www.mapmyride.com  “Map my Ride” is one of a series of “Map my (xxxx)” that have appeared recently for all manner of activity. I try to put 100 miles a week on my bike and since over half of those miles are over the same routes for the same purposes (gym, grocery store, baseball field, etc), it’s a great time saver to map out those routes and save them. Then I can add them to my total for the week with a click of the computer mouse. I ride an old beater around town which I purposely leave looking shabby. It doesn’t get stolen but it’s hard to keep acceessories on my bike, like speedometer/odometer, etc. Map my Ride is the next best thing.

If you runners and walkers would like to check the accuracy of your Pedometers, www.mapmyrun.com is one way to do it. Like “Map my Ride,” this sister site, “Map my Run,” is based on Google maps and allows you to trace out your route and save it. All of the “Map my Fitness” programs are compatible with an iPhone or Android applications.

And since I’ve mentioned running and walking, this would be a good place to segue into www.meetup.com and all the activities you can find there. In this area (I’m in San Antonio) there are several meet up groups for running and walking, plus many others for biking, body building, dancing, dining, exercise – even dog walking, both large and small. If there’s not a meet up for your particular interest in your area, there’s a provision to post your interest and be notified when someone else with a similar interest has signed up. One of the things I’ve stressed many times on my radio show is having an exercise partner to keep each other motivated. www.meetup.com is an excellent way to locate one or more.

Once again, for those of you 65 and over, I want to mention the “Siver Sneakers” fitness program: www.silversneakers.com. Many of the Medicare providers are affiliated with “Silver Sneakers” and provide FREE membership at local fitness centers. I’m sure you can figure out why. When an insurance company is willing to fork over $$$ for preventive medicine, instead of begrudgingly paying it out later, there has to be something to it. What they’ve come to know and understand is that people that exercise regularly don’t get sick as often, recover quicker, and when hospitalized, are in and out faster. All that adds up to dollars saved by encouraging you to exercise and the Silver Sneaker program is designed for that purpose with certain standards that must be met for a fitness center to participate. Pull up the Silver Sneaker site, see what’s available in your area, and if your insurance provider doesn’t participate, get one that does!

Rather than try to list all the exercise logs and online training programs available, I’ll just say that there are a slew of them and I’ll list a few in the Links area. The one I use, www. is provided free by the “Y” where I work out. www.activtrax.com not only suggests a workout program for me, based on my preferences (free weights vs. machine, etc.),  each peice of equipment at the gym is numbered so there’s no terminology issues. I don’t have to know ‘abductor’ from ‘adductor’. All I have to do is go to station #xx and do what the printout tells me. I love it when something on the internet makes life simpler and not more complicated!

Get The Facts On These Closely-Guarded Secrets of this Tele-Seminar Series That Are Finally Being Revealed In The next 12 month (one each month) That Shows You How to Get Well Then Stay Well for Life so you can get Older and Better and NOT Old and Bitter as you only do good when you feel good knowing that sickness doesn’t take a holiday! Remember, growing old doesn’t make us sick, it’s growing sick that makes us old! So never let age be your cage!

Paying Too Much for those Boosters to gain Energy & Tools to boost your VITALITY … Find Out How To finally take charge of your health and Harness the power of your Inner Magic to Stay Young (Almost) Forever… you will learn how to get fit, stay healthy and have great looks for life!

You’ll Discover the Greatest Gold-Mine of Proven Advice Ever Crammed Into One System and You Can Laugh at your Health Worries – If You Follow These Simple, Easy Tips that we cover in this 12 month Tele-Seminar Interview Series titled “How to Get Well Then Stay Well for Life”!

Now you can be Eating Smart, Being Fit, Staying Well and You WILL have Tons of Energy; LESS Body FAT while Staying Younger Longer as you reverse the hassles of aging all in 12 1-Hour Interviews G~U~A~R~A~N~T~E~E~D!

Healthy People have MANY goals,
Unhealthy people have only 1 goal….

In this series you will enjoy:

• Sleeping soundly and awaking more rested
• Coping with stress, fatigue and depression with ease and style
• Having TONS of Energy with Improved Sexual Vigor
• Greatly improved mental abilities
• Decreased wrinkles, sags and loose skin
• Improved Vision, Speeds injury recovery
• Heightened creativity and learning ability
• Feeling Good while Staying Younger Longer
• Being 100% totally free of all aches, pains, stress & disease

Our Special Guest is Dr. Wayne Pickering “THE AMBASSADOR for HEALTH” from Daytona Beach, Florida and this week his topic will be What Causes Disease and what Health Really is and What it is Not!

In this 1st of 12 series you’ll discover:

1. What Health is NOT
2. What Health truly IS!
3. What Doctor’s Aren’t Telling You
4. 20 Tips to help Prevent Medical Errors
5. 6 Things to Consider about your Health for the Long Haul
6. Health Care in the Work Place
7. The Best DEFINITION of Disease
8. The BENEFITS Of Disease
9. The REASONS for Disease
10. The CAUSES of Disease
11. The 2 TYPES of Disease
12. The 6 STAGES of Disease so you’ll know that Disease is to be Revered NOT to be Feared
13. Healing Disease verses Curing Disease
14. “The Germ Theory” Exposed
15. The Ongoing War on Cancer

Dr Wayne is an

Author of 10 Health Guides; several C/D ROM’s; 8 Books; 22 Audio Learning Programs; award winning Video Series titled “Is Your Diet A Riot”, 32 Special Reports, over 400 Articles on Fitness, Stress & Nutrition, a weekly e-zine that goes out to over 13,000 opted in subscribers as well as 18 Websites & 10 Health Systems all distributed in 37 countries!

Nutritional Performance Coach, Life Management Consultant & Disease Prevention Specialist.

International Professional Speaker (Past President of the National Speakers Association in Florida) who has spoken in five countries and has shown thousands how to enjoy life totally free of health problems caused by Stress and Poor Nutrition and lack of Fitness

His prognosis was death at age 30. Now, at 63 years young, Dr. Wayne is an award winning Triathlete and a double nominee for the Healthy American Fitness Leader Award.

As a licensed Florida Nutrition Counselor, he improves human performance by sharing several secrets on “How to Get Well then Stay Well for Life!”

His nutrition programs are approved for continuing education credits by the Florida and Alabama State Boards of Pharmacy and most recently by the Florida Board of Dentistry.

His purpose is teaching you how to be the Healthiest Person on the Planet and not the Wealthiest Person in the Grave with easy steps that focus on Nutrition and a basic philosophy, “If you want to be tough, you have to eat good stuff!”

He is the founder of the Daytona Beach based Center for Nutrition & Life Management, Inc. He’s an amazing man with an awesome story. Give him a minute and he’ll give you a lifetime!

Don’t Miss It!

Join us Saturday morning, Oct. 9th,  for the 2nd part of the 2nd of a series of 12 Interviews to answer ALL your questions about “How to Get Well then Stay Well for Life”

Get The Facts On These Closely-Guarded Secrets of this Tele-Seminar Series That Are Finally Being Revealed In The next 12 month (one each month) That Shows You How to Get Well Then Stay Well for Life so you can get Older and Better and NOT Old and Bitter as you only do good when you feel good knowing that sickness doesn’t take a holiday! Remember, growing old doesn’t make us sick, it’s growing sick that makes us old! So never let age be your cage!

Paying Too Much for those Boosters to gain Energy & Tools to boost your VITALITY … Find Out How To finally take charge of your health and Harness the power of your Inner Magic to Stay Young (Almost) Forever… you will learn how to get fit, stay healthy and have great looks for life!

You’ll Discover the Greatest Gold-Mine of Proven Advice Ever Crammed Into One System and You Can Laugh at your Health Worries – If You Follow These Simple, Easy Tips that we cover in this 12 month Tele-Seminar Interview Series titled “How to Get Well Then Stay Well for Life”!

Now you can be Eating Smart, Being Fit, Staying Well and You WILL have Tons of Energy; LESS Body FAT while Staying Younger Longer as you reverse the hassles of aging all in 12 1-Hour Interviews G~U~A~R~A~N~T~E~E~D!

 Healthy People have MANY goals,
Unhealthy people have only 1 goal….

In this series you will enjoy:

• Sleeping soundly and awaking more rested
• Coping with stress, fatigue and depression with ease and style
• Having TONS of Energy with Improved Sexual Vigor
• Greatly improved mental abilities
• Decreased wrinkles, sags and loose skin
• Improved Vision, Speeds injury recovery
• Heightened creativity and learning ability
• Feeling Good while Staying Younger Longer
• Being 100% totally free of all aches, pains, stress & disease

 Our Special Guest is Dr. Wayne Pickering “THE AMBASSADOR for HEALTH” from Daytona Beach, Florida and this week his topic will be “GETTING WELL”

In this 2nd of 12 series you’ll discover:

1. Alternative health treatments that work
2. The Power of your Inner Magic.
3. How to RID your Body of Disease once and for all
4. Guidelines on “Doing Nothing Intelligently”
5. Strategies to Improve your Sex Life at any Age.
6. How to Finally Eliminate the Expensive Pills, Potions and Lotions
7. Tips to Boost your Immunity
8. Ways to Feel Tremendous once again

Don’t Miss It!

Dr Wayne is an

Author of 10 Health Guides; several C/D ROM’s; 8 Books; 22 Audio Learning Programs; award winning Video Series titled “Is Your Diet A Riot”, 32 Special Reports, over 400 Articles on Fitness, Stress & Nutrition, a weekly e-zine that goes out to over 13,000 opted in subscribers as well as 18 Websites & 10 Health Systems all distributed in 37 countries!

Nutritional Performance Coach, Life Management Consultant & Disease Prevention Specialist.

International Professional Speaker (Past President of the National Speakers Association in Florida) who has spoken in five countries and has shown thousands how to enjoy life totally free of health problems caused by Stress and Poor Nutrition and lack of Fitness

His prognosis was death at age 30. Now, at 63 years young, Dr. Wayne is an award winning Triathlete and a double nominee for the Healthy American Fitness Leader Award.

As a licensed Florida Nutrition Counselor, he improves human performance by sharing several secrets on “How to Get Well then Stay Well for Life!”

His nutrition programs are approved for continuing education credits by the Florida and Alabama State Boards of Pharmacy and most recently by the Florida Board of Dentistry.

His purpose is teaching you how to be the Healthiest Person on the Planet and not the Wealthiest Person in the Grave with easy steps that focus on Nutrition and a basic philosophy, “If you want to be tough, you have to eat good stuff!”

He is the founder of the Daytona Beach based Center for Nutrition & Life Management, Inc. He’s an amazing man with an awesome story. Give him a minute and he’ll give you a lifetime!

Don’t Miss It!

Nutrition was the subject that caused me to discover the work of Dr. Wayne Pickering of Daytona, FL. He’d made a remark to the effect that you can’t supplement a poor diet. What he was talking about was that you can’t eat junk food and pop a few food supplements, no matter how good they are, and expect to see healthy results.

When I contacted Wayne to see if he’d like to be a guest on the “Older and Active” radio show on Blog Talk Radio, our conversation led to his consenting to do a whole series of shows titled, “How to Get Well then Stay Well for Life.” We’re currently doing the part on “Nutrition” and I hope you’ll join us live for the next show, and if you’ve missed the previous shows, please go back into the archives to listen to them. While the emphasis of the program is Senior Health and Senior Wellness, this is information that is appropriate for Boomers and their grand kids as well.

You’re never too young or too old to learn about health, fitness, nutrition, exercise and all the  things that go into wellness.

This is an article published in “My Best Health Portal“

Written by Lynn Glenn and edited by Jeff Behar, it is one of the best I’ve come across aimed at the mature audience. Our thanks to Lynn and Jeff for the use of this article.

Leg Workouts for Older People

Learn how to work your legs as you age.

When, we get older our joints, hips and lower back start to show signs of wear. They become more fragile and susceptible to injuries. Joints, hips and lower back all have taken their toll over the years, especially if you were involved in sports or a job that required manual labor. Training the QuadsAt 60 I still wanted to be able to train my legs using heavier weights. I started to think about what if something would happen and I injure myself!I am a very active person with various types of activities requiring me mobile. What would I do, if I were to lose that mobility? Suddenly, I found that free weights and squatting with 400 plus pounds did not make sense anymore! One wrong move or losing my balance could result in a serious injury. To avoid hip replacement, bad knees or having lower back problems, I had to find a safer method for building legs.

This article I will explain how to make training legs safer with less of a chance of injuries. The workout that I will be explaining will have your back supported and with a more controlled range of motion. I have completed this workout routine, with variations, for over a year now. My legs are growing and stronger than ever, but without the fear of injury.

If you still want to do squats with using free weights, then it would be better to use the Smith Machine. The Smith Machine is defiantly a safer piece of equipment than loading weights on a barbell. If you are unfamiliar with this equipment, it mimics squats using the barbell with plates, but with cables and safety devises on both sides. The main difference with this equipment, you do not have to worry about balancing the weight.

Leg Muscles

• Quadriceps
• Hamstrings
• Glutes
• Calves

The Leg Equipment

Gyms have various types of equipment and brand names that will be similar to the ones that I will be mentioning. Hammer Strength, Universal, Pro Fitness, Maximus, Flex, LifeFitness, Nautilus, Power Strength, Body Solid, FreemMotion, Smith Machine, are some good examples of plate loading and cable gym equipment.

Leg Building Strategy

Your legs have very strong muscles. You’ll find that you can lift heavier weights during your leg workouts than with other routines, and for that reason proper form is important so not to injure your back and/or your other joints.

With that being said, you’ll often find that you can make bigger and quicker gains with your leg workouts. For example, over the course of a few months, you might find that you’re increasing your weights on a weekly basis. When this happens, you really notice your legs taking shape!

The key to staying injury free and making gains is to use good form, and not to over train your muscles. You need to let your muscles rest in between workouts. Give them 3 or 4 days to rest before training them again. Follow up each workout with a protein shake and your legs will never be the same.

My Leg Building Workout

I train legs once a week in the middle of the week. This way it gives my upper body a day to rest before resuming. You can perform the leg work twice a week if you can or able to. I have found that it takes me a minimum of 3 days to recover from the workout I am about to discuss.

Warming up

Over a year ago I found out that it takes more time for my legs to warm up. To start with squats, like I use to, did not work for me anymore. Now I start with my calves, a little unorthodox I know but it works for me. My theory behind this is that your calve muscles are one the most used muscles in your body.

From the time you crawl out of bed in the morning until you are back in bed that night your calves are being use. With this theory in mind, when I get to the gym I work my calves first. My calves have already warmed up from using them throughout the day. I work them hard and burn them out before I attack the larger muscle groups. By now my heart is pumping, body has warmed up and blood is circulating. Now I am ready for my larger leg muscles.

The Leg Workout

Your calves along with your quads have three muscle groups each inner, outer and medial. Make sure your workout hits all muscle groups. The workout that I use and will explain below, will do that either individually or as a group.

• The leg and calve workout along with most of my other workouts is done once per week.
• All reps mentioned here after are to failure, which means you cannot lift anymore weight after completing the last rep.
• Quads, complete 4 sets each exercise, between 8 to 10 reps.
• Hamstrings, 3 sets each exercise, between 8 to 10 reps.
• Calves, 4 sets each exercise, between 10 to 12 reps.

Quadricep (thigh) Workout

There are lot theories in the order for which to complete your quad exercises. Find out which one works for you and follow it or change them up. Below I will be explaining one order of performing these exercises.

• Seated leg extensions: All gyms have seated leg extension equipment. With weight added, adjust the pad height on your shins to where it sits just above your ankle. In a seated position with back supported lift your lower legs up to just before full extension and then back down. Repeat.

• Squats: There are many pieces of equipment at the gym that are made for squats, with hand grips and where your back is supported. With weight added, back against the pad and hands on the grips, squat down to where your legs are at a 90 degree angle and then back up. Do not go below a 90 degree angle, this will put strain on your knees and may cause knee damage. When you are standing do not lock your knees keep your legs slightly bent and weight on your quads.

• Leg Press: I like the Hammer Strength plate loading equipment for this. In a sitting position with your back against the pad, push your legs forward, stop before locking your knees with keeping the weight on your quads. Now lower the weight until your legs are at a 90 degree angle then push back up. Repeat.

Hamstring Workout

I use two pieces of equipment for my hamstrings.

• Seated reverse leg curl: Sit down with the pad adjusted behind your legs just above your ankles. With your back supported against the pad bring your legs to a 90 degree angle then slowly back to the starting position with legs slightly bent. Repeat.
• Lying reverse leg curl: Lay down with pad adjusted to where it rest on the back of your legs just above your ankles. Grab the hand grips by your head now curl your legs up to where the pad just about reaches your hamstrings. Now slowly straighten your legs and lower the pad back down. Repeat.

How to Build Leg Muscle in your Fifties and Sixties

Calve Workout

With all calve exercises, it is not the weight being use that is as important as using proper form. You want your heels to go down as far as they can for the stretch.  Next, rise up on ball and toes of your feet as high as you can. Too much weight can prevent you from accomplishing this movement.

• Seated calve raise: Now, we will finish our calves off will seated calve raises. I use the Hammer Strength plate loading equipment for this. I like completing this exercise last. It hits the medial calve muscle, a smaller muscle, the most. With the pads on top of your legs near your knees and your heels down from the bar as far as they will go. Now, left up until you are on ball and toes of your feet. Repeat.

• How to Build Leg Muscle in your Fifties and Sixties

  Seated calve press: Start by using a calve press machine. I like using the LifeFitness Machine for this. You are in a seated position with the ball of you feet resting on the bar with legs slightly bent. With the ball of your feet you push forward until your toes end up on bar and then back down. Repeat. If your gym does not have similar equipment, you can use a leg press machine. Put just the ball of your feet on the leg press machine with your heels hanging off. Follow the same motion of movement as you would with the calve press machine.

• Standing calve raise: I use the LifeFitness Calve Raise Machine for this. There are other machines that are the same. This machine has pads for your shoulders press up against and bars for your hands to hold on to. Adjust the shoulder pad height then start with your legs slightly bent and heels hanging off the platform. Drop your heels down as far as they will go for the stretch, then up on ball and toes of your feet as high as you are able. Repeat.

Bottom Line on Leg Workouts for Older People

Most of these exercises your back is supported, hands are on grips for balance and performed with a controlled range of motion. Be sure not to hyperextend your legs or bend your legs more than a 90 degree angle. You can complete these leg exercises indefinitely with only some weight modifications.

Thanks again to Lynn & Jeff.

And as always, I want to stress the need for good nutrition as part of any exercise program. “Sports Nutrition” is a subject near and dear to my heart. And if joint problems are keeping you from being as active as you should be, I highly recommend, “Shaklee Joint Health Complex.” It does wonders for me.