Most of us struggle with extra weight in some form or another. Even if we have wizened up and stopped super-sizing our meals, enjoying “all you can eat” buffets, and have put away the junk food, weight loss can still be difficult. In fact, we hear rumors that it can be harder to deal with that extra weight as we get older, and even harder to lose it, but most people question whether those are just another set of diet myths.

I have a client who complained to me about severe heel pain. We were both determined to get to the bottom of it. Heather* is in her late 40s; she’s in good shape and in addition to the thrice-weekly workouts with me, she and her husband take their three dogs on daily hikes.  

Our first step was to figure out what the cause was. She saw a podiatrist who diagnosed her with plantar fasciitis. The doctor explained that it was not that serious, and he advised her to take NSAIDs, but that doesn’t address the issue; it just masks the pain. Our hope was to trace it back to the source, to eliminate the need to pop a pill every time her feet hurt.

Recently, I had a conversation with some friends who are aging. The woman began by telling me she had never really gotten into the whole exercise thing so it was probably too late to start now. Her husband countered, stating he had worked out his entire life but could no longer continue at the rate he was used to, so he would probably quit soon. Unfortunately, their opinions are not uncommon. But, the reality is, that workouts, like so many other things in our lives, are organic. They change with injuries, illnesses, and even aging. So, what changes as we age? What areas will we need to pay attention to so we can adjust our workouts?

Fall is fast approaching and I have been enjoying every moment of it. There is nothing like changing your workout routine while the weather starts to cool off a bit. But lately, as I have been spending a considerable amount of time outside, I have noticed a startling trend. It seems as if every time I encounter an overweight dog, and glance at the owner, they are overweight as well. Now, that is not to say that every single overweight dog equals an overweight owner. We all know there may be a variety of reasons dogs may struggle with the pounds. However, I have noticed this enough that it made me think – what, if anything, does your overweight dog say about you?

For those who have spent the entirety of their lives living along the Mediterranean Sea, they probably give as little thought to their diet as do most other people in the world. Eating the same food for a few thousand years, which is based on what grows naturally and is readily available, the Greeks, Tunisians, the Lebanese and others along the Mediterranean consider what they eat neither the latest trend nor a diet and certainly not worth all the fuss to conduct studies about the foods they eat. So, if those who eat the so-called Mediterranean diet don’t understand all the attention paid to it, why should you and I?