The Pursuit of Ultimate Wellness
by Alicia Kirschenheiter, Certified Advanced Health & Fitness Expert, Personal Trainer, Fitness Coach

Fitness is for everyone…and I again stress...everyone! So with that being said, achieving the desired level of fitness may be more difficult the older we get.

The good news is, if you have enjoyed a healthy lifestyle full of exercise and activity prior to the onset of menopause, you are a few steps ahead. You have already taken advantage of helping to retain bone health and reduce the risks of some cancers associated with being more prevalent after menopause like breast cancer.

The better news…it is never, never too late to start. Even if you are already in menopause, exercise can help reduce and prevent hot flashes, bladder atrophy, depression, anxiety and insomnia. In addition, exercise reduces the risks of other related onset diseases like heart disease & osteoporosis.

Ok enough facts…let’s get to it. Women ask me what my recommended exercises are for them over 40, so without any further wait, here you go…

My biggest recommendations are to start with these 3 factors:

• Goals - Nothing - and I mean nothing - is ever accomplished without a vision. A tangible, measureable goal is vital.
• Experience – The client's level of comfort is always important when beginning a routine. Any reputable trainer should want their client to continue and be successful. If you are uncomfortable, don’t trust the professional, or are unhappy with what you are doing, you will not continue and you are setting yourself up for failure. If you're not using a professional, choose a routine that is both challenging yet something you like to do. Check out all of Diet.com's Fitness resources for some ideas.
• Time – realistic parameters of how much time the client has to train is important. No point in developing an hour long program when the client only has 30 minutes.

Once you are ready to get down to business, my recommendations for exercise involve hitting all the high notes in the least amount of time. This means GO BIG exercises involving multiple functions and always engaging the core.

Some of my favorites…
• Squats with overhead press
• Walking lunges with bicep curls
• Chest press with angled (45 degrees) extended legs
• Pushups (all varieties)
• Squat thrusts
• Wall sit with front shoulder raise
• Plank with alternating front arm raise

Remember, any exercise should challenge you… If you can do 25 reps of anything, great…but you are not working hard enough to get those results you want!

Until next time - Be well and do great!