Today we’re talking with Laurie Brager - a Personal Trainer for women who are 50 and above - about physical fitness and why it is so important for our overall health. It helps us feel better, gives us more energy and helps us perform the tasks that we do every day more easily. Evidence also shows that exercise positively impacts our brain health. It has been shown to reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms; it improves our mental abilities, such as memory, thinking speed and attention. Exercise even helps us sleep better (which is becoming increasingly linked to good brain health). But, many older adults are not getting the exercise that they need to elicit these health benefits. It is important that we don’t focus too much energy on hitting a pre-set goal; but, we should instead focus our energy on simply getting exercise into our daily routines. Exercise does not necessary mean that you have to go to the gym – it just means “be active”. The goal should be to “be active every day!”. Today’s guest, Laurie Brager, offers some valuable tips to help you create a healthy, fit and active lifestyle. 

Laurie is specifically interested in helping and inspiring women over the age of 50 to take charge of their own health and fitness, because she really felt that she could relate to their age and stage. “We're sort of the sandwich generation; we have our children, we have grandchildren, we have parents.” Through physical fitness and healthy lifestyle changes, Laurie wants to help her clients get more energy and feel stronger.

Increasing age leads to an increase in muscle lose. Specifically, muscle lose begins around the age of 40, and you can lose as much as 3% to 5% per decade. The benefits of doing strength training and cardio is you can regain some of that muscle back and also that muscle tone.

As you get older, your metabolism begins to slow down. Many women have come to Laurie and said, "You know, I've been doing the same thing for the last 20 years, I don't understand why I've gained 20 pounds." But, Laurie says that “doing the same thing” is exactly the problem. As your metabolism slows down, you've got to increase your exercise and of course pay attention to your diet - eating properly is the whole other part of it as well.

Bone loss & age

Another really important point to consider is bone loss, something that isn’t often spoken about.

“People think it's an older person's disease. But really, it's the silent thief. Probably a lot of listeners don't know, but you begin in your mid 30s to lose about 1% of your bone. At menopause, with losing estrogen, you'll begin to lose 2-3%, so a huge increase in bone loss. This is really important, because you really don't want your bones to be breaking and you certainly don't want to be falling. So, we really work on a lot of strength training here, that's certainly a huge benefit of exercise and living the healthy lifestyle. We all want to play with our grandchildren on the floor and get off the floor and get back up.”  – Laurie Brage

Exercise isn’t just increasing muscle strength, but bone strength as well.

Mental benefits of exercise

Another important consideration is the mental benefits of exercise. There is research out there that shows that there are the mental benefits associated with physical exercise, which include increased mood, decreased anxiety, decreased depression, improvements in quality of sleep. And there's also evidence that shows it impacts our mental ability; so, you see improvements in attention and memory as well as faster thinking speed. There's this whole gamut and wide variety of benefits to physical exercise that extend beyond just our physical bodies up to our minds as well.

Menopause

Exercise can be particularly beneficial for women as they go through menopause. When Laurie talks to her clients, some of them are dealing with anxiety and stress as they go through menopause. Furthermore, they are experiencing changes in mood and self-confidence because they’re going through this whole life change; but, their bodies are also changing. With the associated hormonal changes, abdominal fat can be common. Laurie can't say that you’ll get rid of all your abdominal fat from working with her, but she can certainly help you tone, feel better, and feel good about yourself. This will hopefully enhance your self-esteem, because you’ll start to feel better and you’ll start to look better. Laurie says, “It's just all tied in together.”

Exercise has also been linked to improvements in sleep quality, and there is an association between loss of sleep and menopause. Laurie knows first hand that her sleep habits changed following menopause. It is something that she really suffered with more than any of the other impacts of menopause. She woke up a lot, but she definitely noticed that when she was exercising more, her sleep was better too. When you get the right amount of sleep, it benefits your brain health, your mood could be better, and you feel better too.

How much should I be exercising?

According to the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines (click here to download), adults aged 65 and older should be accumulating at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week. But what Laurie likes to say to people is, "Let's start with something. If you haven't been doing anything, what's realistic? What's going to fit into your life? I think it's really important because people get overwhelmed. Let's build from there.”

Laurie talks to her clients about what they do at home. People often think they’re too busy to exercise, because they’re looking after their parents, they have grandchildren, they still have kids, they’re working part-time. Laurie knows that it's a very busy age and stage. Laurie will ask her clients:

"Do you brush your teeth?”

"Yes."

"Could you squat and brush your teeth twice a day?"

"Oh, I guess I never thought of that."

"Why don't you try it? Just try it out."

Laurie isn’t saying that's the only way, but she is trying to encourage people to start thinking of easy ways they can incorporate some exercise into their lifestyle.

For example, if you're doing a 20-minute walk once a week, could you do that three times a week? Is that realistic? When is the best time of day to do it? Could you put it in your phone as a reminder? How can you get this to be a habit?

You don’t have to instantly get to the recommended 150 minutes of aerobic physical exercise per week, it is important to build. Create your exercise habits in a way that is sustainable, so you can maintain it and achieve it. The two most important things that Laurie likes to say to her clients is, "Let's start exercising. Let's continue exercising." But everyone is different, everyone's life is different. How can you incorporate fitness into your life?

People often set themselves up to fail, because they start with an unrealistic goal. They’ll say to themselves, “I’ve got to do 150 minutes of physical activity this week," and if they don't make it to 150, they only make it to 60 minutes, then they're like, "Oh, I failed. You know what? I should just forget about this."

The same thing happens with diet. People might start on some diet that they think is really exciting; so, they start and go all in. But, what often happens is that people are not eating properly, and they’re not eating some of the foods that they like, so they end up giving up, and gaining all the weight back. It's the same thing with exercise. Let's make it sustainable. Let's build it into your life.

What's important in a fitness routine? There's cardio, strength, flexibility and balance; but, it is also really important to think about your breathing. You have to learn proper breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing is really an important thing to learn. Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth using your diaphragm.

The second thing is posture. Posture is so important while you exercise, but a lot of people have been taught the wrong thing: shoulders back, chest out, tuck your bum - all the wrong things. You want to stop tucking your bum. You don't want to arch your back, you want to be straight. It is very important that you learn the proper posture techniques from a trained professional.

You have to be exercising in the right alignment, with the right posture, using the right breathing. Incorporating all of these components is central to building a strong core. When Laurie talks about the “core”, people often think that they have to do a lot of sit-ups. Laurie actually doesn’t like to recommend sit-ups, because they really are not good for your spine. She says there are a lot of alternatives. Planks may not be your favorite, but they are a fantastic exercise for building strength. You have to build from the inside out. A strong core is everything.

Laurie likes to focus her training on functional exercises (functional meaning that whatever exercise you do, you can carry the movement over to everyday life). Laurie has already mentioned squats before; but, they are so important because you want to be able to get up and down from the toilet without asking for help. For functional exercises, Laurie likes to focus on squatting, getting up and down from the floor, lunges, etc. Be sure to start slow and use the proper form. If you are new to any particular exercise, it is important to seek guidance from a professional.

Women are unfortunately weaker in their upper bodies, and so push-ups can be hard at first; but, it is important to start somewhere. It doesn't have to be a full push-up. You can start on your knees or do it against the wall or do it on a ledge, but make sure you’re doing it properly. Upper-body strength is very important, especially with increasing age. You want to be able to do your activities of daily living easily; you want to be able to hold your grandchildren; and you want to be able to go grocery shopping.

Balance is also very important. Yes, we all need to work on balance, and yes, as you get older, your balance won't be as good as it was; but, it's all connected. If your core and your glutes aren’t strong, then your balance won’t be as good. You have to build your strength to have good balance. Laurie often recommends doing exercises that incorporate strength and balance together. She always tries to incorporate a piece of balance in most of her exercises. The importance of being able to balance in everyday life is a core feature of being able to perform your activities of daily living. Good balance can also help reduce your risk of falls.

How much time should I be devoting to cardio vs. strength training vs. flexibility and stretching?

It depends! Look at your life and see what makes sense for you. If going for a walk works in your life three times a week, that's fantastic; but, if that isn't realistic (maybe it's the winter time), you may have to get a little bit more creative. For example, you might choose to take the stairs whenever possible.

Think about combining strength training and cardio together. For example, if you're doing a walking lunge, which Laurie has a lot of her clients do, you're going to be working strength and cardio. Also remember that our muscles and bones are connected; so, when you’re lifting weights, you’re pulling the bones, which is strengthening them. If you can do twice a week minimum of strength training, that's ideal.

And don’t forget about flexibility and stretching. Flexibility allows you to increase your range of motion, reduce stiffness, improve overall mobility and reduce the risk of injury. If you can do it, you should be stretching everyday. Laurie often hears that when people get out of bed, they’re really stiff. So, she suggests that you do a couple of back stretches when you get up in the morning. Get into the routine of doing two or three stretches everyday. Laurie also suggests doing stretches at the end of the day. Make it a part of your routine. For Laurie, she stretches every night right before she settles down in her favourite chair. “Before I sit down, I do my stretches.” Exercise has to be incorporated into your life in a way that works for you. Just like eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. It has to be a habit, and it also has to be a priority.

You don’t have to workout at a gym; but, just be sure that whatever exercises you do, it's in your calendar. Of course, there will be times when you can't do your exercises; but, it has to be something that you prioritize, and everything else builds around it.

How do I find time to exercise when my schedule changes?

"Okay, I'm going on vacation; so, I'll miss a couple of weeks of exercise."

Laurie says, "First of all, is there a nice beach?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm sure you would love to walk along the beach."

But Laurie also asks, "Could you pack a resistance band in your band?"

"I guess I could."

Laurie has an actual exercise program just using a resistance band, and it works every part of your body. It's fantastic, and it’s something that can easily travel with you.

As we age our muscles atrophy. If you don’t want to use weights or use a resistance band, you can also take a couple of soup cans out and just do some bicep curls. Or when you’re walking, do bicep curls with some weights that are appropriate for your strength level (2-, 3- or 4-pound weights). The most important part is to get started. Muscle strength is so important, because you want to be able to get up from a chair, pick up your grandchildren, carry your groceries, etc. You want to live a long, healthy, and active life for as long as possible.

What about food and drink?

Laurie isn’t a diet person. She likes finding a lifestyle that promotes healthy eating with the right kinds of foods that are going to make you feel good. Incorporating the right portion size with exercise is important if your goal is to lose weight. Laurie follows the 80/20 rule. She eats healthy 80% of the time and 20% of the time she eats more freely. Everything in moderation.

People often don't eat enough protein – an important consideration for your muscles and bones. If you’re eating a salad, be sure to add that protein. Canada's new food guide (click here for more information) just came out. Among other recommendations, it promotes eating more plant-based proteins.

Calcium is also very important for our bone health. For women, as estrogen decreases, calcium is depleted. So, it is important to consume enough calcium (and it doesn’t have to be milk, there are plenty of other sources). Laurie also mentioned a couple of supplements, but you need to check with your doctor to see if it's right for you. Specifically, she mentioned vitamin D and K to help with the absorption of calcium. Numbers that are given out by Osteoporosis Canada are good to follow or check in with your doctor.

Everyone should drink more water. For Laurie, she has a couple cups of coffee in the morning, but then it’s basically water for the rest of the day. There are many benefits of drinking enough water, but for Laurie, water helped reduce her frequency of bladder infections and she has also noticed changes in her skin. And if you’re exercising, you need it for replenishing; but, drinking water is an important habit, regardless of your exercise status.

And it’s important not to eat too late at night, because it may disrupt your sleeping patterns. And we know that quality sleep is incredibly important for our brain health. So, be sure to prioritize your sleep!

I hope that you found this episode inspiring and filled with useful tips to help you incorporate healthier habits into your everyday life.

To learn more about Laurie Brager, you can visit her website 50plusfitnessforwomen.ca, email her  at laurie@50plusfitnessforwomen.ca or visit and Like her Facebook Page @50plusfitnessforwomen.

Note: Please consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program.