Is it inevitable that we gain weight as we get older? People tend to blame their increasing waistlines of a 'naturally' slowing metabolism (the body's engine) but in fact the answer really lies with the loss of our muscle tissue. You may have heard people say or you maybe have even said it yourself "At around age 35 I started to gain body fat, I am sure my metabolism has slowed down". Many people believe that this slowing of our metabolic engine as we get older is unfortunately inevitable, something we cannot avoid. But this is simply not true. Both men and women usually gain weight as they age with the average man aged 35 gaining about a pound of body fat each year until age 60. That adds up to around 25 pounds between ages 35 and 60. Even worse, women often gain proportionately more between these ages. You may be wondering how this happens and the answer does lie with the metabolism. The good news is it is not unavoidable. After our mid 20's unless we perform regular muscle building and maintaining activity we lose around half a pound of muscle tissue each year throughout our life. After we get past age 60 this rate doubles. We are often not aware that this is happening as the body fat increase hides this loss on the bathroom scales and fat tends to fill the spaces left by the lost muscle tissue. Muscle tissue is highly active tissue and it requires a lot of fuel (calories) to maintain. This tissue is what drives our metabolic rate which is the rate our body burns fuel. When this is lost the strength of our engine becomes downsized and therefore is less efficient and requires less fuel. The way to keep your motor running hot so you don't gain weight is to perform a strength training exercise program two to three times per week. If you are new to exercise have a fitness professional set up your program for best results. Not only do you need to learn how to perform the exercises correctly you also need to learn the intensity you need to use (degree of difficulty). If you do not do this it is unlikely you will be happy with your results. The other part of the fitness/weight loss puzzle is your healthy eating plan. Try to eat 5-7 small meals with some protein every 2-3 hours throughout the day. Your body will have to work hard to keep digesting the food and this will stimulate your metabolism as well. Weight gain as we get older is not a normal occurrence because there is no biological reason for it. Increases in body fat are more a function of failure to keep our muscles strong and toned throughout our life. So, it is not a factor of the aging process that makes us overweight, but simply our lifestyle, and this is something we can change. Just add in your proper exercise program, keep eating little and often and stay slim and healthy.
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