Fun and Fitness for the 40-Something

Heading out this weekend? Chances are you’ll get hungry. Rather than resorting to gas station candy and chips or fried fast-food options, check out Fitness magazine’s list of healthy on-the-go snacks. You can even get one of the them at McDonald’s.

… believe Newsweek. In a web exclusive, Newsweek notes that it’s well-known that a glass or two of each night “can reduce production of ‘bad’ cholesterol, boost ‘good’ cholesterol and reduce blood clotting, all of which will help reduce the risk of heart disease.” The article goes on to list “four more reasons to drink red wine,” all drawn from recent studies.

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I read an article in the Chicago Tribune last week about “recessionary eating habits.” It reported that old school comfort foods (like Spam and Kraft Mac and Cheese) and basic ingredients for cooking from scratch (flour and dried beans) have seen an uptick in popularity. It makes sense to do more grocery shopping and less eating out these days, but the shopping list can easily include healthier options than mac and cheese. (more…)

Remember when Gatorade was a break-through innovation, mainly used by professional athletes? Now store shelves are lined with a wide, neon-colored array of sports drinks targeted at the run-of-the-mill exerciser. But how do you choose? Do you want a drink with carbs or protein? Or both? The results of a recent study should make the choice easier. And the best news is that there’s a far tastier (in my humble, chocolate-loving opinion) option than typical sports drinks.

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I’m a bit of trainer leech at the gym—when I see people working out with trainers, I keep an eye out for moves, and an ear out for advice, that I can use, too. Hmmmm … now that I think about it, wasn’t there a Seinfeld episode where Elaine followed a trainer and his client around the gym, copying their workout move for move? I’m not that blatant, I swear.

Anyway, the point is that trainers obviously know more than I do about how to get a good workout. And, fortunately, there’s a less obtrusive way to tap that knowledge than pulling an Elaine. The American Council on Exercise collected tips from several trainers on their own workout habits and programs.

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Is it still only January? As winter’s short days and unfriendly weather drag on, it can be tough to keep going to the gym for yet another tedious indoor workout. But you can shake things up a little by following Active.com’s cardio workouts for five different machines.

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Is it wrong that, after my 4-mile run this morning (late morning), I picked up a burrito on the way home?

Women’s Health magazine explores the following seven warning signs from your body that you shouldn’t ignore:

The media has gone nuts with its coverage of Obama’s fitness. That’s all well and good, but what about the presidents more of us can relate to? Fitness magazine has taken the liberty of compiling a list of our 10 unhealthiest presidents:

10. James Monroe
9. Theodore Roosevelt
8. Ronald Reagan
7. Woodrow Wilson
6. Andrew Jackson
5. Warren Harding
4. Dwight Eisenhower
3. John F. Kennedy
2. William Taft
1. Grover Cleveland

The median age of a Facebook user is 26. I am 41—and yet I’m getting peer pressure to join Facebook. Even though the over-30 crowd is the fastest growing demographic among Facebook’s more than 150 million users, I’m hesitant to join.

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