Change is a part of life at any stage and the middle years are no exception. This is such a special time when children are growing older and in the process of becoming independent adults. Parents are also growing older and may need more help. Careers reach a peak and while this might be the time to relish the fruit of years of work, the demands of work pile up faster than ever. Health needs attention too - good habits learnt now, lay the foundation for a fit and active future.
Changing social attitude means that middle years are increasingly seen and lived as the prime of life rather than the start of old age. There has probably never been a better time to be middle aged. The physical consequences of ageing make little practical difference to most people until well into their fifties or even older.
Apart from menopause, middle age today is more of a psychological than a physical challenge. Events such as significant birthdays, the appearance of wrinkles and grey hair, noticing the adult status and success of much younger people, often prompt a certain amount of life-assessment.
Such a period of stock taking can be positive, provided you do not panic and it often opens the door to a new phase of maturity, with added confidence and creativity and greater awareness of personal achievements, needs and limits. Middle life often has other compensations too - material comfort, financial security, increased influence and status.
Middle life means facing the downhill slope for the first time- counting the years left rather than the years gone. Once, the tasks of early adulthood - finding work, setting up a home independently, starting and rearing a family - are accomplished, people begin to assess their progress.
Most people come to terms with increasing maturity and a pause for assessment can encourage you to make the most of life. While you may have to abandon some dreams - For example, it is probably too late to become a world class gymnast or an astronaut - there are few absolute limitations on your capacities in middle age and then are would be benefits such as enhanced confidence and wisdom.
Creativity often peaks in middle age, or may emerge for the first time; especially women find new enthusiasm for pursuing personal goals after being devoted to others for many years.
If you do find yourself, through a mid-life crisis, remember that a middle age is a luxury of civilization. In the past, not many survived to have middle life problems. Look on this as a transition and not crisis. Find at least one thing you really want to do and that won't undermine your health, marriage. Job, family or financial security and do it.
Women's experience
With menopause creeping in, women are still judged more on their physical attributes, women worry more about ageing than men. It is true that as time passes, it can become much more difficult to keep trim. After the mid-twenties, lean body mass gradually declines with loss of tissues from bones, muscles and vital organs and lower body water content. Without weight loss, most of this is replaced by fat which is quite healthy within normal limits. However, excess fat turns all too easily into flab. Body metabolism slows down too, so people need less food to maintain the same weight. As well as eating less, it is important to stay active.
Exercise helps weight control, slows down muscle and bone loss, and keeps muscles toned. The more exercise you take, the more improvement you feel.
Posture
You also need to watch your posture. Increased fat and reduced mobility encourages“ middle age stoop” with rounded shoulders and protruding abdomen. Women are more vulnerable because they start with a thicker fat layer and can suffer from weakened abdominal muscles as a result of pregnancy.
After menopause, they tend to lay down fat around the abdomen rather than on the hips. Since many middle aged people exercise less and eat more, they are at risk of becoming overweight and flabby. One should keep a careful but not obsessive check on how you weigh.
Eating well
Whether you need to lose weight or not, the best way to control it in the long term is to establish good, basic eating habits.
Complex carbohydrates, fresh fruits and vegetables are great. If you buy meat, avoid fatty cuts. Grill, steam or bake your food rather than fry it. When eating at restaurants, avoid creamy sauces, sugary desserts and alcohol.
You may be picking at fattening snacks during the day or having heavy business lunches and still eating a full meal at home in the evening. It is good to keep a food diary and write down every morsel eaten. This helps to see, when hunger is felt and where are the extra calories coming from and helps to plan realistic alternative.
If you are flabby or overweight, you may want to begin a gradual weight reducing diet and aim to lose no more than 2 lb (1 kg) per week.
Trying too hard to lose weight can be dangerous. Excessive sudden dieting can lead to nutritional deficiencies, and also the risk of developing osteoporosis in later life. Do not on any account, be tempted by radical or starvational diet. You will not have the energy to keep up rigorous daily routine and when the dieting stops, you could end up putting on more weight than you were trying to lose.
One should never slouch. Hold yourself upright and with your stomach muscles pulled in. Stretching exercises and yoga help to maintain a good posture and tone that is so much needed at this age.
Maintaining the intensity in exercise
In case you have developed a regular exercise routine as a young adult, it will be very helpful to maintain and develop it throughout your life. Regular exercise helps to strengthen the heart and circulatory system, reducing the long-term risk of a stroke or heart attack and is also thought to be responsible for holding back the development of such diseases as arthritis and diabetes.
Exercise also helps to lower blood cholesterol and counters the common mid and later life problems of weight gain, muscle stiffness and reduced flexibility. Although peak performance capacity does diminish with age, proper conditioning can improve the tone of your muscles at all stages of your life.
We all have one life. Living it to the fullest is also our sacred duty and to be able to perform our duties and even our spiritual pursuits. We have been gifted this body by nature.
To live happily, we need to take good care of ourselves. Just the way a musician takes care of his/her musical instruments, the body is our instrument to perform our karma. Middle age is a great time to re-assess and rebuild towards creating a life that has been exceptional and exemplary.
About The Author
Rita Jairath is an entrepreneur and one of the pioneering athletes in women's bodybuilding in India, she won the pro-card from the International Federation of Bodybuilding. she ..
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