It is totally possible to lose the extra weight after 50

Yes, it is.  I did it.

Weight has slowly crept up on me - through no fault of my own, of course - during the past 15-20 years and I found myself saying, Oh, I weigh 10 pounds more than I did 15 years ago.  Then recently I realized it was now more like 15 pounds more, not 10 and if I let it go, then in another 15 years, I would be, 30 pounds more than 15 years ago.   Scary.  And I don't have a budget to throw all my clothes away to buy a new wardrobe a size larger.  No way.

So, I actually made the decision that I would lose 8 pounds, maybe 10.  I did not really know how since I am a pretty healthy eater.  Lots of veggies, no processed food, except ice cream.  My attempts in the past had not worked.  Not at all. I read all I could on weight loss, from the "eat all the proteins you can and avoid carbs" to "eat as soon as you get up" to "just eat when  you are hungry" (that's a funny one).

I finally decided that yes, I do eat healthy, but maybe just maybe, what I have always said was my "healthy appetite" was in fact my big appetite.  I needed to cut portions.

I found a site that told me the exact number of calories I needed to keep eating if I wanted to remain at my present weight.  From there it was simple math to deduct 500 calories a day for a 1 pound a week weight loss or deduct 1000, yes one thousand calories a day for a 2 pounds a week weight loss.

Knowing myself, I decided to cut about 1000 calories a day for a couple of weeks, to kick start the process and to feel encouraged by seeing the difference on the scale.  It worked.  I lost 2 pounds a week for the first 2 weeks and then I went to 1.5 a week and now one pound a week.

Was it difficult?  A bit.  If you normally give your stomach 2000 calories and then only give it half, you will be a little bit hungry, some of the time, even if you eat a lot of fiber rich vegetables.  And it did happen that I was hungry, even feeling hunger pangs when I woke up at night.  After a few weeks, I sense my stomach has shrunk because I could not, without discomfort, eat the same portions I used to.

What do I eat?  Lots of vegetables.  At least 7-8 portions a day. The equivalent of 2 fruits, mostly berries and fresh pineapple.  I eat proteins - fish, chicken and a bit of beef, about 3 or 4 ounces max at each meal.  I eat one square of dark chocolate in the evening.  Breakfast is often greek yogourt with fresh berries, or some peanut butter.  I treat myself to a little bit of ice cream every few days and I try to drink one to two liters of water a day.

My clothes feel better.  I do feel lighter.  Was it worth it?  Absolutely.

Marguerite Tennier, M.A.,
Wellness Coach for Women over 40

I help you make the changes that are important for you

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What yoga can do for you

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/28/body-on-yoga_n_4109595.html?1382963173">
<img src="http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/BodyOnYoga.png" title="How Yoga Transforms Your Body"  alt="yoga infographic"  />
</a>

Nordic pole walking - not just a trend

You may have seen some people in your neighbourhood walking on the sidewalks or in parks with what looked like cross-country ski poles.  And you wondered.... what are they doing?  Well, I had the occasion a couple of weeks ago to attend a demonstration and training class to learn to walk with Nordic Poles.  It originated in Finland in the early 20th Century when cross-country skiers "practiced" on dry ground in the off-season to keep in shape.  Since then, the poles have been modified so they can be used on hard surfaces as well as sand.

What's the benefit?  Walking with the poles engages 90% of the muscles of the body, including shoulders, arms and back and helps burn 46% more calories than walking without poles.  Even after a short training session, I could feel  that my arms, shoulder and back muscles had worked.  Another benefit, is that you put less pressure on the hips and knees.  For me, with two new knees in 2012 and who love walking, this is a huge benefit.

I must confess I have not yet started using my poles.  I need to find something to attach the rubber tips and then, I'll be off, walking my little heart out.

I'll keep you posted when I go for my first 5 km walk, which should be soon.

Marguerite Tennier, M.A.
Canada's Coach

Success and Life Coaching for Women over 40
Wellness and Life Coaching for Women 40+

http://www.canadas-coach.com
http://www.eftottawa.com

What's the "drop" that will help you move from a minus to a plus?

It's true that often a drop can be what makes a situation unbearable.  A drop can also be the one factor that will motivate you or steer you onto a wellness path.  We are all different and what motivates us can vary from one person to another.  For me it's my health.  My appearance counts also - I am, well, quite proud, but not enough to make huge sacrifices.  For my health, though, I can show more determination than anyone I know.  The first time I experienced it, was when at around age 40, I was told my blood tests showed I had abnormally high cholesterol.  I remember feeling my body had let me down. I was a single parent to still young children and I wanted to be there for them for a long time.  I also happen to love life, a lot.   My reaction was to first ask all the questions I could and to read as much as I could on the subject.  It was determined that it was "familial" type and even if I only ate carrots it would still be abnormal.  That's when I started cooking with the Heart Healthy cookbook from the Heart and Stroke Foundation.  I managed to lower my numbers by about 15% over a period of 3 months.  My cholesterol is still high, but I now do with nutrition and exercise all I can to control what's lifestyle related.

These days, my motivation is still my health because I still love life, a lot and want to be here for a long, long time and I want to be healthy, to be independent, to be there for my daughters who are now new mothers and I want to have fun and be an example  in the life of my grandchildren, for many years.

What's your motivation to eat healthy, or exercise or lose weight?  Your health?  What exactly about your health?  You want to remain active, independent?  You want to travel once you retire?

If you feel you have let yourself down health wise, it's not too late.  Spend some time reflecting on how you want the next 10, 20 years of your life to be like. If you realize you don't have dreams and plans for the future, then, working on dreaming and having goals might just help you see how a healthier you can realize those dreams.

Marguerite Tennier, M.A.
Canada's Coach
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My passion is to help women over 40  create a better future.

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Quick cardio

It's cold outside, the pool is closed but you want to do some cardio.  And you don't have much time.  One quick way to do cardio is to use the stairs.  My stairs have 11 steps -go up and down those stairs 5 or 10 times (it took me 4 and 9 minutes) and you get an intense cardio workout in minutes.

Marguerite Tennier, M.A.
Canada's Coach

Life and Wellness Coaching for Women over 40
Success and Fearless Living Coach for Women over 40

http://www.canadas-coach.com
http://www.eftottawa.com

The wonder of moving

I started writing the title as "the pleasure of moving" and pleasure was not an intense enough word to convey what I meant to say.  For some obscure reason, I started developing osteoarthritis sometimes in my late thirties and over the years, it progressed so that for the past 5-7 years it became extremely painful to walk.  Then it became impossible to walk more than a city block or so without extreme pain.  I changed my exercise routine and went for swimming instead.  Then in 2012, I had two knee replacement surgeries.  One in January and the second knee in September.  WOW!  What a difference.  After a few months I can now walk 2 kilometers and more with as fast a pace as I could 15-20 years ago, and, miracle, no pain.  While I will keep on swimming regularly, I can now go for a long, brisk walk anytime I want and for me, that's worth so much.

Do you move your body regularly?  Do you have a favorite activity?  Do you do it?  If not, what's in the way?  What would help you to practice it?

Moving is not just for weight loss.  Moving or exercising is for your health - physical and mental.  Exercise will give you energy, it helps your body fight all kinds of ailments.  And for mental health, exercise has been proven to be equal to some medicine.

And as much as I like walking or swimming, I don't always feel like doing it - what helps is to remember how  it feels when and after I do it.  And I am never disappointed.

Coaching challenge:  Choose one activity you enjoy and commit to doing it  - you don't have to do it for 30 minutes - start with 10 minutes and evaluate how you feel after.

Marguerite Tennier, M.A.
Canada's Coach

Life and Wellness Coaching for Women over 40
Success and Fearless Living Coach for Women over 40

http://www.eftottawa.com
http://www.canadas-coach.com

Adult Daughters: Celebrate yourself today on International Women's Day

Did you think about doing something special to celebrate International Women's Day today?  Did you ever do something special on that day?  There is a good chance that if you grew up with one or two alcoholic parents or in an otherwise dysfunctional home, there was little space to celebrate your uniqueness and specialness as a woman.  Worse of all, you may have ended up in a family that worshiped males or simply did not respect women.

It's not too late to celebrate yourself and the other important women in your life: your mother, sisters, friends and daughters, even the very little ones.  (I am including my 30 month old grand daughter as someone to be celebrated this year).

What can you do to make today special?  It can be as simple as standing a little taller and wish yourself a great International Women's Day.  Or you can invite some female friends over for dinner or send them an email wishing them good on this day, or remind your family that today is to be celebrated.  Ask your husband or boyfriend to do something for you.  Buy a cake. Curl up in bed with a good book.

You are special and unique.  Today is a great day to remind yourself to take good care of yourself.  You are worth it.

Marguerite Tennier, M.A.
Canada's Coach

Life and Wellness Coaching for Women over 40
Success and Fearless Living Coach for Women over 40
Coach to Adult Daughters

http://www.canadas-coach.com
http://www.eftottawa.com