THE EVERCHANGING EXERCISE HANDBOOK

So, like me, you pass left to right in front of your two door wide bedroom closet mirror and you wonder what the name of the tyke was you saw briefly moving directly in front of you.

Relax, it was only your extended abdomen protecting those 20 plus pounds or so you packed on as you got older.

Not to worry. You will exercise and go on a diet just like you did in the past. Heck, in three weeks to a month, the added weight will all evaporate just like it did when you were twenty years younger.

To prove your sincerity you immediately buy some exercise manuals to remind yourself how to repeat those successful techniques of the past.

Yep, that's when the fun really starts.

Remember how - when you didn't really want to reduce the still skinny parts of your body - just those areas containing all of your excess fat - you targeted the specific areas of need for big time exercise? Fugeddaboutit!

Despite the teachings of the past stating: "Doing crunches will get rid of belly fat"- targeting a specific area - called spot training - just doesn't work. When you exercise you're burning up whatever glucose and fat that's supplied by the bloodstream - not the fat that's right there on your body. Instead, eat smart and exercise consistently.

Here are some more of the myths from our past:

"Stretching becomes more important as you age.". Nope! Current research shows stretching does little to prevent injuries and may even do harm. Stretching a muscle for 60 seconds or more causes a decline in performance; a stretched muscle when released contracts and tightens - the opposite of what you want it to do.

"The best way to burn fat is to work out longer." Doesn't work! A new study finds it's the intensity of the exercise that has the most impact - running 5 miles does more than walking 5 miles because high intensity exercise boosts your metabolism.

"Cardio matters more than weight training after 50" Sorry, Pal! Weight training is just as important as cardio - if not more so - as you age. While a loss of strength might not be noticeable at 50, by 60 it will start to affect your ability to exercise at all.

"You shouldn't exercise if you're sick". Whoops again! When it comes to exercise and illness, your neck is the dividing line. Translation: If your symptoms are at or above the neck - sore throat, congestion, watery eyes - a workout is fine (except if you have a fever. Then take a few days off.) if your symptoms are below the neck - chest congestion - hacking cough - stomach flu - it's better to rest for a few days.

"You burn the most fat when working out hungry" Sorry, Dude! Actually exercise does not tap it's stores of fat for energy. The bod burns the same amount of fat whether the stomach is full or empty. Exercising w/o eating is not good. A small snack can help fuel muscles.

So you're really confused now - right? Why don't you pause to digest all of this new information by grabbing a large bag of Fritos and some Helluva Good onion dip and escape to the peace and quiet of your recliner. It's been proven that repetetive hand and arm movement plus rapid mastication is good exercise.

Me? I'm just hanging around until they prove that you can lose weight and gain muscle via copious dosages of hot fudge sundaes.

But - by all means - in the meantime -stay the hell off the path you've worn in front of that !@#$ mirror.

(source: AARP - The Magazine - June/July 2013 - p.22)