Most women recognize the unhappy tendency to gain about 10 pounds a decade after age 40. Each lost pound of muscle depresses the body's metabolism by about 40 calories a day. Strength training can replace the lost muscle, get the body's metabolism back up, and keep weight off permanently. This week we focus on, Top 10 Reasons Why Older Women should do Resistance Training. In fitness, Namita namita@womenfitness.net

Eating a healthy diet encourages microbes associated with leanness to become incorporated into the gut. A diet high in saturated fat and low in fruits and vegetables thwarts the invasion of microbes associated with leanness.

Getting past rejection Does the fear of rejection hold you back? Are you so concerned about what others might think or say or feel about you that it keeps you from taking positive action? Rejection hurts only when you allow it to hurt, and there's no reason whatsoever for you to allow it to hurt. If someone says no to you, or if someone says something negative about you, that does not change anything about who you are. The words, actions and opinions of others have no real bearing on your worth as a person. Certainly it is helpful and desirable to make a good impression whenever you can, yet it's not the end of the world when you experience rejection. When you set out to make a true and substantial positive difference, there will be those who disagree with you, those who ignore you, and those who flat out reject what you're doing. Look beyond them and keep your focus on what you've decided to accomplish. It's great to have positive feedback, but it simply does not always happen. That's okay, though, because you know where you're headed and you know that your true worth does not depend on the judgment of others. Go confidently forward, do what you know must be done, and let others think what they will.

""Rowing harder doesn't help if the boat is headed in the wrong direction."" Kenichi Ohmae

Brazilian Chicken with Black Beans Makes: 6 servings Nutritional Information: Per Serving Calories: 330 Kcal, Fat: 10 g, Carbohydrate: 28 g, Protein: 32 g, Fiber: 9 g. Ingredients: 2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided 2 lb. skinless chicken thighs with bone or skinless breast with ribs or combination 1/2 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 1/4 cups chopped onion 3/4 cup chopped celery 3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper 3/4 cup chopped scallions, green and white parts 3 garlic cloves, chopped 2 bay leaves 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 2 (15 oz. cans) black beans, rinsed and drained Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 large navel orange, cut in 6 wedges Directions: In large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, 4 minutes on each side. Using tongs, transfer chicken to large bowl. Cover bowl with foil. Add broth and scrape bottom of pot while it boils, gathering up all browned bits. Add broth to chicken. Seal foil tightly over bowl and set chicken aside. Using paper towel, wipe out pot. Return pot to medium-high heat and add remaining oil. Add onion, celery, green pepper and scallions to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add bay leaves and sprinkle nutmeg over vegetables. Arrange chicken pieces over vegetables, reserving liquid in bowl. Spread beans over the chicken. Pour liquid from bowl over beans. Cover and simmer until chicken thighs are falling-apart tender, 30-35 minutes. If using breast, cook until white in center at thickest part, 20-25 minutes. To serve, divide chicken among six dinner plates. Remove bay leaf. Mix to combine beans and vegetables, and season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne. Spoon two-thirds cup of beans and vegetables alongside chicken and liquid from pot over chicken. Garnish with parsley and orange wedges. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Leftovers keep in tightly covered container in refrigerator for 4 days. Source: AICR

Top 10 Reasons Why Older Women should do Resistance Training Most women recognize the unhappy tendency to gain about 10 pounds a decade after age 40. But they don't realize that they are losing muscle mass at the same time, At this age about a fourth of the weight loss is muscle.