Age Does Play a Factor in Weight Loss

 
“The older you get, the harder it is to lose weight.” I can’t remember a time this wasn’t a belief that was crammed down women’s throats.

When I was in my twenties and thirties, I was convinced this was just a bunch of hogwash. Then… well, then… I got older. I experienced first hand the challenges older women deal with. Menopause, hormones, elder parent care, running a business and on and on.

But here’s the deal…

Although there are definite metabolic changes and life happenings that occur which have an impact on our weight, truth be told, we are not at the mercy of our hormones.
 

Permit me to explain…

 
As a 62 (soon to be 63) year old woman, I’m in one of the healthiest shapes in my life. There are a few reasons for this that I will share later in this post. First though, let’s look at why the majority of older women are out of shape and overweight.

Over 60 percent of U.S. adult women are overweight, according to 2007 estimates from the National Center for Health Statistics of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Just over one-third of overweight adult women are obese.

But I digress.
 

It Gets Worse

 
Overweight and obesity problems continue to get worse by the day in the U.S.  The primary reasons are:

• Increased portion sizes (can you say Supersize me?)
• Minimal exercise time
• Lack of consistency in exercise
• Driving virtually everywhere

The obesity epidemic is just that… an epidemic. It’s shocking and it’s not something we have to be a part of. As someone who has dealt with ups and downs with my weight most of my adult life, I do know that much of my weight challenges had to do with how much of certain foods I ate as well as how little I moved.

 
Food is Addictive

 
The frightening thing is that food manufacturers have done a stellar job of creating foods that are addictive. There’s something called The Bliss Factor as explained in Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss. Suffice it to say, we have been manipulated into getting hooked on sugar, salt and fat. Knowing this gives us the opportunity to do something about it.

When you think of all the diseases we are dealing with, many we can minimize our risk with. Heart disease, stroke, many forms of cancer and diabetes just to name a few. I’m not saying all disease is preventable, but I am saying, we can be very proactive about our health thus having more energy, vitality and spunk.

I Hit a All Time High

 
My own story is such that when the scale tipped to 212 pounds in my late 50’s, I was not a happy camper. If anything, I was frustrated, felt frumpy, didn’t like what I saw in the mirror (to the point I would avoid mirrors) and blamed my weight gain on my age and hormones.

My greatest weight gain happened during the time I was care-taking my mom over a two year period before her death. It was an emotionally charged time and food was my best friend… until my best friend became my worst enemy.

With a stern warning from my doctor that I wasn’t getting any younger and I was setting myself up for major medical problems like heart disease, stroke and diabetes, I woke up to the fact that I could have more control than I had given myself credit for.
 

Time For A Change

 
It was during the drive home from my doctor appointment, I had a heart-to-heart talk with myself. I acknowledged that the way I looked and felt had more to do with the amount of crap I put into my body than anything. Lots of candy bars, sugar, pasta, breads and junk food were more the culprit than my age.

I was ready to make necessary changes. I made the most obvious changes to my eating. Then came exercise.

What about you? Where is your health at right now? Have you been using your age as the reason you are not in the kind of shape you know you are capable of? Have you been saying, “Tomorrow. I’ll make the changes tomorrow.”

Truth is… tomorrow is NOT where our power resides. Today is. This moment is.
 

Decide

 
The first thing that needs to happen is to decide you DON’T want to live by the status quo. This is a huge part of achieving success at anything.

Secondly, you must be conscientious about what you’re putting into your mouth. Yup! The old saying, “Garbage in, garbage out!” is more true than ever.

By the same token, “Good stuff in, good stuff out.”

Third, you have to move. No way around this one. And yet, you don’t have to be extreme about your movement. Walking is one of the best movements you can participate in.

Granted, it may be that your weight is preventing you from taking even a short walk. If that’s the case, come up with a plan to lose some weight and work into an exercise program.

Change Can Happen in 30 Days

 
Be sure to check out my 30 Day Challenge. Every month I have a different challenge for 30 days. There will be a few on eating, exercise and weight management.

The main thing is, commit to change. The more you take control of your daily choices, the more control you will have in all areas of your life.

I see this with women who own their own business. They get so caught up in running their businesses, they forget to take care of themselves. Believe me, I’ve been guilty of this. Yet, I know that when I take care of my mind, body and soul, my business runs a lot smoother. I am also better able to fully serve my market and my clients.

Moving forward, the three areas you need to be aware of for a healthy lifestyle are:

• What you eat
• How much you move
• Mindset

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