• Park far away and walk farther to your destination • Circle the grocery store a couple times before and after shopping • Do Jumping Jacks or Push Ups during the commercials instead of fast-forwarding through them You’ll be surprised as to how many more calories you’ll burn every day just in being mindful of how much you move. 2. Sweat 60 This refers to the government’s recommendation that you get in at least 60 minutes of exercise per day. I know what you’re thinking, “How am I going to squeeze in an hour of exercise everyday??” If you look at it like that, you’ll NEVER do it. It’s not just a “good thing” to do, exercising everyday is a must, especially for women 40 and older.
• It makes you feel better. With all the pressures of over-40 life including: the onset of menopause, kids going off to college, the empty nest, the husband’s midlife crisis and your job—you need something just for you, to help you get through it all. • It helps you manage your weight. After age 25, for every year that you don’t strength train, you lose up to a pound of muscle. When you lose muscle, you lose your metabolism. When your metabolism isn’t functioning properly, your body stores fat in ALL the places you DON’T want to see it, especially around your belly. Strength training builds toned, sculpted muscle that burns fat and helps your body maintain a balanced metabolism. • It makes your bones stronger. Osteoporosis could be right around the corner for you. That means weakened bones and a chance of breakage with any little movement or fall. Even if you aren’t at risk for osteoporosis, strength training helps to build strong bones by increas-
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