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It is common for people to gain weight as they get older no matter how much they watch what they eat. This is because the metabolic rate (the rate we burn fuel) slows down due to a loss of muscle tissue. Even if a person continues to eat the same amount of food as they always have their weight will creep up. The only way to put the brakes on increasing body fat accumulation is to keep your muscle tissue in good condition right through your adult years otherwise around one half a pound is lost up to age 50 then the rate doubles. Because you cannot actually see this loss it is easy to disregard it. But this loss is responsible for accelerated aging and a decline in health as one gets older. Muscle tissue makes up to 50 per cent of body weight and is the engine of the body determining how much fuel (calories) are burned every minute of the day and night. A loss of just a couple of pounds of muscle means that less fuel is burnt for maintenance and energy and more is stored as excess body fat. This is commonly called the 'middle aged spread' which means more body fat and less muscle tissue. So, it is not a problem of simply being overweight it is a body composition (muscle/fat ratio) issue. But you can change this ratio by getting started on an exercise program that contains mostly strength training exercise. This will rebuild and tone up soft unused muscles. It will also strengthen bones, joints, tendons and ligaments. All of these positive changes have a huge impact on physical strength and fitness, appearance, energy levels along with boosting the metabolic rate so that excess body fat can be burned up. Increased strength and firm toned muscles go together hand in hand. Imagine how great it will feel when you can lift that heavy box, rearrange your furniture without help, carry a sleeping child with ease and lug the groceries into the house. As those muscles become more toned you will notice a difference in how you feel as well as look, with less body fat and a firmer leaner body. The loss of muscle and bone strength is one of the most damaging aspects of the process of aging that comes from our modern day mostly sedentary lives. Many people mistakenly believe that as they get older that they do not need to be physically active anymore. But this actually could not be further away from the truth. We need to do more and work harder to keep our strength as we get older not less. The reason so many people become overweight and slow down is simply that over the years their muscle strength has decreased, so their physical performance also decreases, a classic example of the 'use it or lose it' scenario. For many people this muscle and joint pain along with the gradual loss of function is happening at younger and younger ages, even starting in the twenties or thirties. For many proper exercise is something we know we should do, but we choose not to. We can live like this for years while a slow and barely noticeable decline in overall health is happening. That is until something happens to draws our attention to it. An injury, chronic pain or becoming incapacitated and having to be off work might be what it takes for us to wake up and take notice. Some of us begin an exercise program and take an active role in looking after our fitness and strength. After all if we don't who else is going to? We need to understand that our bodies are engineered to be active...very active. Our modern day lives do not have enough physical activity in them so intentional exercise is now not optional and necessary for us to remain slim, trim and healthy. There is absolutely no valid reason we all cannot be physically active and retain our strength so we can live a healthy vibrant life until the very day we die.
My name is Carolyn Hansen, and my goal is to show you how to automate your weight loss by mastering your metabolism in as little as 30 days. I have been doing it for years, and you can do it too. Come find out how.
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