One thing is for sure we will all go through it at some point, middle age that is. Maybe your hair is getting a little grey, or you notice that hangover is much worse these days, or your sleep patterns are changing. Your energy levels have slipped just as your metabolism has slowed. Your parents are looking elderly and need extra help or you have sadly lost them, you have friends or a partner with health scares, you hear words like peri-menopausal and friends are getting HRT treatments. Hormone changes mean that body fat accumulates around your middle, you can put on up to 2 kilos every four years during middle age and typically women gain an average of 4.5kg in menopause.
Ok, that’s the bad news, what can we do about it?
The good news is that middle age is not what it used to be. We now know much more about what benefits positive lifestyle changes can make and for some people middle age is an opportunity to have the time to refocus on themselves and reinvent their way of life. Nowadays instead of a fancy sports car it is more likely a carbon road bike or a personal trainer that is the mid-life crisis purchase. For most people our genes are only responsible for 20 percent of the risk that can lead to causes of death the rest of it is up to us, so we have the chance to change and redesign the rest of our lives, so that we can live a healthy and fulfilled life.
In midlife our nutritional needs change from our earlier years, we need foods full of vitamins and minerals along with the need to train our bodies with resistance training to guard against the loss of muscle mass and especially for women decreases in bone density.
We need more lean protein, good carbs and plenty of probiotics, probably less calories as our metabolic rate decreases by 2 per cent each decade.
At Body planners we have a high percentage of clients over 40 and have trainers who understand the unique changes that both men and especially women encounter as they age. Mid-life is a time for reflection and for a lot of our clients reinvention, we have many examples of people who had not really trained or at least undertaken regular structured training programmes. These people have seen reductions in weight, body fat and stress, they have come off medication and reduced symptoms that they have had for years. They have found new hobbies; marathons, park runs, cycling, hiking and triathlons, which in turn has given them new focus and goals for their training.
So if you are feeling the mid-life slump or dreading the menopause don’t give up, get in touch with us and find that mid-life can be marvellous.
Check out our website for further details.
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