Ask almost anyone who has turned 40 and they will tell you that losing weight has never been harder, that they eat the same as when they were younger but they still continue to put on weight and that they are just not burning calories the way they used to. It seems that both men and women get larger as they get older. However, is middle age spread inevitable? Are there other reasons why waists thicken and tummies expand? Is there anything that can be done to restore a youthful figure or should people just sit back and accept the weight gain as part of the natural aging process?
Why middle-aged adults gain weight.
Researchers like obesity and body-composition expert, Dr. Zebulon Kendrick of Temple University, Philadelphia, have discovered that the average person will gain about one pound of body weight per year between the ages of 20 and 55 years.
However, researchers also found that most adults tend to lose about half a pound of muscle every year starting from the age of 25.
Since muscle is a calorie burning tissue, every pound of muscle lost will result in a decrease of approximately 30 -50 calories per day. It's not surprising then to hear people complain that they are eating the same amounts of food as when they were younger but are continuing to see the pounds creeping up. They are burning fewer calories because their muscles have become smaller. Calories that are not burned are stored as fat. The muscle in the body decreases while the fat increases.
Loss of muscle mass is what slowly transforms a slim figure into a pudgy one. Slowly is a key word because most people don't notice a weight gain of one pound a year until they wake up one day and realize that they are "suddenly" 20 pounds overweight.
Lack of exercise to blame for muscle loss.
Why should people lose so much muscle mass as they get older?
Part of the answer is due to the natural aging process.
Muscle tissue shrinks to a certain extent as people get older.
However, the primary reason is found in the "use it or lose it" principle.
Muscle that is not used atrophies.
A dramatic example of this is seen in the affected limb of a polio victim.
The muscle is shrunken because it is no longer functioning.
Of course, in an aging individual muscle atrophy doesn't happen overnight so the damage is not noticeable.
Dr. James Rippe, M.D., director of the Center for Clinical and Lifestyle Research says that "the problem starts from the mid-20's on. People become less active as their lives become busier. Weight gain usually coincides with the onset of adult responsibilities, at around the age 25. Grownups no longer have the time, the desire, or the ability to stay out dancing the whole night after a full workday. So in many ways, middle-age weight gain is no different from the way you gain weight when you're younger. It's still due to taking in more calories than you expend in physical activity."
William Evans Ph.D., director of the Noll Physiological Research Center at Pennsylvania State University agrees by saying that "a sedentary lifestyle explains 70 percent of the difference in weight gain between older and younger people." Dr. Evans says that even between the ages of twenty and thirty, people are already starting to lose muscle if they do not exercise.
Dr. Eric Poehlman of the University of Maryland has found in his studies of geriatric patients that the decline in metabolic rate is mostly due to a loss of muscle mass and a decrease in physical activity.
Why a woman's shape changes with age.
According to Brian Walsh, M.D., director of the menopause clinic in Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, weight gain in menopause is most likely due to the slowdown in metabolism and much of this slowdown has to do with lowered activity levels rather than a decline in estrogen levels.
He says that whenever they've done studies where women take estrogen or a placebo, both groups have gained equal amounts of weight.
However, estrogen does affect where a woman stores her fat.
In her younger days, when her estrogen levels are high, a woman tends to store fat in her hips and thighs.
However, when estrogen levels decline because of the start of menopause, fat storage shifts to the male pattern around and above the waist.
What kind of exercise prevents muscle loss?
While aerobic exercise (examples are walking, jogging, aero classes, and cycling) is great for burning calories and increasing the efficiency of the heart, it doesn't do much for building muscle mass.
Lifting weights (also called strength training or resistance training) is the best way to prevent muscles from getting too small. It will not only prevent muscle loss but it can also reverse the process by building up muscle that has already been lost.
The beauty of resistance training is that for every pound of muscle you gain, your body will use up 30 to 50 calories a day just to keep you breathing. You will burn more calories even while you are sleeping!
In addition, that's not all that lifting weights will do for you. It will also improve your posture, prevent osteoporosis (bone brittleness), increase your strength, tone and tighten your muscles to transform you into a shapelier, younger-looking you. No wonder researchers like Dr. Evans call lifting weights the best anti-aging exercise that exists!
The best workout is a combination.
Please don't get me wrong and think that lifting weights is better than aerobic exercise.
Just like a hammer isn't better than a screwdriver, (they just have different functions), lifting weights should not replace your aerobic workouts.
The best exercise program for a middle-aged person is a combination of aerobic exercise, lifting weights and stretching.
Keeping your heart strong through aerobic exercise is good insurance against cardiovascular disease.
Aerobic exercise also increases your endurance and stamina while burning a large amount of calories.
Strength training, on the other hand, does all the wonderful things previously mentioned for your muscles.
How to start a strength training program.
To reap all the benefits and none of the injuries, start lifting weights at a level that is easy and light for you.
Build up your strength gradually. Join a reputable gym to guide you in your program.
If you wish to exercise at home, purchase a book on weight lifting for the average person (not for bodybuilders or power lifters!) at any major bookstore.
These books will show you which exercises to do and what kind of home equipment you need.
There are even special exercise rubber bands that you can use at home and while you travel to strengthen your muscles.
Please don't use exercise books that are more than ten years old because the advice they give there is already outdated.
Keep physically active all day long.
It has been noted that people in their mid-forties spend 80 percent of their waking hours sitting down!
Part of the battle against middle-age bulge is to burn extra calories by keeping physically active all day long.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalators.
Stop fighting for the nearest parking slot!
You could probably lose a pound of fat a year just by walking to and from your TV set to change the channel instead of being "remote-control dependent"!
In short, stop being a couch potato.
Watch those eating habits.
Sorry, but exercise and eating habits are like Siamese Twins when it comes to losing weight whether you are an overweight teen-ager or a plump middle-ager.
You can rev up your metabolism by increasing your muscle mass but you will still keep the spare tire around your middle if you shovel in the calories.
Many experts agree that the easiest and most effective eating plan to lose weight and more importantly, maintain the weight loss, is to eat a low-fat diet loaded with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and other complex carbohydrates.
Animal protein should come from lean sources.
This type of a diet is also excellent for keeping your blood pressure down and for keeping your heart and blood vessels healthy.