Staying Fit
As you go through life, you gain wisdom, empathy and experience. At age 50 and beyond, many women feel more grateful for each passing day, more confident in their decisions, and more able to make better choices about how to spend their time.
But age 50 is also when aging starts to take its toll on your physical health, experts say, prompting changes that can be unexpected.
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For women, the fluctuating hormone levels that come with menopause exacerbate the effects of aging on the body, says Kathryn Rexrode, M.D., chief of the division of women’s health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Menopause officially occurs one year after a woman has her last menstrual period; in the United States, the average age for menopause is 51.
"For women, 50 is an age which is an inflection point, when biologic aging is catching up,” Rexrode says. “Women say, ‘What’s happening to my body? It used to act this one way, and now it’s acting differently.'"
The good news is that there is a lot you can do to respond to those changes. “Yes, we need to accept certain changes in our bodies, but there are many things we can do to keep our bodies healthy and vibrant as we age,” Rexrode says.
We talked to Rexrode and other experts to find out what to expect and what you need to know to age gracefully.
1. You may get a belly
If you’ve always had an hourglass figure, your 50s can be a rude awakening. You can eat the same foods and exercise the same as you always have, yet your waistline may start to disappear.
Estrogen signals your body to store fat in your breasts, buttocks and thighs to prepare for pregnancy. After menopause, when estrogen levels plummet, “women may notice a shift in their fat distribution – more in the belly rather than on the hips,” Rexrode explains.
Women gain on average about 1.5 pounds each year between age 50 and 60, studies show.
A thicker midsection doesn’t just make it tough to button your jeans. Studies have found that belly fat – known as visceral adipose tissue – is also harmful for your health.
The fix: Abdominal exercises alone won’t melt away belly fat. Instead, focus on overall weight loss by making healthy lifestyle changes. You can cut your daily calories with simple changes such as drinking less alcohol or not eating after 6 p.m. Then, find a way to boost your physical activity. Even a small increase makes a difference, but Rexrode recommends aiming for an hour of exercise a day (See “How to Lose Belly Fat After Age 50.”)
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