When it comes to getting in shape, we’ve often said that women are different from men. But how they are different is very specific. How are they different? Let’s talk about that today. First and foremost, sometime around the age of 25, women who do not exercise begin to lose an average of 7 pounds of muscle every decade and gain about 15 pounds of fat. This continues until we’re in our 40s and 50s. Then comes menopause – after menopause those numbers double.
If that isn’t a frightening set of numbers, I don’t know what is. We call it the middle age spread. As we age, our skin loses elasticity. As we age and our muscles reduce, we’re in greater danger of breaking bones and more.
But here’s a thought – despite the disheartening effect of these numbers and the intimidation that we as women may feel about ever regaining our firmer figures – remember, these numbers reflect what happens to women who do not exercise regularly. Women naturally carry more body fat than men do and when we get married, we tend to adjust our eating habits to those of our spouses and men eat on average about 35% more than we do.
So What Do We Do?
Find an exercise program that works for you. Find a way to get in 20 minutes of physical exercise daily. Work your way up to 30 minutes a day. You want a good aerobic workout for at least half of that time each day and you can add strength training or toning to it as well. You will never look like you are 25 again, but you can overcome your body’s natural disposition to storing fat by building muscle, increasing your circulation and strengthening your body.
Remember, muscle burns fat. Increased circulation in your body helps blood reach those fatty deposits where blood flow may be poor compared to the rest of your body. We can’t control where the fat cells in our bodies will swell and grow, but we can control how much exercise we get. So 20 minutes a day can make all the difference in the world. Just 20 minutes a day.
What are you waiting for?
Related Articles:
Women’s Fitness: Ladies, Our Lifespans are Getting Longer
What Does Exercise Do For You?
Measuring Your Strength – Abdominals