Keep Control of Your Weight as You Age

If you look around at older people, you may notice that a good bit of them happen to carry some extra weight. You’ll see many men with beer bellies and many women with a lot of extra padding on the abdomen.

It’s true that some of this is caused by aging because your metabolism does slow down as you get older, but if you’re prepared for that, you really don’t have to put up with weight gain.

You don’t want your weight to get out of control as you get older because it can lead to all sorts of health problems. Some weight gain is caused because of medical issues, body changes, or nutrition and exercise plans that just don’t meet your needs.

Menopause Gain Can Be Reversed

There’s a reason that women gain weight once they go through menopause. This weight gain is caused by the way the hormone balances have changed. But because menopause can also increase the risk of certain cancers, it’s vital that you do reverse any weight that you gain during this period of your life.

Gaining weight during menopause can also contribute to the development of diabetes and you don’t want to have to deal with this disease. The main hormone loss that causes weight gain after menopause is estrogen.

When you have a lesser amount of estrogen, it can trigger an impulse within your body to make you want to consume more calories. This lack of estrogen also plays into how well your metabolism works so you end up holding onto more fat than you do burning it.

This in turn contributes to the weight gain. The reason that menopause can be a jumpstart that can cause diabetes is because losing estrogen can cause insulin resistance.

Menopause is a time in life when you feel less like exercising than ever before and yet need it so much more. Some exercises are better at helping you reverse the weight gain that you put on because of menopause. Aerobics is one of the best exercises that you can do to get rid of the weight.

This exercise can be low-impact - but it gets your heart pumping and can jumpstart the weight loss. You’ll want to engage in exercise at least three times a week for about twenty minutes at a time.

Now what some women do is fall into the belief that because they’re exercising, this means that they can up their calorie intake. But the problem with that way of thinking is that while exercise does normally allow you to eat more calories and not gain, it can be different with menopause.

Because of how it affects your metabolism, if you exercise and still eat the same way you’ve always eaten, you may not lose weight. What you have to do is to shed some of your calories.

Because of the way the hormones are acting up after menopause, the last thing you might feel like doing is giving up any of your favorite foods. In order to lose any weight gained, you’ll have to either cut down the portion sizes of what you’re normally eating and still exercise or you’ll need to eat foods that are low calorie and will help you lose weight.

Many women find that when they switch to a healthier way of eating and get more active with aerobic exercising that they feel better all over. Besides making sure that you exercise and eat well, you might find it helpful to find a support system.

That’s because menopause can cause all kinds of emotional swings that are linked to the hormones changing. It can help to walk through this stage of your life with someone else who understands.

Eating the Right Nutrition as You Age Can Stop Weight Gain

It’s no secret that you have to eat a variety of foods including a lot of fruits and vegetables if you want to help keep your body as healthy as it can be. It’s true that exercise is beneficial to your health, but what you eat is something you should always pay attention to, especially as you age because your diet is what will keep you fit enough to be able to be active.

When you get older, your body doesn’t hold on to important vitamins and nutrients the way that it did when you were younger. Your body needs extra calcium, vitamins A and C, iron, and fiber. Not only do these help keep you healthy, but calcium is needed for strong bones, which is important the older you get because you need it to help prevent fractures.

As you age, you need to keep an eye on what you eat and make sure you have the right nutrients in your everyday diet. If you’re uncertain about whether or not you’re receiving the right amount of nutrition, there are some symptoms you should be on the lookout for.

The first and most prominent warning sign of poor nutrition is having constant fatigue. When your body doesn’t get the right vitamins and nutrients it needs, it’s not going to work as fast and it won’t be able to work as hard.

Without certain vitamins, your blood flow and circulation can slow down, making you tired quicker. You can even feel run down and achy because your muscles aren’t getting what they need.

Another symptom of an unbalanced diet is dry or brittle hair. When you’re not eating the proper vitamins, your hair doesn’t get the minerals that it needs to grow and remain naturally soft. Protein is important to the growth of your hair so if you’re not eating the right protein, your hair isn’t getting it, either.

You may also experience a lack of appetite as you grow older. When you age, your taste buds can lose sensitivity. And if you’ve become less active the older you get, there’s a big chance you don’t eat as much as you used to because you’re not as hungry.

If you have a chronic lack of appetite, it can be a big sign that you’re not getting the nutrients you need. Any time you notice having a lack of appetite, you should speak with your doctor or a nutritionist about it.

Along with eating the right vitamins and nutrients, you need to cut back on food in your diet that may be unhealthy for you. For example, substituting fruits and vegetables for potato chips cuts out several calories.

Stick to drinking water, juice, and milk and steer clear of soft drinks or heavily caffeinated beverages. Also keep in mind that as you age, your body may naturally lose energy and your metabolism will slow down.

You can help out by doing some form of exercise every day and eating the right foods. Don’t eat when you’re not hungry but don’t go without foods for long periods of time. If you’re never hungry enough for a regular sized meal during the day, try eating four to five small meals throughout the day.

Why Exercise Is Right for You as You Age

There seems to be a myth that older people should stick to more sedentary exercises. It’s become somewhat of a tradition for older people to bow out of doing what they once did when they were younger.

Health issues can force some older people to withdraw - but that doesn’t mean that you have to give up exercising completely. In fact, not exercising is one of the worst things that you can do as you grow older because exercising can actually reverse the aging process for your body.

You could be giving up exactly what can bring you the most benefit. Exercise can strengthen your bones and help you have better balance. It can also improve the way that your brain functions.

A University of Cambridge study performed with mice discovered that exercising caused new cells to grow that boosted the memory function. Besides helping older people have better brain function, exercise also gave them a better muscle mass.

This enabled them to remain stronger and have the ability to continue to be active and do the things that they enjoyed doing. When you improve your muscle mass, you’ll improve your flexibility and be able to move easier. This helps to fight against stiffness as well as joint pain.

Exercise also adds strength to the bones. This is especially important for women. When you go through menopause, you can lose certain minerals that protect your bones.

You’re more likely to experience a fracture or break during a fall because of how menopause affects your bones. By exercising, you build bone strength and you counteract this loss.

For men, exercising can help give strength to your bones that will help you win in the battle against osteoporosis. Remaining involved in exercise also strengthens the heart muscle and reduces age related risks that can cause heart disease, strokes and heart attacks.

It also keeps cholesterol and blood pressure levels within normal range. But it can also improve glucose tolerance and lower the risk of developing diabetes. When you exercise, you reap emotional benefits as well. It can help stave off depression and other moods associated with aging.