1st Edition

Exercise, Nutrition and the Older Woman Wellness for Women Over Fifty

Edited By Maria A. Fiatarone Singh Copyright 2000

    Exercise, Nutrition and the Older Woman: Wellness for Women Over Fifty is a comprehensive guide to the major wellness issues for women over fifty. The author is a physician who explores diet, exercise and lifestyle choices from a medical perspective. The book assists in the design and implementation of programs to optimize good health and quality of life.

    Dr. Fiatarone-Singh discusses the unique nutritional issues of the older woman. Her book explains the fundamentals of proper nutrition, emphasizing special calcium, antioxidant, and vitamin D needs. She suggests practical implementations of nutritional guidelines, menu planning and record keeping.

    The author probes the facts and fictions surrounding exercise. She describes the limitations and potential of a 50-plus woman's work-out regimen and proposes reasonable and necessary fitness goals.

    The book also covers age-related disorders, how to best utilize the living environment, menopause, and more.

    HOW A WOMAN'S BODY RESPONDS To EXERCISE
    Types of Exercise and How They Effect Older Women
    Environmental Considerations and Safety
  • Making the Most of Your Home
  • Architecture and Design
  • Inside Considerations: Doors, Floor, Stairs, Bathroom, Kitchen, etc.
  • Outside Considerations
  • Home Gyms
    Drug-Exercise Interactions
    NUTRITION FACT AND FICTION
    General Nutrition
  • Protein Needs
  • Calcium and Vitamin D Needs
  • Fat Needs
  • Antioxidants
    Physical Activity-Nutrient Relationship
    Nutritional Assessment
  • Diet Assessment and Food Records
  • Record Keeping
  • Nutrition Counseling
    Practical Nutrition Implementation
  • Nutrition Guidelines
  • Your Personal Nutrition Goals
  • Action Plans
  • Menu Planning
  • Food Labels
  • Tips for Choosing Food Products
  • Record Keeping
  • Food Diary
    ROLE OF EXERCISE AND GOOD NUTRITION IN WOMEN'S HEALTH
    How to Evaluate New Information on Exercise and Nutrition
  • Quackery
  • Solutions, Professionals, Books, Journals, and Organizations
    Minority Women's Health
  • Health Problems in Older Minority Women
  • Barriers to Good Nutrition and Exercise
  • Strategies for Improving Nutrition and Exercise
    How to Incorporate Exercise and Good Nutrition as Part of Your Daily Routine
  • Readiness Quiz
  • Initiating Change
  • Problem Solving
  • Setting Goals
    Psychological Health, Exercise, and Nutrition
    Menopause and Sexuality
  • What It Is
  • Hormone Changes
  • Symptoms
  • Hormone Replacement
    Obesity
  • Energy Regulation
  • Weight Changes
  • Risks
  • Treatment
  • Prevention
    AGE RELATED DISORDERS: EFFECTS OF EXERCISE AND GOOD NUTRITION
    Heart Disease and Hypertension
    Cancer
    Osteoporosis
  • What It Is
  • Risk Profile
  • How Is It Diagnosed
  • What Can You Do to Protect Your Bones
  • Exercise Guidelines
  • Types of Exercise
    Diabetes and Glucose Regulation
    Arthritis
    Thirst and Dehydration
    Falls and Balance
  • Measuring Balance
  • Measures to Improve Fitness and Balance
  • Types of Exercises
    Sleep
  • Biography

    Dr. Maria A. Fiatarone Singh is a board-certified internist and geriatrician with particular interest in exercise, nutrition, and aging. She currently holds the John Sutton Chair of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of Sydney, Australia, Professorship in Medicine at the University of Sydney and an Associate Professorship, School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston. The primary focus of Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh’s research and clinical career has been to integrate the disciplines of exercise physiology and nutrition into a better understanding of both the basic biology of aging and the clinical practice of geriatric medicine. Her current active research studies include a range of issues of central importance to health and functioning in the fit and frail elderly. These topics include nutritional determinants of functional and health status in frail elders; effects of strength, power, balance, and endurance training on functional independence in older adults; utility of strength training in congestive heart failure, including changes in muscle protein turnover; comparison of changes in function after strength or aerobic training; the role of cytokines in the adaptation of muscle in heart failure; effects of long-term exercise on mitochondrial volume and density in older women; ultrastructural damage and repair in muscle after strength training; treatment of psychological depression with various intensities of strengthening exercise; anabolic adaptation to strength training to counteract the negative effects of a low protein diet for chronic renal failure; behavioral interventions to modify food group choices in the grail elderly; effects of vitamin E supplementation on immune function and resistance to influenza in nursing home residents; effect of exercise on nutritional intake in the elderly; prevention of hip fractures in the nursing home with a combined intervention of staff education, strength and balance training, and hip protectors; longitudinal analyses of the rates of change of muscle mass and function in the initially healthy elderly; and a combination of nursing rehabilitation models and exercise programming to prevent functional decline in nursing home residents. In addition to the above specific studies of the basic mechanisms of frailty and functional decline, Professor Fiatarone Singh continues to develop and test models for the integration and implementation of exercise and nutrition in geriatric care settings, including nursing home, elderly housing, adult day care, home care, rehabilitation hospital, and outpatient clinics. This work is being done through research grant support as well as under the auspices of the Fit For Your Life Foundation, Ltd., a non-profit organization of which she is the founder and director. Dr. Singh is the recipient of the Edward Henderson Award in Geriatric Medicine, The American Geriatrics Society New Investigator’s Award, The Brookdale Foundation Fellowship, The Pfizer Award for Research in Aging, the Herbert DeVries Award for Contributions to Aging among others, and serves on the boards of numerous gerontologic organizations. She is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and the Royal Australian College of Physicians.

    "This book would make an excellent addition to the library of all health care professionals as it lays out a blueprint for understanding the benefits of exercise and integrating the habit of activity into the lives of older women."
    -Karen J. Heslin, MEd, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Health and Human Performance, Auburn University, Alabama, USA