Women have known for years that metabolism slows to a snail’s
pace as they get older. Scientists
finally agree. I read about the latest
study being published in the American Medical Association Journal in three
different papers this morning.
The study shows that as women age, more exercise is
needed to just maintain a healthy weight.-
The latest statistics show that women need at least an hour of moderate
activity a day to maintain a reasonably svelte figure.
Even a little exercise is good for your health, but it isn’t
going to make you as thin as you would like to be. Women need 60 minutes of moderate exercise a
day to prevent weight gain as they age. If you can handle an intense 30 minute
workout you can get by with that.
Running, cycling, swimming laps or working out at the gym could be
construed as intense. Weight gain can
also be prevented with 60 minutes of moderate activity such as walking, a
leisurely bike ride or playing catch.
Women who exercise less than this amount generally gain weight.
Most Americans gain about 1.5
pounds a year between 25 and 55. If you
are not willing to do a high amount of activity, you have to eat fewer
calories. Unfortunately, this new study
indicates that we need considerably more exercise than government studies have
recommended in the past. The hard part
is that as we age we become more conscious of our nutritional needs and as we try
earnestly to increase fiber and get our nutrients from food instead of pills we
find that we are consuming considerably more calories than a weight diet
usually allows. So, what are we going to
do?
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