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The Incredible Shrinking Woman

By: Jo Larsen As little girls, most of us grew and grew until we became as tall or taller than our moms and other female relatives.

But as you became an adult, did you suddenly notice that they started getting even shorter? Did you ever consider why?

Could it be that your female relatives have indeed been shrinking?

On average, women can lose up to 2 to eight inches of their height once they hit menopause. Medical experts used to believe that this loss was unavoidable. However, now the experts say that it isn't.

This shrinking is attributed to osteoporosis, which is a lessening of the density of the bone. Although both men and women have the same issues, it is more of a problem for women. The two best ways to prevent it from affecting you is to take supplemental calcium and have a regular fitness routine.

If you are 40 years old or over - it is vital that fitness is part of your daily routine. In order to stay at your current height, it is important to retain your bone mass and this can be done through exercise. By exercising regularly, you will reduce your risk of developing a large number of health issues involving your cardiovascular system and even cancer or diabetes.

Before you set out on your new routine, you should make it a priority to choose an exercise or group of exercises that provide you with a sense of pleasure.Don't jump on any exercise of fitness fad because it seems to be popular. Before you commit yourself, ask yourself what activities you could visualize yourself participating in for the rest of your life. If you actually enjoy the specific exercise, you're much more likely to continue with it faithfully.

In addition to aerobic activities that will get your blood flowing and heart rate up, weight bearing exercises are also critical. When you contract a muscle, force is applied on that bone and that which builds muscle also helps to build bone mass.

Although any activity such as t'ai chi or even yoga can build bone mass, the best way is through actual weight lifting. And no, you do not have to be the female version of Arnold Schwarzenegger to get the benefits.

The results of this study conducted by Miriam Nelson, Ph.D. of Tufts University will give you a good idea of what an amazing impact this exercise can have on your body and your life.

Dr. Nelson studied two groups of post-menopausal women. They were not taking hormone replacement therapy or doing any regular exercise at the start of the study.

One group remained sedentary; the other began a simple weight lifting program. They only exercised twice a week for 40 minutes at a time. At the end of one year, the women who lifted weights had vastly improved results in their strength tests. In fact, their scores matched those of women in their late 30s and early 40s. And just about all the women lost inches from their body - if not weight - without changing their diets.

However the most telling result in the women was how they chose to spend their free time. Those who had begun the simple fitness program one year before were now much more active in other areas in their life - dancing, in-line skating and doing things that they had only dreamed of doing before.

The more on the go you are, the stronger your bones will stay and ultimately, the taller you will stay for the rest of your long, healthy life! There are few "fitness musts" for women over 40 years of age but the only real "must" is to chose an activity or two that you enjoy doing and just keep on doing it.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

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