|
|
Fitness
and Nutritional Needs for Aging Women
Author:
Benedict Smythe
 Midlife, for most
women, means having to face the painful reality that life will be a
downhill slope from there. The focal point of life for most women is
at age 39 (yet most women consider middle age to occur only at 40). It
is often at this stage that women experience menopausal symptoms and
start gaining layers of fat on their bodies. These are the reasons why
women have different nutritional
needs during these years.
Fitness for Aging Women
For women who are starting to age, the strongest influence on body fat
distribution is still genetics. Yet there are many ways to counter
obesity or rapid weight gain during the process of aging. Here are
some great ways:
Women, at this stage, should be encouraged to maintain (if not add
more) physical activities. Arthritis should not be a deterring factor
to perform any kind of chores or sports activities. It is also
preferable that an aging woman would have at least 30 minutes of
moderate intensity activity each day. Walking is a good way to spend
these 30 minutes and so is aerobic exercise. Aerobics burn calories
and causes fat loss (plus it is not as strenuous as other types of
workouts).
For more calorie-burning moves and muscle toning, it's also good to
try weight training. Weightlifting can help reduce body fat by burning
calories. Lifting different weights increases an older person's
metabolic rate to its youthful level. Weightlifting is also important
in building bone tissues-which is a great way of fighting
osteoporosis.
Nutritional Requirements for Aging Women
Women who are over 40 years of age should have a daily consumption of
3-4 servings of low fat dairy food. This is to have a sufficient
provision of calcium which is a very important mineral for aging
persons. The non-dairy sources of calcium include fish, fortified
breakfast cereals, some types of nuts, green vegetables, and beans. If
calcium supplements are prescribed
by a physician, then the best absorption rate is at 500-600mg once or
twice each day. For those who have inadequate sun exposure,
Vitamin D supplements may
be a necessity.
A serving of lean protein to each meal would help an aging person feel
full longer. Fish is a good source of protein and
weight loss is better achieved by
consuming fish rather than meat.
Aging women should have more fiber on their diets. Fibrous foods stop
hunger pangs and they even cause toxins to be flushed out of your
system. Aside from flushing toxins out of your system, fiber also
keeps your energy levels high and your blood sugar at its normal
level.
After the menopausal stage, the iron requirements for women decrease
(this is because iron is no longer lost due to menstruation). Thus,
the iron requirement for postmenopausal women would be the same as the
requirement for adult men which is 8.7mg/day.
Vitamin C is highly important for aging women because it protects the
immune system by increasing white blood cell production and increasing
interferon levels (necessary in keeping viruses away from healthy
cells). Vitamin C is also best at fighting certain types of cancer.
Women have different nutritional and physical needs as they age; yet
they can still maximize their energy by being physically active and
eating a well-balanced diet.
Article Source:
http://www.articlesbase.com/anti-aging-articles/fitness-and-nutritional-needs-for-aging-women-622348.html
About the Author:
Supplement Centre is a leading store for Body Building and Sports
Nutrition products from leading brands such as
Prolab,
Muscletech
and Optimum
Nutrition
Additional Information and
webpage by Paul Susic MA Licensed
Psychologist Ph.D. Candidate
|
|
