Читать книгу Body Blitz: 5 Simple Steps to Permanent Fat Loss - Joanna Hall - Страница 15

As we get older we actually start to lay down more body fat. This is due to several factors:

1. METABOLIC RATE

After the age of 30 if we are inactive we actually start to lose muscle mass at a rate of ¹/₃–¹/₂ pound every two years. So if you weighed 10 stone at the age of 20 and you still weigh 10 stone at the age of 50, yet you have gone up two clothes sizes and you do not exercise – quite simply, you have lost muscle mass and gained body fat. As the body fat takes up more space, your clothes become tighter and your clothes size goes up. Muscle is metabolically active which means that it burns calories. So if we start to lose muscle mass we actually require less calories to do our everyday tasks. Long-term this means we can potentially be consuming the same number of calories at the age of 20 as at the age of 50 but when we are 50 these calories are not burnt off and we are more prone to laying down body fat. This puts our health at risk and we become frustrated with our shape and fitness.

2. HORMONES

As women start to approach the menopause we enter a stage known as peri menopause – at this time there is a change in our hormones, which may actually encourage our bodies to lay down more body fat.

3. STRESS

Yes, stress does make us fat! When we are experiencing long periods of chronic stress such as overwork, or emotional stresses such as a loss of a partner or moving home, there is a change in our metabolism that encourages increased secretion of the hormone cortisol. If this is left unchecked for long periods of time it encourages body fat to be laid down around our midriffs. Research has shown that storing body fat here actually puts us at a greater risk of heart disease.

Whilst this all may seem a little depressing, the best possible course of action you can take is also the most accessible and cheapest – get active! Taking structured exercise sessions and accumulating physical activity during the day has both a positive and immediate impact on your health and ability to control your weight. See Step Four for more about this.