You Can Be Healthy & Fit For The Next 10, 20, Even 30 Years!

I've worked in the fitness industry since 1995. I love helping people get fit but was fed up working in cookie-cutter gyms where no one really cared about the members so I opened Body & Soul Fitness Studio and No Pink Dumbbells Boot Camp. I’ve helped lots of people get healthier, stronger, fitter, and more confident.

Unfortunately, there are still many people who are hesitant to join a gym, especially those of us 55 and over. Some are intimidated, or afraid of hurting themselves, or not sure what exercises to do, or uncomfortable with the spandex crowd, etc.

Or, maybe they have joined a gym and/or started exercising but gave up because they didn’t see results. Contrary to popular belief, all exercise is not equal.

I get it. We all want to be healthy, active, and look and feel good. We want to enjoy a high quality of life and remain independent. But we don’t want to waste our time doing things that don’t work or aggravate any issues we may have. Why would we?

Strength training is the key to an active, healthy life. It makes your muscles and bones stronger. It makes everyday tasks easier. Done correctly, it also helps with balance and flexibility. And, no, you don’t need to lift huge weights to get benefits but you do need proper direction to get the best results and avoid injury.



 

What I’ve found is that many folks want more supervision, personalization, and instruction in their fitness program but not necessarily one-on-one training. That’s why I created RetroFit. It’s a twice weekly, 8-week program of small group training that’s individualized for each participant. It begins April 8th. RetroFit is NOT your typical exercise “class”.

We’ll be doing movement assessments at the beginning of the session and all exercises will be adapted as needed. Everyone works at their own level. Obviously, I can’t explain all the program details in a simple blog post so call me today at (717) 509-7777 to see if you qualify or visit GetFitLancaster.com/retrofit.html for more details.

Will You Be Independent And Active As You Age?

Way too many people think that exercise is for the young. Way too many people also think of exercise only as a means to a hot body.

We need to change our way of thinking.

The U.S. population is aging, and getting fatter and more inactive. Contrary to popular belief, you don't get weak and frail because you get older. The truth is, people get weak and frail because they do nothing to maintain their muscle and bone fitness as they age.

Because our lives are so less physical than in previous generations, we must challenge our bodies through exercise to maintain our health and fitness.

Without a regular exercise program which includes strength training, we gradually become less fit as we get older. We lose about 1/2 pound of muscle a year after age 30 if we don't weight train and, according to a previous report in Archives of Internal Medicine, that loss of fitness accelerates after age 45.

Research has shown that individuals with poor fitness levels have a higher risk of a variety of diseases and have a harder time functioning independently. When compared to sedentary individuals, those who are physically active, don't smoke, and maintain a healthy body composition have higher fitness levels throughout their adult lives.

Annie, my 97 year-old Body & Soul member is a great example. She lives alone and still drives. That's possible because she remained active throughout her life and she still strength trains three times a week. She's had her share of medical problems but she gardens and is able to do all kinds of things around her house because she has maintained her fitness.


I have other members in their 60s and 70s who continue to golf, bowl, and play other sports. I've even had a few who participated in the Senior Olympics. Aren't those types of activities more interesting and fun than sitting around watching TV or complaining about your aches and pains?

The bottom line is that regular exercise improves the quality of your life. Period. You can find a partial list of the many varied health benefits of exercise here ==> Exercise Benefits (Scroll down about half way through the post.)

It's never too late or too soon to start. Get moving.

If you're inexperienced, have health issues, and/or are hesitant to start exercising, I have great news. My First Step program is starting soon. First Step is small group personal training for older, inexperienced folks who want more personal attention and supervision with their exercise program.

To get all the details, just Click here or call Mickey at (717) 509-7777. Don't wait! The first 8-week session is starting very soon.

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65+ Fit Facts

• If you don’t weight train regularly, you can lose as much as 80% of your muscular strength by age 65.

• According to a recent study, senior citizens who exercise live longer, healthier, happier lives. 

 

• Exercise builds strength and improves balance and flexibility, which reduces the risk of falling. Falling is one of the leading causes of death for those over the age of 65. 

• Walking is the most popular activity for seniors followed by exercising with equipment, net fishing, camping, and swimming. 

• You're never too old to start exercising.  Benefits from physical activity are observed even in those who only start exercising in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

• A study supported by the National Institute on Aging found that seniors can preserve their memory and the size of their brain by walking at least 6 miles a week on a regular basis.

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Meet Body & Soul Fitness Studio's TV Star

Body & Soul member, Annie Belstra, works out with Fox 43's Melanie Gardner.

First the warmup...

Some pulldowns...

And then some cable chest presses...

Body & Soul Fitness Studio
618 Columbia Avenue
Lancaster, PA 17603

(717) 509-7777

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Don't Tell Me You're Too Old

I have no patience with people telling me they're too old to exercise. It's just another excuse.

If you haven't exercised in years (or ever), of course, you don't want to go crazy but there's no reason that age itself should ever be an excuse to be sedentary.

Body & Soul's oldest member is 93. Annie comes in to exercise every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. I'd post her picture but I didn't ask her so I won't.

Three yeras ago, Ardell Lien, then 71, became the first heart and kidney recipient to solo circumnavigate the world. He sailed around the world by himself promoting organ transplants.

Barbra Streisand's Love Is The Answer CD recently entered The Billboard 200 at #1.

#1. Yes, Barbra Streisand's album is #1. Not Mariah Carey, not Jay-Z, not Paramore, not Pearl Jam, not Alice In Chains. Barbra Streisand.

You don't have to be a fan or like her music to appreciate the accomplishment.

Streisand is 67 years old. Bob Dylan had a #1 album on The Billboard 200 a week before he turned 68 and Neil Diamond also scored a #1 album when he was 67.

No one would have faulted Ardell for taking it easy as a 71 year old double transplant recipient.

The singers above could be sitting at home complaining about how unfair the record business is and hard it is for them to get air play nowadays. They could just sit home and count their money but they don't.

They all appreciate their talents and blessings and continue to use them. A functioning body is a blessing even if it's not functioning as well as you'd like. Appreciate what you've got and work to improve.

There's no such thing as "too old."

68 Year Old Grandma Chases Down Thief

Another Reason To Get and Stay Fit. Yea, Janet!

Granny Janet Lane runs teenager to ground over snatched pension
The Times
Simon de Bruxelles

It was an unequal chase: a 68-year-old grandmother against a teenage thief who had just run off with her bag.

The bag-snatcher had no chance.

Janet Lane was sitting on a park bench when three teenagers grabbed her handbag containing £100 in cash, her mobile phone, an umbrella, a first-aid kit and a present that she had just bought for a friend.

What the thief did not know was that Mrs Lane had won the Yorkshire cross-country championship as a schoolgirl in 1953 and had kept herself in shape ever since.

As he and his two accomplices ran away, Mrs Lane set off in pursuit, chasing them 100 metres across a park and into the grounds of a hotel. Despite wearing sandals, the 5ft 6in (1.68m) tall grandmother managed to catch up and grabbed one of the youths by the collar. The youth, aged about 15, dropped her bag and begged to be let go. All three escaped empty-handed.

Mrs Lane, a retired nurse, said: “Those boys saw a little old lady and thought I was easy pickings, but there was no way I was going to sit there and let them get away with it. I was so angry when they took it. I had been to collect my pension and I had water rates to pay with that money.

“My first reaction was, ‘They are not having my bag'. I used to be a very good runner when I was younger so I just got up and ran after them.”

Mrs Lane, a divorced grandmother of two, had her bag stolen as she sat on a bench near the Riviera International Centre in Torquay, Devon.

She said: “I had my shopping bag with me by my side and I turned around, looking for my friend, Sue, who would be coming around the corner. The boys came up to me and asked for a cigarette but I said no. They must have been checking if I had anything worth stealing. They must have come back and I felt a whooshing movement and I saw a boy in a grey hooded top take my bag.”

A spokesman at the Inglewood Hotel, in Torquay, where Mrs Lane chased them to ground, said: “There was quite a commotion outside as the lady ran by chasing the boys. Her shouting alerted two waiters who were putting up decorations and they tried to stop them as well.”

However, Devon and Cornwall Police warned members of the public against following Mrs Lane's example. A spokesman said: “Generally, for safety reasons, we do not actively encourage this kind of behaviour, as you never know what could happen. But we understand this woman is a former cross-country runner and did not feel able to let it go.”

The police are continuing their inquiries.