Supporting Immune System Health for Older Athletes

This post has been sponsored by Wellmune® through Kitchen PLAY.

How to support your immune system health is a topic on the minds of most of us these days, myself included – especially as an athlete over 50 years old! Surprisingly, a heavy training load and being older can both have negative effects on your immune response — despite being fit and “healthy.” To give my immune system a fighting chance to do its given job despite the stresses I put it under, I follow an overall clean lifestyle. This encompasses: a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, regular exercise, no smoking or little to no alcohol, adequate quantity and quality of sleep, and the reduction of personal stress.  Also, staying on the defensive against the onslaught of environmental assaults like allergens, viruses and pollutants is an important strategy, too. I’ve also recently learned that incorporating yeast beta glucans into my daily wellness regimen is a specific, proven way to help support immune health. Read on to learn more about immune health, yeast beta glucans, and the natural ingredient, Wellmune®, which is used by various food, beverage and supplement brands to create immune-boosting consumer products. Continue reading

What Running for 30 Years Has Taught Me

I was thinking about all the things that running has taught me over the years, and I tried to capture the most important in this post. I wasn’t a child prodigy runner, nor was I on the school XC team. But, I HAVE been running for 30 YEARS and it has blessed me with so many amazing experiences. What Running 30 Years Has Taught Me - Jennifer Fisher, thefitfork.com

These experiences have included running marathons all over the country and even representing Houston in the Athens Marathon; pushing myself and meeting new friends on overnight 200 mile relay races; missing an Olympic marathon qualifying time by seconds, but getting to run with the Torch in the 2002 Olympic Torch Relay; setting event course-records at the mile distance and the half-marathon distance while being in my 40s; and most recently, winning the RCAA 10 mile Texas State Championship in the “Super Master” division last year . .  probably my favorite distance of all time. Oh, yeah, and running has given me the confidence and “I can do anything” mindset that allowed me to take up Spartan racing at an elite/competitive level at age 48 through today! But, this laundry list is just a bunch of achievements, running has brought and taught me so much more, read on to find out:   Continue reading

How to Age Proof Your Abs – Diet, Workouts, Wellness for 40+

The plain truth is, as we get a little older, it’s harder to make muscles and convince them to stick around, especially in the abdominal area. The potential for maximum muscle mass lasts until the 30s, after that it’s a small gradual decline in mass month by month, year by year. Gasp, experts say a sedentary lifestyle can result in a 3 to 5 percent decline per decade! This loss of muscle is often replaced by a little extra padding around the middle or “muffin top,” even if you are in good or reasonable shape overall. Plus, the hormonal changes brought on by peri-menopause or full-on menopause don’t help matters much.How to Age Proof Your Abs in 40s 50s and beyond

The quest for a flat mid-section or six-pack abs in middle age or older shouldn’t be about rocking a bikini or turning heads at the gym, although I guess these are nice side benefits – but, haven’t we moved past this ego feed?!  Instead, appreciate what a strong core through functional fitness can do for your daily living. Strong abs help improve balance, stability, back strength and posture, and, in my opinion, can make you feel and look 10 years younger.  A strong core also lessens the chance for injury from actual exercise or random stupid stuff, like twisting the wrong way while holding a bag of groceries, keeping up with your kids, or even playing with grand kids.  Read on to get the tips on How To Age Proof Your Abs Continue reading