Virtual Lectures via Zoom Webinar
Winter Series 2026
Christine Dimanche
Fads Debunked and Facts Revealed: Fitness and Nutrition for the Older Adult
Presented by Christine Dimanche
Thursdays, January 8 to February 26, 2026
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
To be offered as virtual lectures via Zoom Webinar. Recordings of each lecture will be made available to all paid participants for one week following each live lecture.
Cost $50 per household for this eight-lecture series
Times
9:50 – 10:00 a.m. Participants can join the webinar
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Lecture
11:00 a.m. Refreshment break
11:10 a.m. Q & A
12:00 noon Lecture ends
Registration begins on Monday, December 1, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. and tickets will be on sale until Friday, January 2, 2026 at 11:50 p.m. After Friday, January 2, 2026, it will not be possible to register for individual lectures or a partial lecture series.
We have all heard that a balanced diet and regular exercise offer us the best means of staying healthy. But are you overwhelmed by all the available information and advice about what to eat and how to exercise? What is a fact, what is the science behind it, and what is a myth? Hidden in many of the exercise, food and nutrition myths is often a kernel of truth. So, let’s separate the facts and the science from the misleading information. Let’s discover the real facts and debunk the health fads in fitness/physical activity and nutrition.
Can I still start exercising when I am older? Do I have to exercise every day to get benefits? What type of exercise is most beneficial? What about exercise for brain fitness? What about weight gain and what is a healthy weight? And what is the essence of a healthy diet? What about the keto diet, high protein diets, the Mediterranean diet? What do terms such as phytochemicals, antioxidants and probiotics mean? Should we all now adopt a plant-based diet?
Come and find out the answers to all these questions and more. We will not only review recommendations and benefits of exercise and healthy diet for older adults but also provide exercise ideas and strategies as well as recipes and tips for healthy food choices.
Click Here for printable PDF version of the Lecture Agenda
January 8, 2026: Fitness and physical activity – Older adults and exercise
Myths – Exercise and older adults
What does it mean to be fit when you get older?
Physical activity recommendations
How to get started? Can older adults start an exercise program?
January 15, 2026: Fitness and physical activity – Exercise and health
Link between cardiovascular fitness and heart health: how much exercise is necessary?
Can we gain muscle strength and flexibility when we get older?
Why should we maintain muscle mass?
Which exercises work best?
How does exercise improve brain fitness?
Exercise ideas, chair exercises
January 22: Fitness and physical activity – Balance and falls
Myths and facts about falls in older adults
- Why are falls in older adults quite common?
How do our bodies keep their balance?
Balance problems because of health problems
- Causes and risks for balance problems
- Increased chance of falls
Steps to reduce risk of falls and balance problems
Make your home fall safe
Balance exercises and their benefits
January 29, 2026: Nutrition – Healthy diet and eating patterns
What makes a diet healthy?
What is the role of nutrients in maintaining a healthy body in an older person?
Analysis of popular diets – what is healthy or unhealthy about them?
How can we follow a healthy eating plan – what works and what doesn’t?
Why are some eating patterns unhealthy?
Myth or fact: It is hard to put recommendations into action
Myth or fact: It is so hard to switch to healthier eating patterns
Are carbs unhealthy? How may eggs can I eat per day?
Link of meat and health? Is there a place for dairy in a healthy diet?
Is coconut fat a healthy fat?
Sample menus, tips for grocery shopping, and suggestions for overcoming roadblocks to healthy eating (budget, time, living alone)
February 5, 2026: Nutrition – Special nutritional concerns for older adults
Nutrient requirements for older adults
Changes in nutritional needs
Older adults and changes in the digestive system
More myths and facts about lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, food allergens
February 12, 2026: Controversial topics and confusing terms
Meaning of terms such as omega-3, probiotics, prebiotics, phytochemicals, phytoestrogen, antioxidants, gluten, green coffee, detox drinks…
Their role in a healthy diet, especially for an aging body
Need for supplementation
February 19, 2026: Nutrition and plant-based diets
Types of vegetarian diets
Pros and cons
Facts and myths – is a plant-based diet good for the older adult?
Environmental impact of a conventional diet versus a plant-based diet
How to design a diet including more plant-based protein
Tips and recipes
February 26, 2026: Nutrition and healthy body weight
Importance of a healthy body weight
Metabolism and older adults
Losing weight – what actually works?
Exercise more and/or eat less?
Problem: Can’t put on weight – how can I gain weight?
Best time to eat
Better food choices for weight management
Practical tips
Christine Dimanche is a lecturer, teacher, personal trainer and fitness instructor. She holds a Master of Education in Biology and Physical Education from the University of Freiburg, and a Master’s in Leisure Studies, Health and Fitness Management from the University of Oregon. She also holds various certifications in the field of health and fitness (Certified Fitness Instructor (Canfitpro), Active Agers Certificate, Eat Clean Foundations, Brain Fitness and Aging, Cardiac Rehabilitation).
As a lecturer, Christine has been in higher education for 30 years with international teaching experience in Germany, the USA, France and Canada. Over the years, she has worked as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, written fitness instructor manuals, and coordinated the Health and Fitness program at Tulane University.
Christine currently teaches Human Biology and Nutrition at George Brown College and runs an online fitness class for Active Agers. For the last nine years, she has been a lecturer with Lifelong Learning Toronto, offering a variety of lecture series such as Amazing Nature, Biology of Aging, 101 on Genetics, Chronic Inflammation, Brain and Cognitive Health, among others.