Is a Healthy Body Top on Your New Year’s List?

The number one New Year’s resolution continues to be to lose weight. What about flipping this around and resolving instead to have a healthy body without focusing on weight?
How did weight come to be a universal focus when wanting to make a change to improve health?
Weight is easy to measure, and we’ve been told by many experts that if we don’t set a measurable goal, we can’t reach our goal. Without a number, our goal remains a fuzzy concept that quickly dissolves in the face of work and home life demands.
The focus on weight ignores several key health concepts. First, weight is relative. What really counts for our health is body mass index (BMI), which considers our weight, height and build.[1]
BMI = (divide weight in kilograms by height in meters)/height. Online conversion tools with allow you to convert metrics to pounds and feet. A normal weight is a BMI of 18.5–24.9. In some cases, serious athletes with more than average muscle mass may appear overweight using BMI. This can be checked by pinching your waist area to check for fat levels. More scientifically, you can measure waist to hip ratios by dividing waist size by hip size. For women, a waist circumference of 80 centimeters (cm) or 31.5 inches or less is considered healthy.
As we age, we lose muscle mass, which is replaced by fat and fibrous tissue.[2] Above 50 years of age we lose 15% of muscle strength each decade, which is largely due to loss of muscle mass.[3] This is partly due to hormone decrease but our behavior plays a role.
This loss is not inevitable. We can age in a healthy way by continuing to exercise to reduce muscle loss, build muscle and reduce fat increases.
How can you exercise so you age in a healthy way? Listen to our December podcast: “Episode 3 L4: Strong, Active, and Fabulous at 50up with Tina Tang, Fitness Trainer” to hear her tips and advice for 50up women.
Other ways to work in exercise even if you have a busy schedule or can’t get out of the house are to use phone apps or online videos or website, buy an under the desk exercise elliptical or desk bike or a desk walking treadmill. If you can’t access any of these, you can walk up and down stairs, walk to store, or do yardwork or work in a community garden. Always consult your physician before starting a new exercise program.
Happy, Healthy New Year, L4 friends!
 
[1] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321003
[2] https://aspenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jpen.2030
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3940510/