Aging body parts: changing shape with diet and exercise

Courtesy of ankaswimwear

Many of us take pleasure jeering at mid life aging body parts such as cellulite, bingo wings, saggy booty and oh, let us not forget the crepey cleavage. As we age and we all do, it is easy to become obsessed about our body parts. The given names may seem jovial, but they are no laughing matter. As we age and reluctantly accept our image, we tend to compromise with ourselves to declare it as, “aging gracefully”, but finding the energy or the strength to modify our form is a whole different dilemma.

One of the most important lifestyle transformations that can happen to a person is to improve body composition. Improving our body composition can reduce our risk to many age related chronic diseases. One may ask, “What is body composition?” It is basically body fat and our lean body mass. Lean body mass includes organs, tissues, bones and muscles.

We definitely need fat in our body and hopefully we get it through consuming the right kind of fat in our diets. But when there is an excess of fat compared to the relation of lean body mass, our body composition becomes altered and triggers the initiation of diseases.

Our bodies need muscle to burn the calories we take in per day. Strength and energy are present with the right amount of muscle. This is how we keep our shapes. So, it is easy to see why building muscle mass can play a huge role in healthy aging.

As we age, we tend to lose muscle due to lack of exercise and a few other factors like our body’s response to diet. Sarcopenia is a medical term that describes this aging process. Our cells become resistant to the action of insulin which can lead to a reduced ability to burn calories and muscle loss. Less energy takes place with increased blood sugar levels and weight gain occurs. All these factors lead to accelerated aging and an altered body composition.

To achieve an ideal body composition, here is what can be practiced:

• Balanced diet
• Exercise which includes aerobic, strength training and flexibility
• Stress reduction – keep hormones balanced
• Proper supplements can insure all vitamins and minerals are consumed
• Sleep--quality and depth and getting 8-9 hours per night.

Age shouldn’t matter. We can reestablish our diets and boost our energy levels at any time in our lives to reap the benefits of health.