Author: Irene Pastore

Hello! I am a Personal Trainer, Yoga and Pilates Instructor who specializes in fitness after 50. My service is Live Streaming. Connect with me from anywhere in the world. I look forward to helping you achieve your health and fitness goals.

Myth: I’m Too Old To Exercise

April 25, 2025

I’m Too Old To Start Exercising

This is completely false. Age does not play a role in your ability to exercise. Research on healthy aging shows that exercise for aging adults is not only safe but beneficial. People can safely begin to exercise in their 70s, 80s, and beyond. It’s never too late to get started, and it does not matter if you’ve never exercised before.

No matter what your current age or fitness level, your body benefits from exercise. In fact, exercise is such an important part of healthy aging that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 150-300 minutes of physical activity each week for all ages, stretching its former recommendation of 150 minutes per week. However, any amount of exercise is beneficial, from formal exercise to “exercise snacks”—just moving around a little whenever you can.

Source: Psychology Today 5/20/21

Delicious Butternut Squash Bread Recipe

April 22, 2025
Butternut Squash Loaf Bread

Butternut Squash Bread Recipe

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 ⅔ cups white sugar
  • ⅔ cup butter
  • 2 cups pureed cooked butternut squash
  • 4 large eggs
  • ⅔ cup water
  • 3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves or to taste
  • ⅔ cup chopped walnuts (Optional)
  • ⅔ cup raisins (Optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9×5-inch loaf pans.
  • Beat sugar and butter together in a bowl until fluffy. Stir butternut squash, eggs, and water into sugar mixture.
  • Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ground cloves in another bowl; stir into sugar mixture. Add walnuts and raisins; stir until batter is just blended. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pans briefly before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Recipe Source: AllRecipes.com

Health Benefits of Butternut Squash

April 21, 2025
Butternut Squash

What Is Butternut Squash?

Butternut Squash Cross Section

Butternut Squash is commonly used as a vegetable. Botanically it’s actually a fruit. The skin is tan to yellow with an bright orange fleshy pulp that contains seeds. Butternut Squash a carbohydrate food. It is related to pumpkin, zucchini and calabaza squash.

Butternut Squash has a low glycemic index of 51. It is also low in calories measuring out at 80 calories in one cup. Eating low glycemic helps you manage blood sugar and weight. It is rich in vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting antioxidants.

Health Benefits

Butternut Squash Loaf Bread
Butternut Squash Loaf Bread
  • Protects against heart disease
  • Supports immune system
  • Excellent for eye health
  • Hydration
  • Helps to manage blood pressure
  • Balances blood sugar

Butternut Squash Nutrition

  • Vitamin A, C, E, B1, B3, B6, B9
  • Vitamin C
  • Magnesium
  • Potassium
  • Calcium
  • Fiber
  • Carotenoids

How To Prepare Butternut Squash

  • Cut into cubes and boil in water.
  • Cut into cubes and oven roast.
  • Cut into cubes, boil in water and mash with a fork.
  • Cut cooked squash into pieces and puree in a food processor.
  • Puree cooked squash and use it in soups, sauces and dips.
  • Grate raw over a salad.
  • Cut raw strips and dip into hummus.

Obesity in Older Adults: Alarming Statistics and Health Risks

April 18, 2025

Health Policy Institute’s Grim Report On Aging and Obesity

” Some 15 million older adults — people over the age of 51 — are obese. This represents nearly one in four older adults. While obesity itself is not a chronic condition, it is a risk factor for many chronic conditions, including four of the ten leading causes of death in the U.S. — coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, stroke and several forms of cancer.”

Did You Know That

  • Disability rates are higher among adults who are obese.
  • Obese older adults are more likely to be severely disabled than those who are not obese.
  • Older adults who are obese are more likely to suffer from persistent and chronic symptoms of illness.
  • 22 percent of obese adults age 51 to 69 say they frequently feel severely fatigued or exhausted.
  • Older obese adults are more likely than older non-obese adults to have difficulty or be unable to participate in activities such as walking any distance, going shopping, or attending movies, parties, or other social events.

Source: Georgetown University Health Policy Institute

Read the full report here: Obesity Among Older Americans