Im getting too old for this, is a phrase we hear all the time, especially in regards to fitness. The truth is that many of the aches, pains, and ailments associated with age are actually brought on by years of inactivity. While the intensity of the activities you participate in may change as you age, your quality of life depends on being able to move confidently at any stage of life.

Whether youre an Olympic athlete or walking with a cane, your life depends on movement. Every human action can be broken down into thesefundamental movements:

No matter what age you are, you perform these movements on a daily basis. Every time you get out of a chair, you are squatting. Every newspaper you pick up off the driveway is a hinge. You pull doors open, push (or press) baggage into overhead compartments, and carry groceries to your house.

Many older adults experience loss of balance, coordination, and loss of strength as they age. While some of this occurs naturally, much of it can be preserved through weight training. The loss of muscle due to inactivity contributes heavily to the loss of balance, risk of falling, and slow reaction time typically experienced by older adults.

Anyone, at any age, can begin a strength training program and improve their quality of living. The key is to start at a level that is appropriate for you. Follow these guidelines to make sure you are training safely, correctly, andfunctionally:

Safety First

It is better to practice a movement unweighted before attempting a variation with weight. For example, using a chair, stick, or door frame to support your body as you perform the squat can be a great way topractice the movement with minimal risk. Once you can perform this confidently, add some weight.

Train the Movement, Not the Muscle

While there is a time and place to use exercise machines, they dont always prepare the body for the balance and real-world demands that movement places on the muscle. Instead of focusing on specific body parts to train, practice training thefundamental movements on a regular basis.

Progress

The human body is designed to quickly adapt. That dumbbell routine youve been doing with the same weight for the past 10 years stopped being challenging a long time ago. To improve your physical ability, it is crucial that you gradually and safely challenge your muscles. Once you can comfortably perform the number of reps at a given weight, it may betime to increase. We typically suggest adding 5-10 lbs for upper body exercises and 10-15 lbs for lower body exercises.

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Working out: Lift at Any Age - Online Athens (blog)

Water: Your key to a healthy lifestyle. PHOTO: REUTERS

Despite the fact that water is something that has no taste, we still love it! Who doesnt relish the feeling of a cool drink of water on a sweltering hot day?

Approximately70% of our bodys mass is made of water and according to a number of doctors, drinking a total of eight glasses of water a dayfulfilsthe necessary requirement of this liquid our body demands.

For a long time now, I have been searching regarding the benefits associated with water. Finally, after reviewing countless websites, I have compiled a list, highlighting the advantages of drinking water that can surely help you in living a healthy life. So, here are the 11advantages of drinking water:

1) Water is the only liquid on Earth that safely reduces weight. It removes the by-products of fat and keeps you fresh and healthy. Drinking water regularly, suppresses your appetite to a great extent and limits your food intake. Another distinct feature of water is that it literally contains no calories, hence, contributing significantly to weight loss

2) Do you want to look younger? Problem solved! Just drink lots of water every day! Water is a perfect replacement for your expensiveageingtreatments. Itmoisturisesyour skin and keeps it fresh and glistening thereby enhancing its overall appeal. In addition, it helps maintain the elasticity and suppleness of the skin and prevents dryness by detoxifying the skin. Hence, one should strictly avoid dehydrating foods and beverages such as caffeine (cola, chocolate, coffee, tea) and alcohol

3) Drinking enough water can also combat skin disorders such as eczema, psoriasis, dry skin, wrinkles and spots

4) Water is an essential component required for the effective working of our body since body parts including our brain and the various tissues are mostly composed of water. Considering this, water cansignificantlyimprove our ability to think and make us energetic too.

5) Water removes toxins and most of the waste products from our body contributing to a healthy quality of life. If our body lacks water then our heart has to make an extra effort to pump fresh oxygenated blood to our organs causing severe health issues

6) A study conducted in the Loma Linda university in California, involving 20 men and woman in the age range of 38 to 100 years, concluded that those who drank enough water throughout the day were less likely to have a heart attack (41% in women and 54% in men). Hence, it can be suggested that if you substitute water with milk, tea, coffee or other beverages then you will have increased chances of incurring a heart attack, with a precise rate of 50% in women and 46% in men.

7) Water helps to relieve headaches and back pain. Although there are many reasons that contribute to headaches, dehydration is one of the most common ones

8) Regular intake of water increases your metabolic rate and improves your digestive system. If you are constipated, try drinking morewater it can work wonders!

9) Drinking plenty of water helps fight against the flu and other ailments like kidney stones. Water, along with lemon or lemon juice is often used to overcome respiratory diseases, intestinal problems, rheumatism and arthritis. On the whole, water plays a fundamental role in strengthening your immune system

10) Research suggests that drinking substantial amounts of water is likely to reduce the risks of bladder and colon cancer. This is because water has the ability to dilute the concentration of cancer-causing agents in the urine and reduce the time they take to come in contact with the bladder lining

11) The human body needs a neutral Ph 7 range in order to function properly. Drinking enough water throughout the day helps maintain this balance.

Given that dehydration, the excessive loss of body fluid can be a major source of aggravating ones health, it seems obvious that drinking sufficient water is of utmost importance for a healthy lifestyle. Water determines the effective functioning of the body and a healthier body means a happier life!

So, if you havent already, go to the nearest water cooler and pour yourself a large glass of water; repeat this practice eight times a day for best results!

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A BBA Student at Iqra University loves to write and a hobbyist photographer. He has a passion for business and tweets as @MrFahadKhan (twitter.com/MrFahadKhan)

The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of The Express Tribune.

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11 advantages of drinking water - The Express Tribune (blog)

Five people have died in the United States after having the balloon diet procedure, but research in Europe has shown only 'mild' complications.

Despite a handful of recent deaths, an obesity treatment that involves putting a balloon filled with liquid inside patients stomachs is largely safe and effective, experts say.

Five people have died in the past year and half, each within a month of having the devices inserted, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported earlier this month.

The agency said it did not know whether these deaths were related to the devices or the placement procedures, or how the number of deaths relates to the overall number of patients with the devices.

The FDA also reported in February that it had received several dozen reports of adverse effects tied to the balloons.

These included acute pancreatitis, as well as overfilled balloons, both resulting in the need for early removal of the devices.

But the agency did not order a recall or a ban on any of the obesity treatment devices, which advocates say offer nonsurgical ways for people with obesity to lose weight.

Three obesity treatment devices are on the U.S. market.

Each is slightly different, but the basic elements are the same.

A balloon is placed in the stomach and filled with a saline liquid in order to take up space in the stomach.

Its left there for up to six months.

Ideally, the balloon will make the patient feel fuller, causing them to eat less and lose weight.

The devices should be quite safe, according to Dr. Scott Kahan, director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness, and chair of the Obesity Societys clinical committee.

Kahan told Healthline the average weight loss for Americans using the devices is between 5 and 10 percent of body weight over six months.

Not necessarily any more than youd get with medications and, obviously, much less than youd get with bariatric surgery, he said.

That decrease in weight is often enough to improve a number of clinical outcomes, such as lowering blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and diabetes risk, Kahan said.

It may also be a bridge to surgery for patients who need to lose some weight before having bariatric surgery.

And, as a sort of initial step toward weight loss, it may have indirect, motivational benefits.

When you combine the balloon with counseling and support and education and guidance then, together, that all can lead to active attempts for the patient to change what theyre eating and eat better and start exercising, Kahan said.

The balloon devices are newcomers to the United States.

Theyve been available in Europe for decades.

Two of the devices got FDA approval in 2015. The third got the OK in 2016.

That means theres not a lot of data on their safety and efficacy in the United States.

Theres plenty from Europe, though.

Researchers in Croatia determined in 2011 that the treatment was tolerated and safe, and was an efficient but transient way of reducing preoperative risks of surgery in people with morbid and super obesity.

A small study presented at an obesity conference in Portugal earlier this year found that 38 patients using balloon devices lost an average of nearly a third of their excess weight.

A meta-analysis conducted by Spanish researchers in 2008 found similar results, with reported losses of 12 percent of initial weight and 32 percent of excess weight.

But researchers cautioned that data on whether those study participant kept off the weight after the removal of the balloons was lacking.

That study also found the majority of complications were mild, with 4 percent of the devices needing early removal.

The newness of the devices to the U.S. market is part of the reason most insurance companies arent yet covering them.

Kahan has had a few patients that have tried the devices and theyve all paid out of pocket. He says one patient didnt see the weight loss they were hoping for, but five or so did.

That loss made their wallets lighter, too. Kahan said the procedure can cost $5,000 to $10,000, depending on where you go.

FDA officials said four of the patients who died were using the Orbera balloon system, which is placed in the stomach using an endoscopic procedure while the patient under mild sedation.

The other patient who died was using the ReShape system, which uses two connected balloons, also placed via an endoscopic procedure, and then filled separately.

On its website, Orbera claims complications may result from the risks associated with any endoscopic procedure and those associated with the medications and methods used in this procedure, as well as your ability to tolerate a foreign object placed in your stomach.

The third device available, the Obalon system, does not use endoscopy. It delivers up to three balloons to the stomach via a capsule the patient swallows, attached to a catheter for filling them.

Link:
Balloon Diet Still a Safe Way to Lose Weight, Experts Say - Healthline

Sharing pictures of his weight loss to Imgur, user epix1718 charted his journey.

Underneath the first image, which shows him and some friends eating snacks, he wrote: High School Graduation Party notice all the bags of chips point towards me.

Then he shared a picture of himself standing with his mum in his high schol graduation gown, he revealed he was 59.

A the pictures continue, the mans impressive weight loss becomes apparent.

With the last post, the man revealed how much weight he ended up losing, as well as how he did it.

He said: After two years on Low Carb, Im now 210lb (215lb lost!).

Eating less than 20g/carbs per day. Lost 85lbs the first six months (no exercise), added in some weight training and lost 160lbs the first year.

His post has gone viral with over 154,708 views and hundreds of comments.

Commenters rushed to praise the man for his achievement and obvious dedication.

One wrote: Dude if you can do low carb diet you can do anything. The self control it takes is immense especially when you start to feel that withdrawal.

Another said: Your joints were giving up. This is gonna be the best decision of your life. Keep it up!

And one person commented: Dude you were big, super happy for you and hope you continue down this healthy path! Great job on the hard work.

The Imgur user shared his incredible weight loss as one man revealed how he lost nearly three stone in four months.

A Reddit user going by the moniker Theguythatdoesthething said: "I was at 210 lbs and ate terrible all the time, I was also into drinking and just overall did not care.

"After looking in the mirror the night I took this pic I decided I was over it and wanted a change."

He took another snap just 16 weeks later documenting his simply incredible change.

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Weight loss: Man cut THIS from his diet to lose an incredible fifteen stone - Express.co.uk

ZMD Center for Face & Body is excited to be the first in Tampa to offer the FIRST and ONLY swallowable, FDA-approved 3-balloon system for weight loss.

Brian K. Zebrowski, MD FACS is committed to the health and well-being of his patients through a team approach that includes weight loss surgery, diet, exercise, and educational support. Dr. Zebrowski is a firm believer that the goal of weight loss surgery is long-term success, not just surgery. He firmly believes that individualized patient care is of paramount importance.

How It Works:Three balloons are placed for a six-month non-surgical treatment, combined with a professionally supervised nutrition and exercise program for optimal weight loss. Patients in the clinical study lost twice as much weight as with diet and exercise alone.

Simple Concept:The Obalon Balloon System helps facilitate weight loss by taking up space in your stomach so you eat less.

Meaningful Results:When used with a diet and exercise program, people in the clinical trial lost twice as much weight as those with diet and exercise alone.

Helps Supporting Long Lasting Resuts:Average of 89% of weight loss was kept off at 1 year (6 months post-removal), when combined with a moderate intensity diet and exercise program.

Quick Placement:The placement of each Obalon balloon typically takes less than 10 minutes and doesnt require sedation. In our medical office, you swallow a capsule containing a small balloon, and then Brian K. Zebrowski, MD FACS inflates the balloon. After six months, all three balloons are removed in one procedure with light sedation. The removal procedure is typically no longer than 15 minutes.

Lightweight:A fully inflated single balloon has a volume of 250cc, weighing approximately 3 grams (less than a penny) and about the size of a small orange. Therefore, all three balloons have a combined volume of 750cc.

http://www.zmdcenter.com/

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Jump Start Long Term Weight Loss - WFLA

How do you feel about brunch? Whether you search high and low for bottomless deals throughout Philadelphia or you crave a hearty breakfast sandwich tokick-start your morning every single day, new research gives hope to those who name breakfast (or brunch) as their favorite part of the day.

In a study reviewing the diets of 50,000 adults for seven years, researchers found that, on average, those consuming their largest meals earlier in the day had a lower body mass index than those who ate a larger lunch or dinner.

There are many more specifics needed to draw concrete conclusions from the study, especially because the adults who participated were all Seventh-day Adventists, many of whom have dietary specifications not representative of the adult population at large. For example, most of the participants already abstained from alcohol, and a good portion about half of them were also vegetarian.

Nonetheless, the findings give a new dynamic for regarding breakfast as the most important meal of the day.

The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, also found evidence that speaks to the benefits of mindful fasting. In this case, the study suggests there could be some benefits to not only starting the day with your largest mealbut also in tapering off food consumption and undergoing a fast starting in the early afternoon, after lunch, until the next day.

Essentially, the findings point to eating habits that could completely restructure the way we organize our mealtimes and consumption.

It seems our bodies are built to feast and fast, Dr. Hana Kahleova, one of the authors of the study, toldThe New York Times. It needs some regular cycling between having food intake and fasting. This seems to be hard-wired.

In a 2013 study from the Wolfson Medical Center in Tel Aviv, obese and overweight women were told to eat 1,400 calories a day, with half of them consuming a 700-calorie breakfast, 500-calorie lunch and 200-calorie dinner. The other half ate in the reverse order. Twelve weeks later, the first group had lost more than two and a half times more weight than the second group.

Though all these findings are far from conclusive, it seems it's worth trying to curb your late-night food cravings and wait until morning when all those calories won't do quite as much damage.

Continued here:
Splurging on an extravagant breakfast can have its weight-loss perks, study suggests - PhillyVoice.com

Theres probably no better day tokickstart your weight-loss programme than a weekend. If you really think of it, thebest way to lose weight is to actuallystart out on a weekend rather than on a Monday morning. Youcanstart making the small changes youve always wanted to make; plan your meals for the rest of the week and get your bodywarmed up for a rigorous workout regiment to follow in the coming week.

Remember, the best way to lose weight is to not rush into anything. Small changes make all the difference.Youdont have to starve yourself to lose weight or double up on workouts to try and beat bloating. Just keep a flexible approach and incorporate these simple tips in your regular fitness regime to achieve effective results.

Your body requires sufficient amount of liquids and substituting energy drinks, fruit smoothies or juices for water may not be a good idea since they contain about 100 calories. Water, on the other hand, contains zero calories and carbs, making it the perfect slim-down drink. If you still insist on adding some flavour, infuse it with mint leaves or lemon wedges.

White rice, spaghetti and sandwich rolls contain carbs and can wreck your weight-loss plans since they are digested quickly leaving you craving for more food, according to Dr Jana Klauer, author of The Park Avenue Nutritionists Plan. Healthier whole-grain bread products may seem like an ideal substitute but they contain filling fibres that may trigger bloating. If you cant do without rice, swap your regular rice for cauliflower rice which is made by grating cauliflower. Veggies contain complex carbs which are digested slower in your system. Plus since veggies contain water, they help flush out the excess water-weight.

The more calories your burn, the faster you lose weight. And any workout that involves increasing your heart rate will help burn calories. A cardio routine is ideal to help you burn maximum possible calories. Wendy Larkin, personal-training manager at Crunchs Polk Street gym, in San Francisco says that it engages in multiple muscle exercises.

Try these three for a start: Spinning, cardio kickboxing and boot-camp workouts. Indulging in half an hour of each of these exercises will help you burn at least 200 to 300 calories while simultaneously toning your body to make it appear sleeker. Incorporate HIIT (High intensity interval training) in your workout and youll witness much quicker results. It involves alternating short bursts of intensive cardio with slower activity. Trainers even swear by it.

Good news: you dont have to give up on your morning coffee (Its the reason your morning is so productive everyday). According to Dr Klauerpre-exercise cup of java with a splash of skimmed milk (about 11 calories) or black (just 5 calories) will rejuvenate your workout.

Not that you need a reason for a good romp at night, but indulging in some fun between the sheets(especially with you on top) is a fast fat burner. The more active you are, the more calories you will burn approximately 144 for 30 minutes. Sex is also said to drive away hunger pangs. But, then again, who needs food when youve got dessert?

These basic exercises are an excellent way of sculpting your muscles to make your body appear more toned. Three sets of 12 of each exercise if done every other day, will make you slim down considerably quickly. Fitness experts will confirm that push-ups tends to target your upper body, while lunges will help work out your butt, hips and thighs. Quicktip: Ensure your back and legs remain straight during the push-ups because it will improve muscle tone. You could hold free weights in each hand while performing the lunges for building more muscle mass.

Who can complain about that extra half an hour of blissful sleep? Especially if it helps in weight-loss. The simple logic behind this is that it will keep you refreshed and wont let lethargy come in the way of your morning gym session. According to experts7 to 8 hours of restful sleep boosts your metabolism. And because your body builds muscle while you sleep, that extra snooze will, in fact, be good for you.

Research has proven thateating spicy food helps you cut down on calorie intake. The compound capsaicin found in spicy food (jalapeno and cayenne peppers) may, in fact, help in increasing your bodys stress hormones such as adrenaline which in turn helps in speeding up your metabolism and ability to burn calories.

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Best ways to lose weight: 8 simple ways to burn fat starting today ... - GQ India

The whole world seems to be on a diet. Adietician is now like a family physician; every urban family has one. At most social gatherings, you will find people commenting onwho has lost and who has gained a few kilos, and discussions on what their dietician has said belongs to the avoid list, while tucking into a portion of everything that is on offer.

Wanting to lose a few kilos to reach your ideal weight according to your height and body frame is a great idea. Being overweight can be an indicator of various changes going on in your body, apart from it indicating that your lifestyle and food choices are not very healthy. However, what most people dont think about is that there is a right way and a wrong way to lose weight. Speed dieting and crashing your way towards your goal might look like the easy thing to do but if you want to lose and keep that weight off for good read on.

To lose weight quickly you

need to go on a fad dietThats what those weird diets that you get off the internet are called. Some dieter will claim to have lost weight by eating only proteins, another might say they ate nothing after 6pm every day, while yet another will have eaten all high fat foods and avoided carbs (everyones favourite enemy) and will have lost tons of weight. Most people willnever be able to sustain these fad diets beyond a period of time and eventually get back to eating all the foods they may have sacrificed to lose the weight.

Fad diets are usually boring and repetitive, and havestrange side effects like bad breath, constipation, gas and even dizziness and fatigue. The reason? They are imbalanced as far as nutrients go, so eventually you will eat what you normally do, and you will reward yourself often for being good, and soon you will have gained back double the weight you had lost.

need to starveDieting became a bad word ever since people started to assume that when you say dieting, you actually mean you are not eating. When a person who eats a certain amount of food a day suddenly cuts it to one-fourththe original quantity, the results begin to show very quickly, no doubt, but then so do the deficiencies; the hair loss and the pale skin. Starving to lose weight makes you feel deprived, puts you in a bad mood and makes you low on energy at all times. It may make you lose a few kilos, but that is only short-lived.

tend to give up bad habits, only for a short timeIn an attempt to lose kilos before a set deadline, many people give up some bad habits till the date they have in mind, only to get back to those bad habits with a vengeance. You have to find a better alternative for a bad food habit rather than just swearing off that food for a short interval. If you decide to give up on that midnight chocolate bar for some time, replace it with something else that you will enjoy and something that benefits you. This will make sure youre not tempted to go back to that habit. Try one-twopieces of dates or a cup of milk, or even a cup of chamomile tea that will relax you.

may be consulting with someone unqualifiedThere are a lot of quacks who pose as weight loss experts or dieticians/nutritionists. These are people who have just done a certificate course from unknown institutions for a few weeks and have decided to start their practice. They might not even have the basic knowledge of the physiology of the human body or the biochemistry of nutrients and what they do. They will ask you to measure and calculate each grain that goes into your mouth and make you not just fear food but also hate your own body. In order to succeed at what they are doing, since they have no qualification backing them, they will promise to give you fast results without you realising what it costs you health-wise.

If youre going to a nutritionist you havent heard of, ask them where they received the degree that qualifies them in their field. It takes three years of undergraduate studies to become an authentic nutritionist, after which some choose to do their Masters for another two years. Ask them if they are members of the IDA (Indian Dietetics Association), as IDA only issues life memberships to qualified dieticians with degrees from recognised institutions.

To sum it up:

Samreedhi Goel is a Mumbai-based nutritionist, fitness expert and proprietor at Size Wise The Fitness Studio. You can contact her onSizewise.co.in

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4 ways your quick weight loss diet is harming your body - VOGUE India