In Building Your Lasting Fitness, Lisa Teresi Harris has written the book Baby Boomers and everyone from middle age to centenarians has been waiting. We all know that exercise and nutrition are important, but all the health and fitness books and exercise programs seem to be aimed at the 18-40 age group. We all want to feel good long after that, but we can forget how important exercise and nutrition are as we get older, not to look good on the beach like the younger generation wants, but to make up for lost muscle mass, brittle bones, disease, and belly fat that threatens to make us old before our time.
Harris has been a registered dietitian since 1978. As the owner of Enwhile Fitness 4U, she provides exercise classes for seniors and in-home nutrition and fitness training. As a result, she has the knowledge, skills, and positive mindset to help anyone improve their health, activity level, and overall life satisfaction. She has helped hundreds of people and now shares the knowledge of a lifetime with her readers in this new book.
However, getting in good shape and being healthy is easier said than done. Some people might even think that it is impossible to slow down the aging process. Many people believe that they are meant to be fat because their parents were fat, or because they are diabetic, have heart disease, etc. However, research shows that genetics don’t always have the last word. For example, Harris cites a source who states that “only about 10% of cases [with Alzheimer’s] they carry the faulty genes for the disease, and only half of those who carry the genes ever develop it. Most Alzheimer’s cases are caused by cumulative brain damage that occurs over a lifetime.” In other words, disability and illness are not inevitable, regardless of your genes.
For me, the most important message in this book is the need to get up and move. Harris asks us if we are sabotaging our health by the number of hours we sit down each day. It’s true that we move less with Roombas and addictions to smartphones and things delivered to our doors, so it encourages us to find ways we can move more, like walking while talking on the phone.
And Harris’s results are astounding. She helps people who are prediabetic to change their diets. She helps people with walkers regain mobility. She helps seniors strengthen their muscles and improve their balance so they can get up if they fall, and even better, avoid falling altogether. She also encourages people to find activities they enjoy. If you don’t like an activity, you won’t do it, so she shows us how to find our “exercise ecstasy.”
While exercise is important, so is nutrition. Harris provides guidelines on how to include the right amount of fruits and vegetables in his diet. She offers advice on when to eat protein, how much to eat, and how to use it for the greatest benefit. Of course, she is a big advocate for clean water.
Many people will find the chapter series “Building Your Defense Against Chronic Disease” invaluable. Here he talks about heart disease, diabetes, cancer, dementia, arthritis, and osteoporosis, and how to improve your chances of not being diagnosed with any of them. It also explores how to live better if you already have them so they don’t keep you from enjoying life.
One of the biggest challenges for most people is overeating. Harris realizes that we are all human and that we are not going to eat vegetables all the time without treating ourselves once in a while. I love his advice on what to do when you’re out so you don’t overeat or go on one of those cruises where you feel like you’re being held hostage to a breakfast buffet. Even as restaurant portions have increased in size, Harris provides sound advice on how to enjoy eating out without wasting time. At the same time, she believes in mindful eating, allowing yourself to indulge in food once in a while. For example, she tells us, “Have that delicious ice cream cone when you feel the urge, savor every bite, and then move on.” (This is an example of mindful eating: paying close attention to the moment and accepting your feelings, not trying to change them.)”
I’m only forty-six years old, but I loved Building Your Lasting Fitness because it made me realize that I can take action now so that my old age gives me the high quality of life that I desire. I used to work out regularly but fell into a slump after my stationary bike broke down a few months ago. Harris encouraged me to get back to doing push-ups, lifting weights and walking more, and even making some changes to my eating. In just a few weeks since I started, I am already noticing results.
So grab a copy of How to Build Lasting Fitness, and then get up and moving. The more you move, the longer, healthier and happier your life will be.
