constantly reminding myself that I must "keep moving" if I am going to maintain my fitness goals.

When I have those days when I know I am failing to meet my exercise goals, I try and combine necessary chores that require a lot of physical exercise just to get the job done. This also happens to be one of those weeks. I absolutely HAVE to get the cushions washed while the weather has a little heat and I also must trim the bushes, etc. that circle the patio.  Based on water restrictions, I will use the water to wash to cushions to also water the bushes after they are cut back and trimmed.

I chose the rugged jeans (Karan) , comfortable cotton blend utility shirt (August Silk..although not silk!!), and Ann Taylor cotton sweater.  Both the bracelets and shoes were removed when I actually did the watering and clipping; I replaced the shoes with rubber knee high boots during that exercise. Washing the cushions thoroughly and positioning them for optimum sun exposure require a lot of bending, pulling, and pushing, etc.  Putting away the cushions I washed earlier in the week also require a lot of rather strenuous lifting and bending

I also made it a point (used my cell phone timer) to make sure I got up for five minutes of concentrated movement (vacuuming and dusting each exercise break) for every twenty minutes in front of the computer, jewelry making, or stitching.  

I have been making some doll jewelry and proto-typing some of my Lord Perry Patterns for the upcoming fund raiser in early November.  

In the early evening it had already began to get rather chilly.  I wore the trimmed jean jacket (Coldwater Creek) for a walk of at least twenty minutes before I joined a friend for a casual dinner at her home just down the block.

The dark blue leather saddle stitch loafers are Cole Haan; the bracelets are vintage cloisonne and silver bangles, and the Maltese cross neck pendent was purchased at a Hobby Lobby craft store. 

Mature Fashion: The ENEMY, Type II Diabetes

Although type II diabetes may be genetic, incurred by external factors such as stress, etc, the largest single predictor of type II diabetes is being overweight or clinically obese. According to the CDC AND The National Institute of Diabetes, almost 90% of people living with type II diabetes are medically overweight or obese. 

During the 1990's, the number of diabetes cases among American adults increased by over 30%, and is predicted to further increase by their projections.  This increase is attributed to the growing numbers of persons suffering from obesity in this United States.

Despite what a few persons on Facebook or such "popular" advice, type II diabetes is largely preventable, (no, not every single one).  Repeated studies have found that even small amounts of weight loss (5-10%) can prevent and/or delay onset of this type of diabetes among high-risk adults.

Although it is not "popular" to make this statement (many overweight people do not want to hear this!!), there is a lot one can do to prevent or delay the development of this type of diabetes (Non of this applies to type I; a different disorder )  To date, effective weight management is the most effective thing a woman (a man, too) can do to prevent the development of diabetes; effective weight management is moderate to intense physical exercise accompanied by reducing stress and eating a healthy diet. 

Recommended: "keep moving" activities such as the popular 10K steps per day or 150 minutes per week of brisk walking, etc.  Another popular rule of thumb is that for every hour one sits or is stationary, 15 minutes of moving around-ideally, for every 20 minutes sitting, a 5 minute walk-about is recommended.

I am a type II diabetic; I became one when I had a weight gain of over fifty pounds, was under a lot of stress, and had difficulty getting enough sleep. Because I KNOW from first hand experience that following the guidelines for appropriate diabetes II management can and do work.  I am also certain that had I not had been so overweight at the time I probably would not have succumbed to diabetes.  It troubles me a great deal to see what is happening to the general population's rise in obesity.

Diabetes waits to strike many of us when we are over 40 and also have other physical issues.  It is so important to prevent diabetes, or at least delay it.   It especially disturbs me to see and hear so many "pooh-pooh" healthy eating and exercise habits as a preventive measure.  The entire "Rock My.." series is based on looking and feeling "good" so we can "Rock" age!!