Welcome

By Andrew Levy



Health kick: Many opt for a healthier lifestyle as they get older


It is an age when our plans to exercise regularly have usually petered out and our waistlines are expanding.

But this doesn’t mean people have given up wanting to be in good shape when they reach 45.

For many, halfway through their fifth decade is a ‘golden age’ when they try to slow the march of time by cutting out as many health risks as possible.


Confronted with their own mortality as they, or family and friends, have health scares, more than a third opt to limit drinking to three or fewer units a week, according to a study.

A similar proportion avoid processed food, while more than eight in ten eat the recommended five pieces of fruit or veg every day.

Nine in ten are also non-smokers, compared to three-quarters of people under 45, and nearly 40 per cent say they ‘never over-indulge in food or drink at the weekends’, a rule just one in six younger people stick to.

The snapshot of middle-age resolve was gathered in a Health of the Nation study commissioned by new supplements company Bioglan, which questioned 5,000 people aged 16 and over.

It found the age of 45 was linked to a decline in health, with a third of people at that age reporting they suffer joint pain, one in five having high blood pressure, and one in ten experiencing shortness of breath.


At the same time, there was a marked increase in concerns about ailments including heart disease, dementia and stroke, with around half of those midway through their fifth decade fearing for their health.


Almost six in ten of this age group re-evaluated their prospects after suffering a health scare, while four in ten took stock after a family member was taken ill.

Other triggers included performing badly on a medical assessment, or an unflattering comment about their appearance.

The level of concern was higher in over-45s than in over-55s, suggesting a laissez-faire attitude in those approaching retirement – perhaps because they were more set in their ways or they felt they had escaped the health problems that often emerge when middle-age begins.

One 45-year-old who has worked hard at maintaining her fitness is former model Cindy Crawford, combining a high-protein diet with a rigorous exercise regime of pilates, cardio work and yoga.

Young people aged 16-17 recorded the greatest reaction to a celebrity health scare, with one in 11 saying they had been affected by one. This compared to one in 30 over-45s and just one in 83 over-55s.

GP Mary Shelby, who helped analyse the survey, said: ‘In the same way that people in their 20s and 30s don’t worry about a pension plan, similarly they are lax about their health choices.

‘Long-term diseases such as stroke and heart disease seem a long way off but once we hit our 40s these health issues become much more real.’



source:dailymail

By Sadie Nicholas


Hourglass figure: Jennifer Finemore is delighted with her new shape

Young mum Jennifer Finemore takes pride in her healthy lifestyle, and the lean, athletic body it has helped her achieve. So it is understandable that she grew frustrated with stubborn areas of fat on her flanks - the lower half of her back - that refused to budge.

'I've always been body-conscious and active and a consistent size 12, slim for my 5ft 10in frame,' says Jennifer, 29, who is divorced and lives in Leicestershire with her children Bradley, six, and Trinity, four.

'I began to obsess about my muffin top and tried crash diets, but while I got skinnier everywhere else, my back fat remained. It was the only thing I saw when I looked in the mirror.'

Exasperated, a year ago Jennifer had liposuction to extract more than three-and-a-half pints of fat from her back and thighs.

It may sound like drastic action, but The Harley Medical Group, the UK's largest cosmetic surgery provider, has reported an astonishing 54 per cent increase in women having liposuction to remove deposits of fat from their backs last year.

They call it 'the Mad Men effect', with scores of British women trying to mimic the hourglass silhouettes of the stars of the US show, set in the Sixties.

Surgeon Marco Moraci says: 'Waists were smaller 50 years ago, as most thirty-something women who have tried to fit into their mothers' old dresses will know.

'Women of the Sixties wore corsetry but research shows people today are thicker
round the middle. A combination of diet and an inactive lifestyle is usually to blame.

Infra-scapular fat - the female flanks - can be found on women who are otherwise slim. This is usually down to genetics.

'We're born with a number of fat cells but they're distributed differently, hence one person may gain weight around their middle and another on their thighs. Most patients wanting to reduce their back fat are in good shape otherwise.

'We don't know why, but the body holds on to these fat deposits as an emergency reserve. Only by becoming severely underweight can you naturally get rid of it,' he says.

Liposuction involves making an incision to the fatty area into which a tube about 3mm in diameter is inserted. A solution of 95 per cent water and the rest anaesthetic is released into the area to liquefy the fat so it can be drawn out.

'Once fat cells are removed, fat won't deposit in that area again, or not to the same extent. But this treatment is suitable only for people who are slim, healthy and have good skin, not those who have lost a lot of weight and whose skin has lost elasticity.

Thrilled with the results: Jennifer's waist before and after the procedure


'For liposuction to be effective there needs to be skin retraction - where it shrinks back into place once the fat has been removed. Otherwise a patient will be left with loose skin like an empty bag,' says Moraci.

'It is the ideal procedure for getting rid of stubborn pockets of fat, which is exactly what back fat is,' he says.

It was when Jennifer got divorced 18 months ago that she first considered the surgery, which cost £4,500.

'I was desperate to feel better about myself,' she says. 'Then a friend had liposuction on her thighs and said it was the best thing that had ever happened to her self-confidence, so I decided to take the plunge.'

Four weeks after a consultation at The Harley Medical Group in Nottingham in April 2010, Jennifer went to its London clinic for the hour-long surgical procedure.


The Joan Harris effect: Mad Men siren Christina Hendricks has become the poster girl for the hourglass figure


'Although I was impressed with the surgeon's CV, and was certain I wanted the procedure, I was a little nervous too,' says Jennifer.

'Any surgery carries risks and as a mother that was something I had to contemplate, particularly as I was having a general anaesthetic,' she says.

'The surgeon reassured me that because I'm fit and healthy, don't smoke and rarely drink, any risk was very low.

'The bruising and pain weren't as bad as I'd expected and my back felt much smoother and leaner when I ran my hands over the compression garment I had to wear for six weeks to aid the process.

'Once the swelling had subsided I was thrilled with the results, more so because I'd dropped a dress size to a ten.'


source:dailymail

By Daily Mail Reporter


She may be a grandmother, but don't call her old.

Ernestine Shepherd, 74, of Baltimore has been crowned by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest competitive female bodybuilder ever.

She told the Washington Post: 'Age is nothing but a number'.

Ms Shepherd has impeccably toned 'six-pack' abs that are the marvel of her Baltimore fitness centre.

Her husband of 54 years, Collin Shepherd, says he 'has trouble keeping guys away from her'.

The Shepherds live in Baltimore with their son, 53, and grandson, 14.

Ms Shepherd does some modelling and teaches fitness classes, and told the Washington Post, 'If you are going to try to motivate people, you have to live that part'.

She also trains rigorously with Yohnnie Shambourger, 57,a former Mr Universe who won the gold medal in bodybuilding at the Pan American Games in 1995.

Mr Shambourger told the Post: 'The six-pack is her signature. When she walks in a room and you see her six-pack, you say, "Ohh! Okay!"

'You are a champion', he told Ms Shepherd during a gruelling session. 'I will train you like what you are'.

Ms Shepherd wakes up at 3 a.m. every day to meditate, then hits the trails in a local park to run 10 miles before lunch.

She eats only plain brown rice, bland chicken breast and vegetables, washed down with a glass of raw egg whites, three times a day.

She told the Post she has no 'desire' for sweets.

Ms Shepherd has appeared on 'Today' and 'The Mo’Nique Show' and has been featured in 'Essence' magazine.

Toned at 74: Ms Shepherd runs 10 miles a day, works out religiously and eats a restricted diet. She also teaches fitness and competes as a bodybuilder. She has won two titles and run nine marathons

Happy: Ernestine Shepherd has been married to Collin Shepherd for 54 years. The Baltimore man cooks all her meals and runs errands so she can have more time to train

First prize: Ms Shepherd shows off a trophy she won in a bodybuilding competition

Coach: Ms Shepherd trains with Yohnnie Shambourger, 57, a former Mr Universe and gold medallist in the Pan American Games. He says of his client: 'The six-pack is her signature'

Raw egg whites: Ms Shepherd drinks a glass of raw egg whites three times a day. She rejects steroids and supplements in favour of a 'natural' plan


On 'The Mo’Nique Show' she told the audience they can get fit, too: 'Because we are determined, dedicated and disciplined to be fit. You can. You can do it'.

Over the past 18 years, Ms Shepherd has run nine marathons and won two bodybuilding contests.

But she wasn't always so fit. Ms Shepherd told the Washington Post she was a 'couh potato' until she was 56 years old, when she and her older sister, Mildred, discovered their bodies had started going soft.

The sisters, who grew up very close in Baltimore as the children of a carpenter and schoolteacher, started working out together at a local centre.

They liked the results, and started pushing themselves, eventually entering some bodybuilding contests.

After Mildred died suddenly of an aneurysm, Ms Shepherd was devastated. Her grief started spiralling out of control, until she remembered a promise and a 'pinkie swear' she had made her older sister.

Champion: Over the past 18 years, Ms Shepherd has run nine marathons and won two bodybuilding contests. She does it in part to remember her late sister, Mildred, who died suddenly of an aneurysm

Teacher: Ms Shepherd leads fitness classes at her church and community centres

Inspiration: Ms Shepherd runs 10 miles a day, and inspires many people in her community and beyond

Pumping iron: Ms Shepherd tells seniors not to be afraid of weight training


The sisters had promised to push themselves to be competitive bodybuilders, and Ms Shepherd decided to keep up that legacy.

So she trains, and eats a restrictive diet, and it helps her remember Mildred.

Their younger sister Bernice, a school principal, told her: 'Every time you feel like you can’t make it, lace up your tennis shoes and get out and go walking'.

According to the Washington Post, when people tell Ms Shepherd she is destined to die soon herself, she says 'We are all going to die.

'But it’s the quality of life while I’m living'.

And when Ms Shepherd's cell phone rings, its the theme from the movie 'Rocky'.

She says Sylvester Stallone is her idol.

Not exactly your typical grandmother.


source:dailymail

By Gillian Reeves, Personal Trainer


Famous: Pippa's derriere has won millions of admirers since stepping out as maid of honour at sister Kate's wedding


Thanks to post-wedding Miss Middleton mania, I'm being bombarded with questions about how to tone bottoms - my female clients are desperate for a nicely rounded, perky behind just in time for summer.

There are moves that can help shape and lift the rear, whatever your shape.

This one - I call it the P-Middy - is great because it uses all three gluteal muscles that make up the backside and has the added bonus of toning your tummy and thighs.


Make sure your body is warmed up as this exercise requires a large range of movement through the hip and knee joints.

Place your feet a little wider than hip-width apart and allow your feet to turn out slightly to the corners of the room.

Place your hands halfway down your thighs and bend both knees slightly.

You will naturally start to lean forwards. If possible, try to make your torso run parallel to the floor, looking straight ahead. If this is too demanding, lean forward just a little.

No pain, no gain: A model demonstrates the P-Middy, which should help you achieve the Pippa Middleton derriere


Make sure the spine is straight and not curving. Your abdominals will automatically tense to support your lower back.

Now, with hands still on your thighs, transfer your weight on to the right leg, keeping it bent, and straighten your left leg out as much as possible to the side, keeping the knees in line with your ankles.

Tense your buttocks and hold this position for a couple of seconds. Now transfer your weight from your right side to your left, mirroring the previous position and holding for a couple of seconds again.

Repeat this shift from right to left until your legs and hips start to feel tired - this usually takes between ten and 20 repetitions.

Be conscious to keep your back straight throughout this exercise, with your abdominal muscles tensed, and look straight ahead.


source:dailymail