Fit at Fifty and Beyond

Our metabolism changes as we move from young adulthood into our fifties and beyond, and we need to change our approach to nutrition and exercise as a result. Many of us wonder What happened?—without changing our eating habits, we “suddenly" find ourselves both overweight and physically unable to do things that seemed easy just a few years ago. For most people, the natural changes associated with aging, along with a less active lifestyle, have led to increased weight and a loss of physical conditioning.
Fit at Fifty and Beyond combines the authors' expertise in aging and nutrition to provide practical suggestions for eating and exercise, and will help readers to look and feel better as the years go by. It provides basic information on how to avoid some of the effects that age can have on weight and fitness, and provides a basic “game plan" for getting into shape and staying that way. By using and applying this information as early as possible, it will prevent these changes from occurring in the first place.
If people continue to eat the same type and amounts of food as you get older, without increasing their activity level, they will gain weight, and they will gain it mainly as fat. A basic premise of this book is that preventing this process from occurring does not simply mean eating less and exercising more.
Understanding some of the changes associated with aging will allow readers to reach their ideal body weight with relatively little change in the amount you eat or the total amount of exercise or activity you do. By learning about the changes that occur as they grow older, they will find it easier to improve their health, well-being, and general overall appearance.
Beginning with a discussion of how evolution made it possible for us to store energy efficiently – which translates into weight gain as we age, the authors provide a strategy for eating and exercising wisely – not just more. Each chapter provides sample recipes that translate the guidelines into healthy and delicious meals. The emphasis in the sections on exercise is choosing an exercise program – and sticking to it – that fits each individual's personality and the activities they enjoy. Chapters deal with the inevitable lapses in both nutrition and exercise, as well as issues that affect people with medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis.