Hi
October 1, 2014
In this newsletter . . .
A great fitness tool:
the cloth tape measure
Retirement bliss
A great fitness tool: the cloth tape measure
Of all the tools used for analyzing health and fitness, a simple cloth tape measure may be one of the best. Measuring the circumference of your waist will tell you more about your fitness than either scales or the Body Mass Index (BMI) formula.
Or as Jack LaLanne used to say, “Your waistline is your lifeline.” Additionally, an honest look in the mirror at your naked body is another low-tech but reliable indicator of how well you’ve been treating yourself . . . and, it seems, a predictor of your future health.
Trainer and author Jon Benson (Fit Over 40) takes the tape measure method a step further, using a waistline-to-height formula as a predictor of heart disease. Mr. Benson tells us to measure right below the navel, and do not pull the tape measure tight. Write down that number in inches. Then measure your height (without shoes) in inches. Write that down too.
Multiply the results of your
waist measurement by two. If the number is greater than your height, you are four times more likely to get heart disease. It’s more predictive than cholesterol tests, he says.
And the medical profession seems to agree.
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Retirement bliss
At least ninety-something percent of the Gray Iron Fitness Newsletter and my website is dedicated to strength, physical fitness and health. But today, I’m asking that you look at another highly important facet of your life. Please read on.
By the time we reach the mid-century mark in life, retirement planning should be in place — even if we never intend on retiring. If you love what you are doing, why stop because of some age number? The important thing is having the option to retire should you choose to.
But also keep in mind that unforeseen events and circumstances may require leaving your work, no matter how much you might prefer to continue. Or, over the years a change in your attitude and priorities may evolve. No one can be 100 percent certain how these things will play out. Just knowing that you have the option to do as you wish is a wonderful thing.
A couple of factors are imperative if
you want to enjoy such options: 1) You must have good physical and emotional health; and 2) your financial condition must be sound. If you squander either, the second half of life will not be pleasant. That is almost guaranteed.
The earlier in life we begin living a financial and physical fitness lifestyle the better our odds of discovering that the senior years may be the most rewarding time of all. And, to be blunt, the other extreme of being in poor health and broke can be a miserable existence.
The sooner we understand these facts and act on them, the better off we will be. Yet even for those who act late in life, some measure of improvement is still possible — at any age.
The following are thoughts and ideas all of us should consider, decide about, and act upon:
I promise you will not be disappointed in what you find. And if it stirs you to act on something you may have been putting off, you will be delighted that you took action.
Newsletter Policy
The Gray Iron Fitness Newsletter is a free publication sent twice monthly to subscribers. The purpose is to provide honest and realistic fitness information for people age 50 and above.
I have never been paid or received compensation of any kind to write a positive review or endorse a product. If I say that I personally use a product or service, it is because I find value in it and have paid for it with my own money.
Like newspapers, magazines and television, this newsletter and my web site contain advertising and marketing links. Naturally, I am compensated for these.
The newsletter and web site provide information to help users establish and maintain a fitness lifestyle. But fitness information is not the same as fitness advice, which is the application of exercise and dietary practices to an individual's specific circumstances. Therefore, always consult with your physician for assurance that fitness information, and
your interpretation of it, is appropriate for you.Your comments and questions are always appreciated. Simply click on the "Reply" bottom.
Sincerely,
Logan Franklin
The Gray Iron Fitness Newsletter
www.senior-exercise-central.com
