Metabolism and Aging- What you can do about it

We can push ourselves physically no matter how old we are—we just may need to alter the activity

Metabolism

If your metabolism feels like it's slowing to a crawl, it's not in your mind. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh studying 541 midlife women found an average gain of 12 pounds eight years after menopause.

• After age 20, your basal metabolism drops by 1 to 5 percent every decade
• Basel Metabolic Rate (BRM) is the number of calories your body burns at rest
• Hormones, organ, diet, fitness effect BMR
• Lean muscle decreases and body fat increases. -The less muscle mass you have, the fewer calories your body is able to burn
• While muscles burn calories every time we move—their true advantage is that they constantly feed on calories even during rest
• Every pound of muscle burns between 50 and 150 calories a day just to sustain itself
• Every pound of fat only feeds on 1 to 3 calories.
• One pound of muscle takes up about 20% less space then a pound of fat, so building muscle will also help give you a lean and toned appearance that many people desire.

Be fit and fabulous at any age

In Your 40’s

This is the decade of the triple whammy: gravity, hormones, and yet more slowing of metabolism as lean muscle mass continues to decrease and body fat increases. Your body composition is changing- it’s easier to gain fat in the torso—below the bra, through the triceps area, on the back, and in the belly.

What you can do

Exercise

• Weight training 2-3 days a week
• Cardio 3-5 days a week- focus on low impact cardio
• Add intensity- focus on form and engage your core with every exercise
• Focus on your core, triceps, chest, glutes
  

In Your 50’s

During menopause our bodies are dealing with a roller coaster of hormones, muscle loss, and stress which all contribute to a decrease in metabolism. This leads to a shift in body weight, often in the form of a potbelly.  Other places begin to droop noticeably.  At this point, loss of muscle mass and tone really shows and can actually start to change your posture.

What you can do

Exercise

• Weight training is critical- Women in their 70s have doubled their strength in nine weeks
  Warming up before exercise
• Taking time to let your body rest between exercises
• Incorporate stretching into your daily routine – yoga/stretching after a workout
• Low impact exercises
• 2 to 4 cardio sessions a week, 20 to 40 minutes each, with an intensity that lets you answer a simple question but not chat
• 30 minutes of weight training twice a week
• Incorporate more walking into your life -Walk to the local coffee shop, walk around your neighborhood

In Your 60’s

In the 60s, problems like arthritis, bad knees, and spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the spaces between bones that can put painful pressure on the spinal cord) become common. But aches and pains shouldn't be an excuse for giving up on exercise. We now know that a decline in strength and fitness isn't entirely a natural consequence of the aging process but is also due to lack of use.

What you can do

Exercise

• 3 days a week of challenging but not exhausting cardio
• 3 days of weight training, using lighter weights and slower, more controlled movements combined with slow, sustained stretching.
• Do daily balance exercises
• Low to no impact exercise- pool exercises, swimming, or riding a stationary bicycle, walking
• Avoid lifting heavy weights that will aggravate your joints.