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Imagine if someone told you twenty - even ten - years ago that there are ways you could slow down the aging process. Slowing this process down would have sounded farfetched – and with good reason because, until the last ten years or so, aging was considered inevitable and once we got past a certain age there was nothing we could do to slow the outgoing tide. All of us want to live a long and healthy life. But if you carry excess body fat on your frame and are in fact overweight, though, you may be setting yourself up for a shorter lifespan than the one you expected. Excess body fat is directly linked to so many diseases and conditions that it can no longer be thought of as solely a cosmetic or superficial issue. Heart disease, diabetes, cancer, immune dysfunction and metabolic disorders are just the tip of the iceberg. The more body fat you have on your frame, the higher your risk of leaving this world well before your time. So why do the majority of us seem to find it so easy to pack on the pounds after age 30, becoming overweight without really being aware of it until it has happened? And at the same time losing the attributes and features that defined our youth – strength, energy, vitality, immunity, wellness, vigor, skin tone, and memory? We now know the reason for this shift in our body composition (lean muscle/fat ratio) is the fact that we lose lean body mass (muscle) starting in our mid 20's, continuing throughout our lives. That is unless we do enough strength building and maintaining activity. Our muscle tissue (or lack of it) is the mechanism that drives our metabolism (our body's engine) and this loss of muscle is the primary longevity factor. It is totally within each of our control to re-grow and reactivate muscle tissue to enhance our overall energy production (we burn more calories) and we can burn off this excess body fat that is threatening our health and our very existence. The way we do this is with a proper strength training exercise program. This will maintain your fat burning machinery to lower your body fat levels along with increasing your energy, strengthening your bones and joints, improving your mood, fortifying your immunity from serious disease and even enhancing your memory. To keep you in good health and allow you to live a long life it is crucial to have a healthy and strong metabolism. And the only way to keep it in good health is to keep your muscles strong. As the things we do in our modern everyday life can not be considered 'work' anymore and can never strengthen our muscles, our exercise program is not an 'option' but a necessity.
If you are new to exercise it is important that you seek the help of a fitness professional to set up your program and teach you how to perform it properly. You will need just 2-3 sessions each week to keep your muscles in good working order to stop you storing excess body fat. We now know that only about 30 percent of the aging process is genetically determined. The other 70 percent is linked to lifestyle so there is a lot you can do to give yourself not only a longer life span but a longer health span as well.
Do you want to discover the secret to rejuvenating your body and improving the quality of your life? Download my free ebook "I've Found the Fountain of Youth- Let Me Show You Too!" here: Physical Wellness For Free Fitness Report here Fitness Weight Loss Carolyn Hansen is a certified fitness expert and fitness center owner who coaches clients to look and feel younger.
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