It may creep up on you, insidiously. One day you catch your image in a full-length mirror and wonder: Whoa, How did that happen? But instead of blaming your erratic workouts and sometimes insatiable appetite, you chalk up the extra padding on your hips to getting older. After all, metabolism slows significantly after age 30, doesn't it?
Not necessarily. Research shows that, on average, women put on about a pound a year between ages 30 and 40---but not because of an unavoidable metabolic meltdown. Metabolism may slacken a bit, but usually as the result of an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and loss of muscle loss.
"There's nothing special about the 30s that suddendly makes your body decide to get fat," says Dr. James Rippe, Director of the Centre for Clinical and Lifestyle Research in Shrewsbury, Mass. "But there are a number of circumstances that bombard women during this decade that can lead to weight gain."
The gaining trend is not inevitable, however. Here's how to recognize, and avoid falling into, the most common get-fat traps.
When you get married, you may find yourself eating what your spouse eats---and in the same quantities. "Men are bigger, so they eat more," says John Foreyt, director of the Nutrition Research Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "When women are with men, they eat more, too."
Is it possible to cohabit without overconsuming? Yes, but it takes vigilance. Dn't try matching your mate course for course. If you're eating out, have a salad and an appetizer instead of a full entrée. At home, serve yourself less of what he loads onto his plate.
One 36-year-old woman lost eight pounds during her first two years with her husband, despite the fact that she eats more elaborate meals than she used to. "When I lived alone, I'd often skip dinner and just have popcorn. Now we eat a real dinner together every night. When he cooks, I watch my portions because he tends to serve heavy meat-and-potatoes dishes. When it's my turn to cook, I compensate with lots of fresh vegetables and salads."
If you had only 20 minutes to exercise, which would you choose to do--a rapid walk, a run on the treadmill or a series of leg lifts, push-ups and dumbbell curls? According to Wayne Westcott, a YMCA fitness research director in Quincy, Mass., people invariably choose aerobic activity over strength training "because it burns the greatest number of calories." While that may be true for the duration of the workout, "building muscle through regular strength training enables you to burn more calories every single day---even when you're resting."
Why? a pound of muscle burns 35 to 50 calories a day, compared with a paltry two calories from a pound of fat. The upshot: Sacrificing muscle mass means you lose tone and still pack on extra pounds. By contrast, pump iron for 20 minutes a day, three times a week, and you keep your metabolism efficiently humming along.
Two years ago Roberta Colby, 34, a Massachusetts nurse, started a strength training regimen. Her 20-minute session included leg-lifts, push-ups, dips and, finally, squats. Colby has maintained her mid-20s weight, and her body fat is now an enviably low 18 percent. (The average for a woman her age is about 30 percent).
"Strength training gives me leeway," she says. "I can eat a bit more at meals if I feel like it. My stomach is flatter, my waist is smaller, and my arms, shoulders and legs are more toned."
While it's healthy to gain some weight during pregnancy, you can avoid gaining excess pounds. Experts don't recommend dieting, of course, but most women need to consume only 300 extra calories a day after the first trimester.
During the first 19 weeks of pregnancy, the average woman should gain no more than seven to ten pounds. After that, experts generally agree that women of normal weight gain no more than a pound a week. Consult your obstetrician about what is appropriate for you.
Following the birth of a baby, many women find it hard to shed those extra pounds. Exaercise is key to combating this problem, as well as to fighting exhaustion (which often leads to an overreliance on convenience foods) and emotional ups and downs.
"If you keep moving during and after pregnancy," says Foreyt, "you'll have a better chance of keeping your metaoblism up and your eating in check."
For Stacey Roberts, 34, a mother of two in Sanford, Fla., taking an exercise class several times a week helped her lose 30 extra pounds that had lingered after her second pregnancy. "I'd rather exercise and be able to eat what appeals to me," she says. While the pounds were coming off, Roberts avoided the scale: "I took my measurements instead. That kept my motivation up."
Debra Waterhouse, a nutritionist in Oakland, Calif., recommends giving in to urges in a controlled fashion, rather than depriving yourself and risking a later binge: "have a couple of Hershey's Kisses or a handful of peanuts. Then let go of the guilt and get on with your life."
She also advises eating five or six small meals a day instead of two or three larger ones to help regulate energy levels, although some experts question the benefits of this practice.
It's easy to resign yourself to a larger dress size when so many other positive developments--a rewarding marriage, children, close friendships, maybe a brilliant career--are competing for your attention. Who has time to please the boss, exercise and have a personal life?
Trouble is, says Rippe, "if you consume the same amount of calories and don't move around as much, you'll gain weight. Burn off just 100 fewer calories a day, and you'll gain ten pounds in one year."
Elena Dorfman, 34, a San Francisco photographer, squeezes exercise into her hectic life by making it social. Instead of meeting friends for a meal, she arranges to walk or go bike riding with them. "There's not enough time in my day for a social life and exercise," she says. "This is a nice way to have both."
This one-mile walk will test your fitness level. If you are taking prescription medications, consult your doctor first. If you experience pain during the test, stop immediately and call your doctor.
Start walking quickly, without straining, to get your heart rate up to at least 110 or 120 beats per minute. (Check pour pulse at your wrist; count the number of beats in ten seconds, and multiply by six). Measure your pulse again five minutes into your walk. If it goes above 120, that's okay. But if you are too winded to talk, slow down.
As you cross the one-mile mark, check your time and pulse.Then check this chart. find your age group and heart rate. If your time is greater than the times listed in column A, you are in the low-fitness category. If your time is between those in columns a and B, you are in the moderate-fitness category. if your time is less than B, you are very fit.
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MEN WOMEN
Age Heart
Rate A B A B
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30s 120 17:52 15:24 19:18 17:24
130 17:22 14:54 18:48 16:54
140 16:54 14:30 18:18 16:24
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40s 120 17:36 15:09 18:45 16:50
130 17:07 14:41 18:18 16:24
140 16:38 14:12 17:48 15:54
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50s 110 17:49 15:22 18:40 17:04
120 17:20 14:53 18:12 16:36
130 16:51 14:24 17:42 16:06
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60s 110 17:55 15:33 18:00 16:36
120 17:24 15:04 17:30 16:06
130 16:57 14:36 17:01 15:37
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