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Q. My friends have recently begun talking about their metabolism slowing down as they approach 40. The ten pounds which used to be easy to loose is no longer coming off with a few days of dieting and the old exercise routing isn’t having the same effects. Is something going on inside that we don’t know about? Is there an exercise routine which helps? A. Yes Cynthia, something is going on. What you and your friends notice is very real. Around the age of 35 (some studies even say as early as age 30), most women lose 1/2 to 1/3 of a pound of muscle each year and gain at least that much in body fat. Since each pound of body fat uses an estimated 5 calories per day and each pound of lean muscle mass burns approximately 50 calories per day, losing muscle mass and replacing it with fat slows down your metabolism drastically. With that slow down comes weight gain even if your eating habits did not change. The good news is there is a way to change these effects and it's not aerobic activity. Aerobic activity does not replace or help to maintain muscle mass. The type of exercise that will maintain and replace lean muscle mass is strength training. The type of program I advise for ladies is a circuit type program that works the whole body. This is a very time efficient and effective way for ladies to exercise. The results that ladies get from this type of strength training are long lean feminine muscle tone and the positive physiological effects that go along with it, such as increased metabolism.
Other recently asked questions: WorkoutsForWomen.com provides home exercise programs for today's busy women, under the guidance of a certified personal trainer.
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