That's Fit

THE USDA Food and Nutrition Service administers a program where low-income seniors can receive coupons for shopping at participating farmers' markets. Currently, there are nearly 3,000 markets that participate in the program.
Fruits, vegetables, and herbs are among the foods that are covered by the coupons. State agencies can impose restrictions where the coupons are only good on foods that are produced locally. Certain foods -- such as dried fruits, potted plants, and honey -- are not covered by the coupons.

Personally, I think this program is a great idea. While the traditional food stamps are still available for low-income citizens, they don't cover farmers' markets. Giving people greater access to fresh, locally-grown foods is not only good for their health, it's good for the local economy and for the environment.

The USDA also has a farmers' market program for WIC (Women, Infants and Children).

Did you know that falls are the top cause of injury and death for the elderly in the United States? According to the American Geriatric Society, that is, in fact, the case. What might surprise you even more is that most of these falls occur in the home.

Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to protect yourself or a loved one from taking a dangerous spill. Because every home is different, it's a good idea to take a walk through the home in question with the specific purpose of checking for possible dangers.

Click through the gallery to see the seven tips given by the American Geriatric Society, and feel free to leave a comment if you have other suggestions!

Many of us young folks take our bodies for granted, but imagine how difficult life would be if our strength and our balance were compromised? Elderly people deal with this on a daily basis -- hence the need for railings and handles in their homes. Falling is common amongst seniors and it can lead to a whole slew of health problems like broken bones and fractures.

But new research is showing that this problem is more profound than previously thought -- in fact, an elderly person dies from a fall every five hours, according to this article from That Daily Mail. Yikes.

If you're approaching the golden years, or have an elderly relative that needs your help, please talk to your doctor about ways to prevent falls.

It's just as important to exercise when you're in your golden years as when your in your 20s. You might not be able to work out as hard, but don't let that keep you from being active. Preventing injuries is important, but maintaining proper form and following a few easy tips can help. Here are some tips from Everyday Health:

• Do stand on one leg to improve balance and strength in that leg
• Do warm up for at least 10 minutes before every workout
• Do also do a cool-down
• Don't always doing the same exercises -- switch up your routine every now and then
• Don't just do cardio -- lift weights a few times each week.
  
• Do check with your doctor

How do you prevent injuries?

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz. I am 61 years old and would LOVE to have better looking arms and legs. I will do what ever is recommended if someone who knows what they are talking about would tell me that exercising WILL bring back muscle tone! I just don't want to do it if it is a waste of time. I don't have flabby arms and I do play tennis for fun, but I don't want to end up with flabby arms either! They are softer than they used to be. I want to have muscular arms. Is that possible at my age - or a waste of time?? I do walk about 1 1/2 miles three times a week and I have lost 20 lbs. in the last three months. I am now 153 lbs. Is there real hope for us senior women? Carol

Carol. Thanks so much for writing, and I'm so glad you did. As I read your email, I was thinking that it probably represented what about a billion other senior women were wondering as well. Truly glad you wrote. First. Congrats on losing the 20 pounds. That's not easy, and I'm proud you've done it. You actually just accomplished something that most of the 60+ crowd thinks has become impossible. Weight loss. Lots of people think they can't lose weight after the age of 25. Apparently not true, right?

As for concern about your arms and legs. Get to work sister, cause you can definitely make progress! Strength training will absolutely help you gain the muscle tone you're longing for and keep you strong and sturdy. In fact, I've trained many women in their sixties and early seventies who have done push-ups, kickboxing, weight training, tubes, and more. They've all seen significant improvement in their muscle tone and have loved the new feeling of comfort wearing sleeveless shirts and shorts in the hot sun again. The only thing I find truly working against us as we age is skin elasticity. From arms to boobs and butts. Skin just gets looser. Argh! I hate it, but it's true.

Pursue a safe strength training program that is challenging for you. Strength train at least three times a week and the results will come quickly. Let me know how it goes! Fitz.

P.S. Check out this story about this 86 year old body-building great grandmother. You'll love it!

Q. Fitz. I stepped on the scale yesterday and weighed 168 pounds. Today I got on and weighed 174! What gives? How could I have gained six pounds in one day? Alan

We all tend to assume that as we age, our body slows down, alongside our metabolism, our stamina and our strength. But that assumption is wrong, according to the Fitness Guru at eDiets, and it's leading up to become more and more unhealthy as we age. Aging is inevitable, but it's what we do with our aging bodies that counts. Aging doesn't mean we have to give up on being fit -- in fact, it means the opposite; we should be just as hard to maintain our bodies.

Getting regular exercise and eating well won't stop the aging process, but these two important steps can slow it down -- by a lot. Don''t you think?

One more reason sixty is the new thirty... As Bethany told you, more and more seniors are getting and staying in shape. And some good news in all this is exercise professionals are starting to design more workout programs specific to older populations, and fitness centers are springing up in retirement communities. Forget sitting in a rocker and reminiscing: retirement is all about setting a new record for your bench press.

The best quote in the article comes from Dr. Walter Bortz, who wrote "Dare to Be 100" and "Living Longer for Dummies." He's 77 years old, for the last 35 years he's run a marathon annually. While cautioning older people not to go all crazy with the workouts, he says, "Obviously, pain is nature's signal, but you can't be a pantywaist about pain." Excellent.

Seniors should work on four different things, according to the National Institute on Aging: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. Oh yeah, that's vastly different from what the young 'uns are supposed to work on.

My experience with people older than me is they tend to give me the once over and with a far-off look in their eye, tell me, 'those were the days, when I was young like you'. I visit my great aunt in a nursing home on a weekly basis and encounter many a wheel-chair bound person looking glancing at me with envy, jealous that I can come and go as I please and navigated the hallways and life with the ease of youth and good health. But happiness and youthfulness don't go hand in hand as the following study shows.

According to recent findings, more people in their 70s claim to be happy with their lives than those in their 40s or 60s. On average, 89% of those in their 70s said they were happy, compared to 87% of those in their 60s and 78% of those in their 40s. Why do you think this is? If I had to guess, I'd say that retirement plays a big role -- people in their 70s finally have a chance to slow down and enjoy life after years of hard work. But I'm sure there's more to than that. What do you think?

Having a good group of friends, or even just one best friend, is one of the great pleasures in life. They're there to make you laugh when you're down and keep you smiling when you're happy. It's even better when you share similar passions (traveling for instance) that you can participate in together. But did you know that as you age, your social group and social activities can help you live longer?

Apparently social ties with friends -- as well as partners and other family members -- and spending time participating in things like traveling and even gardening played a fairly significant role in mortality rates in a study conducted with seniors over the age of 65.

Study participants who spent the most time socializing with friends, shopping, traveling, attending church and taking part in other activities, not only lived longer but had lower rates of dementia than those who were less active and spent more time on their own. Looks like friends and fun are good for more than just a laugh.

The phrase "aging gracefully" means different things to different people, but regardless if you're resolved to fight it every step of the way or cruise along and take what life hands you without a second thought, there's no doubt that growing older happens to all of us -- heck, it's happening to all of us right now.

Understanding that all of us have our own ideas, it's still good to at least listen to what the experts have to say. So here are the three biggest things you can do to age gracefully:

• Accept the inevitable changes of growing older, instead of viewing them as crises. Change will happen, things can't always stay the same.
  
• Avoid stereotypes and get over your prejudices and feelings about what "getting old" really means. Define it for yourself!
  
• Find meaningful activities, and keep finding them as you get older. Retiring from work isn't a cliff you jump off into nothingness -- it's just a shift from one way of spending your time to another.

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q.Hey Fitz. I'm trying hard to lose some weight, but I go out with my work friends and it's difficult for me to pass on the chicken wings (which I love) when my friends order them all the time. Help! Max

A. Max, chicken wings sure are tasty. There are a few ways to look at this situation, and you can choose the outlook that works best for you. First of all, restricting anything 100% is rarely a great idea. Why? It leaves you feeling deprived, which often leads to major revolts. If you're in love with chicken wings, have a few. Just make sure 90% of the rest of the food you consume throughout the week is of high quality and low in calories and you'll see progress.

You can also create a healthier wing ding. It's the wing sauce you love right? Most folks don't truly crave the task of chewing teeny bits of meat out of teeny little bones. That's not the desired bit. It's the sauce. So to create a healthier option that will satisfy your craving, order a grilled chicken breast and then just dip it in some wing sauce. You'll save tons of calories and fat, as wings are usually deep-fried.

The other thing to consider is that chicken wings aren't going away. If you want to avoid them completely for now, have faith that when you reach your ideal weight you will be able to enjoy a chicken wing again. They're always going to make more. Good luck Max. Be particular about what you put in your mouth, exercise often and you'll get where you want to go. Fitz

Q. Fitz. I'd like to help my 67 year old mother stay strong. Where should I start? Shes obviously not super old...but she's not incredibly fit and I think her age adds an element of concern. Where should I focus? Milena

Technology is seeping into every part of our lives, bit by bit. And now even pill boxes are getting fancy! No more simple snap-top boxes with a separate section for every day of the week, no...now they come with audible alerts and tracking systems too.

The MedSignals digital pill box not only holds your pills separately by day and dosage, but it audibly alerts you when you're due to take them. It also remembers what time you opened the lid (in case you're either early or late) and tracks the data on a server (which it connects to via the phone line), which then allows you to see at a glance if doses were missed, late, or otherwise.

Sounds great! The downside? At $169 it's not exactly cheap.

Mindless eating and random snacking all throughout the day may be a big no-no for most of us, but for the elderly it's actually a good thing. Studies show that because seniors are at an increased risk for weight loss, poor nutrition, and decreased appetite snacking can actually help fill a gap and provide necessary protein and nutrients in their diets. Snackers ate an average of 250 calories more per day than non-snackers, and although that's a bad thing for the younger populations, some older adults need all the calories they can get.

Of course it's still important to make healthy choices and avoid things like cookies and chips, but snack away!

How old do you have to be to be the oldest person in the world? 114 is the magic number, as of Wednesday anyway when 115 year old Emiliano Mercado del Toro passed away in Puerto Rico. According to the Connecticut Post, Emma Faust Tillman, at 114 years old, is now the oldest person in the world. Ms. Tillman never smoked or drank, and the article doesn't say specifically but it doesn't sound like she was ever married or had any children. Genes may also be helping her out, as her siblings lived to 108, 105, and 102 yrs old.

There are all kinds of theories on why some people live so long and how the rest of us can do it too. Is it lifestyle? Geography? Or even how old your mom was when she gave birth to you?

I get a headache just thinking about it.

The latest craze for senior women's fitness may not be what you think. It's not yoga, hiking, or even strength training -- it's basketball. Dozens of basketball leagues for women over 50 are starting up all over the U.S., and it's thought to be part of a larger general movement by older Americans towards organized sports.

Of course there are some health risks associated with playing sports, for older players especially. Cardiovascular complications, arthritis, and knee injuries are so common many of the leagues require a doctor's approval before women can join.

But that's not stopping anybody. About 500 women from 47 states participated in the 2005 National Senior Games, and the trend seems to be getting bigger everyday. I think I can see why -- with team names like "The Hot Pink Grannies" it sounds like fun bunch of ladies!