My Middle Age Is Spreading...
My middle age is spreading…
I don’t think anyone who’s made it this far thinks the fabled middle age spread is a secret or a myth.
You’re not crazy. Studies have shown an increase in adipose tissue accompanied by a decrease in lean mass and a slowing metabolic rate as you age. That’s a pretty fancy way of saying as we get older we add fat to those hard-to-remove areas where we hate it the most while our beloved guns leave town.
We like research to verify the things we’re doing are scientifically sound – you’ll find citations at the bottom of this article – but you don’t need science to tell you we tend to get flabbier and lose muscle tone as we get older and changing it becomes more and more difficult.
There are a host of issues causing it and they’re not just physiological ones. There’s no denying we become more sedentary as we age. Add the fact that we’ve probably been neglecting our health for a while and it sets up a cycle that might sound familiar.
We get older, we’re a little busier with work and family and don’t spend as much time for exercise or a healthy diet as we should. Since our metabolism and hormones are starting to decrease things start going downhill faster and faster. The little time we make for exercise isn’t as effective as it used to be and, since we’re a bit older and – let’s face it – a little more broken down, it leaves a mark when we try. Throw in the fact that we’re so busy we often eat on the run or fail to make the time to prepare proper meals and it makes our attempts to exercise even less effective.
Now we’re heading downhill like an Olympic skier.
It’s awfully hard to change things when you have trouble making the time to exercise and eat properly. When you do it hurts, you’re avoiding old injuries or you’re grabbing a bite on the run. When you’re finally able to get into the gym and eat pretty well it doesn’t seem like it’s having much effect.
It’s easy to throw in the towel because it’s just too much hassle.
Take heart because it only takes a few tweaks to change it all and you’ll get far better results than you imagined. It takes less time than you’ve been led to believe and you’ll discover eating food that’s healthy, delicious and works towards your goals is a lot easier than you think.
Let’s get started…
Our goal is to get rid of the stubborn fat around our middle and to preserve or put on some muscle.
We really don’t need a clinical trial to tell us that our bellies, butts and thighs are getting bigger while our biceps – and all our other muscles – are shrinking but science shows these things are happening. Let’s use it to direct our efforts.
Don’t let anyone tell you it can’t be done because the principles are the same no matter how old you are. We just have to operate in a manner that’s conducive to our age and level of activity. I promise, whether you’re forty, fifty or even in your sixties, you can get jacked if that’s what you really want. If you just want to lose a bit of weight and get a little stronger we can do that too and one is a stepping stone to the other.
The best news is they’re all stepping stones to becoming healthier and there’s nothing better than getting older while getting healthier.
Let’s break it down to a few simple things we need to address:
We need to eat an amount that’s appropriate for our age, body type and level of activity.
We need to exercise in a manner that burns fat but also, at a minimum, preserves muscle mass or, ideally, adds to it.
We need to arrange our eating and exercise so they’re compatible with our lifestyle and can be easily executed over a long period of time.
None of these items are earth shattering nor do they require doing anything extraordinary.
With those three principles in mind let’s realize:
Whether you’re an infant or an old man, there’s an amount of food that will maintain your current body weight. Less reduces it while more increases it.
There’s an amount and type of exercise that will burn fat from your internal stores while allowing you to add muscle (as long as the right factors are present) and it can be done in about an hour a few days per week.
We already have a lifestyle that includes eating and some form of activity so arranging all of this so it fits into what we’re already doing doesn’t require quitting our jobs, joining a monastery or renouncing all forms of pleasure.
Let’s see what’s needed.
1. We need to eat an amount that’s appropriate for our age, body type and level of activity.
No matter your age or level of activity there’s an amount of energy from food (calories) that’s appropriate.
Eat that amount and your weight will stay the same. Go over it and you’ll get heavier as your body stores the extra calories as fat. Eat less and your body is going to have to burn some of the fat you already have in order to meet its current energy needs.
Humans have survived for millennia because of the body’s miraculous ability to convert anything we put into our mouth into usable energy – in the form of calories – if at all possible. All of our clients will tell you how often the idea is drummed into them that our bodies will only do two things with a calorie – burn it or store it. Ignore this at your own peril.
All of us can remember a time when we could party or hang out until all hours with impunity. Wasn’t it great when we could eat freely with no consequences? That didn’t mean there wasn’t a balance point. It just meant at that age it was difficult eating enough to exceed it.
I don’t think it’s a stretch nor is it hard for anyone to believe that the number of calories you get to eat now isn’t what it used to be back in the good old days but there’s still a number and as long as we eat that amount it will all work out.
2. We need to exercise in a manner that burns fat while, at a minimum, preserves muscle mass or, ideally, adds to it.
I’ve never met anyone who hasn’t exercised at some point in their life and we don’t have a client, acquaintance or family member who hasn’t admitted they need to get a little more.
We can agree on what science tells us – that exercise is a good thing – we just need a program that helps us banish the belly and butt while adding some real estate to the guns. Fortunately, studies have shown that lifting heavy weights, where heavy is relative to you, is the best way to burn fat while keeping or adding muscle.
Deep down we also know it would be good for us to add some overall strength as well. We all dream of things we’d love to do when we get the time and money. Some of them are things we might be having a hard time with or see our peers no longer able to do.
It’s no stretch of the imagination to think those who want to add a bit of beef to their frame might need to lift some weights. What’s not always apparent is just how effective lifting weights is for removing body fat. There’s nothing better except learning you’re going to do more than just lose some weight.
You’re going to change the shape of your body while adding definition in all the right places. You’re going to get stronger and more confident and you’re going to be able to do all those things you’ve dreamed about.
With the exception of lifting weights to lose fat most of what we said in our first two points is fairly common knowledge. Where it falls apart is our third point, putting it all together so it works and it’s sustainable.
3. We need to arrange our eating and exercise so they’re compatible with our lifestyle and can be easily executed over a long period of time.
This is where science meets the nuts and bolts of everyday life and, for most people, where it breaks down. Almost anyone can drum up enough willpower and self-discipline to do one of the many programs out there for three months or so and make incredible changes to their body.
But the minute you leave that program is usually when you head right back where you came from.
As clichéd as it is, you’re going to have to make a lifestyle change. That’s nothing more than changing the way you think about and see things while arranging your current life so it satisfies the requirements for your goals.
If you want to have a healthy weight or a jacked physique forever don’t you need to do those things forever?
Other things in life like getting married and starting out in life required changing your lifestyle. So did becoming a parent, holding down a job and having a successful career. How would it have worked out if you hadn’t?
That’s not earthshattering but why would you think being healthy isn’t a lifelong pursuit?
None of this means you have to give up delicious food, going out with friends or having a good time. I promise, we’re going to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day and all the other holidays and special occasions. You can even celebrate your birthday in style each and every year.
We’ve had them every year so far and they’re already on the calendar so it’s probably in our best interest to figure out a way to enjoy them while being healthy. It just takes a little navigation.
To sum it up, we need a workout program that emphasizes lifting weights with some exercise for cardiovascular health. We need to be able to eat delicious food that works towards our goals and we need to make it simple so we can still enjoy great times with family and friends.
Let’s face it we’re all going to have a body of some sort for the rest of our lives. Why spend those years in one that makes us uncomfortable or prevents us from doing the things we want?
The best part is if we don’t like it we can change it. The power to do so is completely within our control.
If we can make the points we discussed a normal part of our everyday life – and do them without thinking – then the results we want to see will become an automatic result of those processes.
Our coaching programs are designed to help you build something that works instead of forcing you into something you can’t sustain. There are certain requirements that have to be met but learning to fit them into your lifestyle is the key to making all of it automatic.
As we’ve always said, “Once you learn to enjoy the journey the destination is guaranteed.“
Spend a few months doing a lifestyle transformation and it will pay dividends that last forever.
Contact us if you’re ready for something new and join the hundreds who have made dramatic changes to their health, fitness and physique.
Palmer A, Jensen M. Metabolic Changes in Aging Humans: Current Evidence and Therapeutic Strategies. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 15 August 2022.
Volpi E, Nazemi R, Fujita S. Muscle tissue changes with aging. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2004 Jul;7(4):405-10. doi: 10.1097/01.mco.0000134362.76653.b2. PMID: 15192443; PMCID: PMC2804956.
Law TD, Clark LA, Clark BC. Resistance Exercise to Prevent and Manage Sarcopenia and Dynapenia. Annu Rev Gerontol Geriatr. 2016;36(1):205-228. doi: 10.1891/0198-8794.36.205. PMID: 27134329; PMCID: PMC4849483.
Cava E, Yeat NC, Mittendorfer B. Preserving Healthy Muscle during Weight Loss. Adv Nutr. 2017 May 15;8(3):511-519. doi: 10.3945/an.116.014506. PMID: 28507015; PMCID: PMC5421125.
Eglseer D, Traxler M, Embacher S, Reiter L, Schoufour JD, Weijs PJM, Voortman T, Boirie Y, Cruz-Jentoft A, Bauer S; SO-NUTS consortium. Nutrition and Exercise Interventions to Improve Body Composition for Persons with Overweight or Obesity Near Retirement Age: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Adv Nutr. 2023 May;14(3):516-538. doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2023.04.001. Epub 2023 Apr 6. PMID: 37028708; PMCID: PMC10201832.
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