Watch Your Weight As You Watch Your Age
One of the gifts of growing old is wisdom. The other of course is an expanding waistline. The former is welcome, the latter one hopes not. But it is a body truth that with age comes a propensity to pack in the bulge. Muscles start to gradually atrophy and fat starts to take its place. Loss of muscle mass with age is expected and so is a bit of weight gain but here is where doctors sound the note of caution.
For both men and women, it is important to watch for changes in weight with advancing age. Weight gain is a direct spin-off from our lifestyle and habits. And if we don’t mind our habits we won’t be able to mind our pounds.
Because of the way we are wired, men and women gain weight in different ways and in different areas. Julie Schwartz, a dietitian at the Emory University School of Medicine (Atlanta, U.S) explains,
“Most women will really gain weight in their hips and thighs. Men more around the mid-section of their abdomen. Then as women age and their hormones change, the tendency is to start depositing more in the mid-section as well as their hips.”
Weight gain is not only about tipping the scales or worrying about the bum hugging jeans. The portents could be far more serious. A recent study by Harvard University and the National Institutes of Health found that women with larger waists, those measuring 35 inches or more, are at greater risk for cancer or heart disease than women with smaller waists.
For men, the bad number for waist size is 40 inches. According to the researchers, in 2004, more than 50 percent of the U.S. population had an abdominal measurement that was on the other side of the measurement.
So as individuals how do we stop ourselves from breasting the tape?
The guideword for all our cures – Exercise, buy running shoes!
As Julie Schwartz says,
“Cardio is good, but strength training is important. With strength training you are constantly maintaining or maybe even adding a little bit of muscle weight. You are also putting a little bit of stress on your bones which helps aid and maintain bone density.”
This is especially important for women as with advancing age, women tend to lose calcium density more than men. Their momentum towards osteoporosis is swifter.
Men and women can also make some alterations in their eating habits as diet is the second pillar to fight age. Eating smaller meals but spreading them out more often and getting plenty of fluids helps boost metabolism.
Their is no panacea that can do away with our wrinkles and white hairs. Nopes, not even plastic surgeries and magic creams. But at least we can delay the inevitable time when our broad minds and your narrow waist change places.
Categorised as: General Health Tips, How to Guide, Nutrition, Weight Management