Well, it’s happened. I’m not sure exactly when, but I’ve lost my waist. I’m missing it terribly and begrudging my midlife midsection. Do I go quietly into the night with these body changes, or is there hope that I can be fit and maintain wellness with a plan that works into my lifestyle as the years tick by?
What changes?
If you’re moving through life in my generation or earlier, it’s likely you’ve noticed more than a few physical changes that aren’t particularly exciting. This bigger waistline is one of them. Even without weight gain, hormone levels change (who needs to tell us that?) and we tend to lose muscle and gain fat, which causes an increase in our waist measurement and less tone, more flab. Our metabolism slows. Muscle burns calories, fat doesn’t. So, when we’ve lost muscle mass, we need fewer calories each day. If we continue to eat the same amount of food we always have, we are likely to see the pounds creep up on the old scale.
I vacillate between accepting these body changes and ramping up the effort to minimize these shifts. I know that an increase in waist measurement increases the risk for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, premature death, pretty much everything. But I know that aside from natural aging, other things have changed in my life that have contributed to my changing body. I have always been a great sleeper. Head on the pillow, asleep. Sleep through the night and wake up just before the alarm goes off. No need for the snooze button. No longer. Enter menopause, a busy office practice and now I’m falling asleep during my favorite TV show and wide awake at 3 am.
I love my work, but I sit in my lovely office all day long. And I no longer work an 8 hour day, more like 10-12 on a routine basis. (You probably heard the recent news that long work hours for women increase their probability of diabetes. Yet another factor upping my likelihood). My chair drains my energy and I go to the gym half as much as I used to, probably less than half if I’m being honest. I no longer have kids at home, so it seems more acceptable not to put a meal on the table (it isn’t, of course).
Perhaps I’m an eternal optimist, but despite all the changes in my body’s workings and my lifestyle, I know there are realistic things I can do to age gracefully.
Manage eating habits
Rather than any of the fad diets, I’ve taken a look at my diet. There are two parts that need modifying. It has been shown that, on average, menopausal women need about 200 fewer calories a day to avoid weight gain. So, a little less food overall, and a cap on the eating after dinner, which is where I go overboard. A good rule of thumb is to have 70% of our food by dinner, and 30% at dinner, perhaps after, with at least 90 minutes before bedtime to promote restful sleep. The long work hours are triggering ghrelin, a hormone that makes us hungry when we’re tired and lacking sleep. Ghrelin is a beast that needs a big stick to keep at bay. My stick is to stay active until bedtime. This works on the falling asleep before bed issue as well, and helps me sleep through the night. I’m going to go to the gym more often after work, regardless of the number of hours spent at the office. I’ll be calling friends and family more often and taking care of chores around the house, so I’m reaping many benefits in staying away from the kitchen after dinner.
Boost daily activity level
There’s a lot to the fitness devices that trigger us to move every hour. Simple daily activities like chores and getting out of the chair on a regular basis increase non-exercise activity thermogenesis or NEAT. This in turn, ramps the calorie burn a bit. Looks like some wall push-ups, squats and laps around the office are in my future. Simple enough. I can do this.
Balance workouts
As we age, balanced workouts incorporating cardio and resistance work become even more important. (See guest blogger Kat’s July 26th post titled The Types of Physical Activity for good information). A varied program can offset hormonal and body composition changes that happen as we get older and contribute to a healthier metabolism. Strength training can add years to our lives, and more life to our years, with help not only in building muscle back and slowing/preventing some of the age-related loss, but decrease skeletal weakening, improve energy, and slow brain function changes that are also part of the changes in age. And, we all know it’s true; regardless of the lack of energy we go into the gym with, we have more energy when we leave. It’s the perfect antidote to the chair stealing all my energy during the day and allowing me to avoid the couch before bedtime.
Additional help
Studies on healthy aging also shows benefit from the following, some of which I’ve addressed in my plan for incorporation of the three principles above:
Evaluate your lifestyle and interests. If your interests have become more leisurely, evaluate your day and plan more standing and moving time. If you now hire help for house cleaning and yard work, consider whether you can or should do some of it on your own again. Find or reconnect with friends who have active lifestyles. Take up new hobbies that make you move.
Watch your alcohol intake. Calories from alcohol add up quickly, alcohol calories that are not burned go directly to fat stores, and alcohol makes us more likely to make poor food choices and eat without attention to portions. Limiting or avoiding alcohol cuts back on empty calories that offer no nutritional value. An easy way to drink less if you have more than one drink in a sitting is to have a calorie-free, non-alcoholic beverage between drinks.
Eat enough protein. Protein helps us stay full longer, so we can go 4 to 5 hours without food, and it helps build and repair our body’s tissues. The process of eating protein burns more calories, and research shows our need for protein increases as we age. Eat half your healthy weight in protein grams daily. For example, a target weight of 150# calculates to 75 grams of protein.
Combine carbs and protein each meal or snack. You’ll have higher and more stable energy levels, less thoughts of food and eating, fewer cravings, and get more nutrients in your diet. Choose healthy carbs that include fruit, whole grains like brown rice, lentils, beans such as kidney, pinto and garbanzos, and nonfat/lowfat milk and yogurts.
Stay hydrated. Our body will signal hunger when we’re actually thirsty, so keep up on your water intake to help keep your waistline in check. Water is the fluid our body needs for life, and getting half your healthy weight in ounces of water is a basic that should happen every day. Sipping throughout the day is more effective at hydrating than gulping down a large amount after we realize we’re thirsty (dehydrated). Get half your water intake by lunch and the other half by dinner; this will ensure you’re drinking throughout the day.
Karen Fisher, MS, RDN, CDE is a dietitian in Reno, Nevada, happily promoting the benefits of healthy foods at her nutrition consulting firm, Nutrition Connection. Find her website at www.NutritionConnectionNV.com
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