Years ago, the younger generation (which is now my generation) used to think those in their late thirties and early fourties were OLD. Not only did their age seem old but they also looked old. This can be prevented to a certain degree and now our generation has become wiser as to why we now feel older than we should and why we lack energy.
I have touched briefly over the last number of weeks and indeed months about how our diet and activity levels have changed. This in return has changed our shape as well. We now nearly automatically think that once we hit a certain age we have an "excuse" for the way that we look. This is not always the case and I have highlighted a few areas below that will give you food for thought. Although it will mainly apply to women, men too can avoid the telly tubbie look.
IS MID LIFE WEIGHT GAIN INEVITABLE?
Despite popular belief, women do not inevitably gain weight with the "menopause". Women will commonly gain weight and get thicker around the middle but these changes are not due to the hormone changes. They are due to reduced metabolic rates, less activity and obviously too much food intake.
WHY DO WOMEN GAIN WEIGHT WITH AGE, AND INDEED EVEN CHANGE SHAPE?
Simple, from the age of 30 onwards, women will start to lose their muscle mass (unless you do some form of weight training). When this happens it will slow down your metabolic rate which means that the body starts to burn fewer calories. If you are someone who feels tired all the time (which could come from bad eating and poor exercise) then this will further speed up the muscle loss and again slow the metabolism even further. The menopause occurs at a stage in life when we generally become less active. The children have grown up and left home. You will find yourself with time on your hands and rather than running around doing things for them, you find yourself sitting reading or something similiar. Plus, you now have some extra cash to spend on eating out, holidaying etc... You probably think you deserve to treat yourself more now. So you see, all of the above are what is making us gain weight as we get older.
HOW CAN I PREVENT THIS UNWANTED WEIGHT GAIN?
The best way to do this is to exercise and maintain an actice lifestyle. In a certain study,(women aged 45 to 50) active women who have followed an exercise programme for two years have gained less weight and have not as much extra weight around their middle as those of the same age who did not exercise. Your exercise programme needs to be both aerobic and involve some form of weight training or strength training.
The best way to lose weight is to think about eating healthily. If you have been dieting for 35 to 40 years of your adult life, you should have learned by now that dieting doesn't work. You need to learn how to manage food and undertake a regular exercise programme. If you feel at a loss as to how to start eating well, seeking help from a professional will help you with your quest in a healthier lifestyle.
Dont ever think for one minute that because you have hit the 40 mark or 50 mark you are destined to be a certain shape forever. That is not the case. If anything, your life is only just beginning. You will have more time and more resources to take care of yourself. So start now and give yourself a good chance of getting a little weight loss and a little exercise plan going that you can keep to and improve on.
Just because the sun is out, don' just abandon your gym routine. It's not hard to keep to and we normally find that those who abandon all structured exercise in the good weather find it a lot harder to get back on track again when they want to.
