CHENNAI : I recently turned 40, and suddenly realised that my age is showing on my body. Please help me reduce the signs of ageing.
Ageing is inevitable, we cannot stop the clock, but we can slow down the ticking. Nothing brings on age faster than stress, junk food and a sedentary lifestyle. Regular exercise along with a good diet can do wonders to beat your chronological and biological age. Your chronological age is the numerical age of your body and biological age is the functional capacities of your overall health of the organs, tissues, cells and physical fitness.
I used to weigh 50 kg in my 20s and hardly put on weight. Now in my mid-30s, it is so difficult to lose weight even if I am regularly working out.
People tend to gain fat as they age due to a reduction in metabolism caused by a gradual loss of muscle starting in the mid-20s. The average person loses approximately 200 gm of muscle per year beginning in their mid 20s, and gains approximately one pound of fat.
Each lost pound of muscle depresses the body’s metabolism by about 40 calories a day. By the mid 40s this adds up to a loss of 10 pounds or 4.5 kg of muscle and a gain of 20 pounds or 9 kg of fat on average. To fight this weight gain, the natural reaction is dieting which further leads to loss in muscle mass.
I am diabetic and it’s one of the primary reasons I am exhausted during workouts. Is there anything I can do to control it?
Glucose levels swing dramatically during exercise. People with diabetes should monitor their levels carefully before, during, and after workouts. They should probably avoid exercise if glucose levels are above 300 mg/dL or under 100 mg/dL. People with diabetes should drink plenty of fluids. Before exercising, they should avoid alcohol and certain medications, such as beta-blockers, which increase the risk of hypoglycemia.