Alternative Health Blog

The Alternative Health Blog is presenting “Stay Younger Longer Week” from Sept. 22 through Sept. 27.

Women know all about how menopause can lead to weight gain. In fact, they are clear that the extra pounds seem to materialize in the perimenopause years when irregular periods, intermittent hot flashes and other symptoms signal  the life phase change.

Men are less clued about a natural tendency to gain weight as they grow older. Yes, all adults will gain weight if they are sedentary as they grow older, mostly because our bodies naturally produce less human growth hormone (HGH), which tends to be a fat burner and muscle builder. But lots of men are affected by a drop in testosterone. The male hormone is predominantly connected with libido (Saturday’s entry for Stay Younger Longer Week is sex appeal). But testosterone is also a highly efficient fat-burning substance.

Some practitioners might talk to women about hormone replacement therapy and to men about testosterone medications. Here at Alternative Health Blog, we scour for options that keep you away from the pharmacy as much as possible. So here are two lifestyle changes that can help you stay younger—and leaner—longer.

It’s not exactly a stunner to report that working out as we age can hold off weight gain. But it’s important to note that a brand-new study from the University of Pittsburgh shows that regular exercise is what helps the body to shed fat and retain muscle, as compared to a diet-only strategy in which you will lose the same pounds but in combination of fat and, less desirable, muscle or lean body mass.

While lean body mass is good for looking younger (even buff if that’s your thing), the retention of muscle even more importantly allows us to keep our sense of balance and agility as we age. You will be more independent and less prone to falls and other mishaps that can throttle quality of life.

A growing number of studies are linking increased intensity with burning fat, adding muscle and, nice, increasing the body’s natural production of human growth hormone. Bottom line: Add short all-out bursts to your cardio workout for the greatest HGH boost. “All-out” means at least 90 percent of the hardest you can walk/run/swim/cycle. Do no more than 30 seconds hard, followed by no less than 90 seconds at a recovery pace. You can add up to eight of these 30-90 cycles during one or two workouts each week.

The second strategy is eat smaller, more frequent meals. A new federal study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that eating big meals can contribute to the gain of body fat in older adults. Researchers discovered that volunteers in their 60s and 70s burned fat and calories in equal amounts to 20-year-olds in the study when the meals were 500 calories or less. But when the meals approached 1,000 calories (in this case, two peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches plus a large glass of milk), the older adults burned fat at a rate 30 percent lower than the 20-somethings.

The study is the first of its kind and was conducted at the highly respected Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. More research is required, but the findings are worth factoring into daily life without any wait.

“Body fat typically doubles between the ages of 20 and 50 to 60 years old,” said Susan Roberts, lead author of the studies. She said smaller mini-meals—not less overall food in a day—can help you stay leaner and better protected against heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Bob Condor blogs for Alternative Health Journal every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.