Our Aging Bodies

September 21, 2007

After the age of 25, your metabolism (how fast your body burns fuel) slows down (at a rate of roughly 1 percent a year), and fat becomes harder to lose. In the sedentary person, body fat generally increases as muscle decreases. Although a 1 percent increase in body fat per decade is acceptable, women in their fifties should not have more than 27 percent body fat, and men, not more than 18 percent. Women’s higher percentage of fat is associated with their childbearing and reproductive roles. Weight gain in the thirties and forties for women is primarily in the hips and thighs; for men it is in the abdomen and chest. After age 50, however, both sexes gain weight in the abdomen.

Walking is an effective weight-loss exercise. Walking at a brisk but comfortable pace will help you lose weight slowly and steadily. Although walking (or anything else) will not allow you to spot reduce, it will tone muscle in the thighs, buttocks, and abdomen, so your body looks trimmer and less flabby.

Along with the increase in body fat and the decease in muscle mass, a general dehydration of cells also occurs in middle age. So as we get older, it is more important to drink water before and during exercise, especially in very hot weather.

The digestive system loses speed with age, and thus it takes longer for food to move through it. This slowdown can lead to stomach cramps, gas, constipation, and perhaps even colon cancer in adults over age 45. Dietary fiber and a regular walking program can help to reestablish good function. Wait more than an hour after eating before walking to avoid cramps, or plan to walk slowly.

Posted in Ask The Experts, Body Health, Pro Trainer - Chris, Walking Articles