Hopefully, as we work from home moms move towards retirement, staying mentally fit will be of prime importance. And, with the effects of aging, physically we start to feel the aches and pains of our increasing years. Although there are but a few things we can do to insure that our mind stays sharp, there is a lot we can do to maintain our health.

Experts tell us that the number one aspect of keeping the fitness of our youth is to remain active. Exercising may be harder for us because of increased joint and early osteoarthritis pain. But at this age it is important to keep exercising to strengthen muscles and help to reduce stress on the joints that muscles support.

A few simple tips can help us with our physical health:

• A good starting goal for those just beginning to take charge of their exercise regime might be exercising three days a week, 10 to 15 minutes each time.
• For us overweight moms (who isn’t?), losing just five to 10 pounds can lessen the stress on knees, back and hip joints while helping reduce arthritis pain, and lessen the chance of diabetes.
• Cutting calories to lose weight is the only scientifically proven method to achieve permanent weight loss. Every pound equates to approximately 3600 calories intake. Cutting even 250 calories a day means losing a half-pound or more a week. Look for small ways to cut calories from your daily intake.
• Flexibility exercises can help joints be less stiff and can make them more easily moved. Yoga and low impact aerobics are great activities for long-term health, not to mention the social interaction with other retired moms and dads.
• Everyday activities translate into burned calories without you thinking of dieting. Most of us enjoy some aspect of gardening. Thirty to 45 minutes can burn up to 150 calories.
• For those of us who drive, parking in the space that’s the farthest from the store entrance will give us the chance to burn a few more calories. Multiply that by the number of stops we make each day, times the number of days driven each year results in thousands of extra calories expended.

Finally, send us your weight loss tips. We will publish them, along with your link, in the comments section of this post.

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