Working Out the Exercise Options

Situation:  My wife is constantly on a diet. She loses some weight but then she gains most of it back. I’ve told her she really needs to get into a vigorous exercise routine, but she says she doesn’t like that idea because she doesn’t like to drip with sweat. Whenever she

tries to up the exercise,
she keeps it up for only about two weeks and then quits. Is there any exercise program that can help women lose weight?Strategies: Exercise is important for both women and men. Exercise burns calories, firms and tones muscles, prevents age-related bone loss, and improves mood. People who exercise regularly also main- tain their weight loss more successfully. But—and this is a big but— the truth is that all activity burns calories and there is no rule that says a person has to soak through workout clothes for exercise to contribute to weight loss. In fact, most weight-loss experts agree that activities that are done at a moderate level of intensity (like walking briskly, doing yard work, playing doubles tennis, swimming, and playing a round of golf without using a cart) are preferred for weight loss because one can do them for relatively long periods of time without quitting from exhaustion. So rather than encouraging your wife to follow a high-intensity exercise regimen, why not help her find activities that she enjoys and will feel good about doing? Better yet, find moderate-intensity activities you can do together. You might be surprised by how much fun you’ll both have!

Check out the charts and compare the differences between men and

women with regard to their muscle, fat, and bone distributions. Keep in mind that these charts are for men and women who are 5 feet 81⁄2 inches and in their twenties. Unfortunately, as we age, the distribution of our muscle mass changes, and not to anyone’s advantage. After age forty- five, both men and women lose about 10 percent of their lean body mass per decade. That is equivalent to losing about one-third of a pound to half a pound of muscle each year and gaining that much in body fat. The bottom line: whether you’re a man or a woman, the older you get, the fewer calories you burn. The good news is that exercise, especially resist- ance training, can preserve and even increase lean body mass.