Anti-Aging Strategies

Being overweight may not be as unhealthy as some think. It is not actually a direct risk factor for developing heart disease or experiencing sudden death. By itself, it won't shorten your life. It does, however, predispose an individual toward such risk factors as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes. Over the years, we have concluded that excess weight is bad for us because in most cases, it is accompaniedor even in part causedby a sedentary lifestyle that allows the body to deteriorate while it increases in size. Then, too, we've been conditioned to see excess weight as physically unattractive. The next step to regarding obesity as unhealthy is to be too short.

The fact is that there is little evidence to indicate that excess weight, all by itself, is seriously bad for youthe exception being, of course, cases of such extreme obesity where the heart simply can't handle the load. Even a relatively high cholesterol count can be mitigated by a favorable high-density to low-density lipid ratio (the legendary good fat/bad fat mix), which can frequently be achieved by exercise. Body types also differ, and what's too much weight for one person is not for someone else. We can't judge everyone on the same scale. Now, if only someone would break the news to Hollywood and Madison Avenue....

The real issue in weight gain is psychological. Gaining weight can make you feel bad about yourselfjust another stressor you don't need. Those of us who have worked in diet clinics can recognize and appreciate the low self-esteem of individuals there for help losing weight.

Nonetheless, it comes as no surprise that there is far too much obesity in American culture. With the strong association our culture makes between inactivity and luxury, along with some of the food values we treasure, the only thing that's truly surprising is that more people aren't overweight. Have you heard how hard it is for American tourists to fit into Japanese bus seats?

Is weight gain an inevitable part of the aging process? We do tend to gain fat and lose muscle mass as we age, yet such a change need not be inevitable. Midlife weight gain comes less from physiological factors (though our nutritional needs do change) than from living an increasingly sedentary existence. In short, we tend to sit on our butts more.

When was the last time you played nine hard innings, four nonstop quarters, or three sets? Or when did you last try to keep up with a four year old for a day? Because of desk jobs and an inevitable, if not incremental, loss of muscle strengtha vicious circlewe ultimately end up just not as active as we once were.