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You’ll find your mobility action plan invaluable.You can do it every day, and in fewer than 14 days you’ll notice a difference in how your body feels; and after three weeks you’ll notice a big improvement in how it moves. You’ll also find the tips on walking technique helpful for enhancing mobility.
Body Stages
The body is on a journey. Like any journey,
the ride may not always be smooth.
For women in particular, hormones play a large part in the changes we notice as we get older. However, men also see their bodies changing as they pass through different stages in life.
Peri-menopause
Peri-menopause is defined as the time leading up to menopause. For some women, this can be eight to ten years before the onset of the menopause itself. Marked by a fluctuation of hormones, it is often described as a roller-coaster ride since the decline in hormones is erratic rather than steady.
During peri-menopause, many women experience a range of symptoms, including:
Mood swings
Memory loss
Bone loss
Potential detrimental changes to their cholesterol levels
Hot flushes
Sleep disturbances
At this stage in their lives, women also experience a drop in metabolism, owing to changes in hormones and muscle mass. This means their bodies require fewer calories to perform normal everyday tasks, and slowly this contributes to weight gain. Oestrogen levels become more erratic, waxing and waning, which causes fat to be stored in the abdomen. Consequently, any weight gain is laid down around the middle, and so middle-age spread is born!
Erratic levels of the hormone oestrogen cause fat to be stored around the abdomen – and so middle-age spread is born!
Peri-menopause is a critical period for a woman’s health. During this time, healthy habits – like regular exercise, good nutrition and an element of stress management – are vital to prepare for the next stage of your life, and to help you handle the physiological and associated emotional changes being experienced.
How the GI Walking Diet Can Help
Follow the six-week plan and you will make a great investment in your health. The structure of the programme will help you form good habits, while all the tips along the way will show you how these physical investments can fit easily into your lifestyle.
Menopause
Menopause is defined as the 12 months after a woman’s final menstrual period, which is usually around the age of 52. Although we tend to think of menopause as a single point in the body’s journey, both peri-menopause and menopause are more like peaks and troughs than finite events. After menopause, women lose about 66 per cent of their oestrogen and 50 to 60 per cent of their testosterone. Oestrogen tends to decline at a faster rate than testosterone, and so testosterone can start to have a greater effect on the body. In most cases, body fat is redistributed from the hips to the midriff. This ‘shape-shifting’ phenomenon compounds the middle-age spread that you may have started to experience during peri-menopause. Blood pressure and cholesterol levels rise. The loss of oestrogen’s protective influence on bone tissue leads to decreases in bone mineral density. On average, women lose 2 per cent of bone mass each year during menopause, yet it is possible to lose up to 20 per cent of bone in the five to seven years after menopause.
While all these changes are happening inside the body, women can experience a range of unpleasant symptoms such as:
Hot flushes
Memory loss
Slowed metabolism
Mood swings
Sexual difficulties
Some of the physical effects of menopause – weight gain, the ‘shape-shifting’ scenario and changes in blood pressure and cholesterol – can put women at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
How the GI Walking Diet Can Help
The six-week walking plan will be particularly valuable for your health. You don’t have to be super fit – just head to The Walking Plan (#) and you can choose a starting level to suit you. It really is that simple to start walking off your weight.
The Window of Opportunity Years
The ‘window of opportunity years’ are a time of choice – when you can choose to open the window and experience the benefits of health and fitness. As women move beyond the menopause, and men reach their mid-50s and 60s, normal changes to the body include:
Decreases in the amount of cardiovascular exercise you can perform
Slowing of your reaction time
Loss of muscle mass, strength and endurance
Diminished bone mass and density
With age, women lose more bone than men and so are more susceptible to fractures from falling. Balance training and fall-prevention programmes, such as those in this book, are extremely beneficial to women and men, especially in this ‘mature’ stage of life. Some people are more likely to experience depression, loneliness and apprehension about change at this life stage. If you are not used to exercising, you may lack confidence about taking up a new activity.
The normal, effects of ageing are compounded by a sedentary lifestyle.
How the GI Walking Diet Can Help
The mobility and strength programmes of the six-week plan will be invaluable. You don’t have to spend hours doing them; they literally take minutes and you will reap significant benefits for your body. Many people may be widowed at this stage of life, and exercise offers a great opportunity to meet other people and socialize. Physical activity is known to have a positive effect on depression and mood, so get moving.
Aches and Pains
Some conditions, such as osteoporosis and arthritis, become more prevalent in later life, bringing us aches and pains. When these symptoms come to the surface, you may worry about how much exercise is actually achievable for you. However, the six-week programme addresses these concerns and allows you to tailor your programme to your abilities and needs. We look at some of the most common causes of aches and pains below.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass, increased bone fragility and risk of fracture. Women are four times more likely to develop osteoporosis than men. Osteoporosis fractures occur most commonly in the hip, spine and wrist. Osteoporosis is often referred to as a silent disease because a fracture is frequently the first indication of bone loss.
How the GI Walking Diet Can Help
Diet and exercise can be both a treatment and prevention, as they help make your bones stronger. The impact to the bones due to walking makes it a great bone-saving exercise, so regular walking will help maintain strong bones. In addition to reducing bone loss, walking will improve muscle strength, balance, agility and fitness, making falls and fractures less likely. You should start slowly and gradually increase the amount you walk each week.
Walking has other life-enhancing psychological and cardiovascular benefits. Increased activity can aid nutrition, too, because it boosts appetite, which is often reduced in older people. It is also important to get enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet. The biggest reason older people don’t get enough of these is that they simply don’t eat enough.
Arthritis
The term ‘arthritis’ refers to more than a hundred different diseases that cause pain, swelling and limited movement in joints and connective tissue throughout the body. Arthritis is usually a long-term condition, often lasting a lifetime. The three most prevalent types of arthritis are osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis (see below).
Arthritis and other rheumatic conditions affect an estimated one in seven people. The number one cause of disability, arthritis can limit everyday activities such as dressing, climbing the stairs, getting in and out of bed and walking.
Overweight people are at greater risk of developing arthritis in their knees, hips and hands. The heaviest individuals have seven to ten times the risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee. Weight control helps by decreasing the pressure on the knees and hips. Your walking technique can also reduce the force you apply through your hips and knees. We’ll address this in Form and Posture (#) with the really simple glass of water exercise.
How the GI Walking Diet Can Help
In the past, arthritis patients were advised to rest and avoid exercise. There is now strong evidence, however, for the benefits of exercise. While rest remains important, especially during flare-ups, inactivity can lead to weak muscles, stiff joints, a reduced range of motion in the joints and decreased energy and vitality. Most researchers agree that exercise can ease symptoms, but it is important to stress that it will neither cure nor prevent the condition.
Depending on your particular type of arthritis, you can choose which part of the six-week plan you would like to follow. The flexibility plan is a great place to start, while the strength plan may assist in building muscular strength, thus minimizing pressure on your joints. The walking plan can boost your spirits as well as aiding weight loss, again reducing pressure on weight-bearing joints such as knees, ankles and hips.
If your arthritis is severe, ease into the programme gently. You may not get the huge results you are initially looking for, but it’s important to look beyond exercise purely for the benefit of your condition. People with arthritis are at higher risk of developing several other chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. The huge health benefits of regular exercise will help prevent these diseases.
Osteoarthritis
The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis mostly affects people over the age of 45. Although this degenerative joint disease is common among older adults, it may appear decades earlier. Osteoarthritis begins when joint cartilage breaks down, sometimes eroding entirely, creating a bone-on-bone joint. The joint loses shape, bone ends thicken and spurs or bony growths develop. Although osteoarthritis can affect any joint, the most common are joints of the knee, hip, feet and fingers. Osteoarthritis is not fatal but it is incurable, with few effective treatments. Symptoms of pain and stiffness can persist for long periods, leading to difficulty in walking, climbing the stairs, rising from a chair, getting in and out of a car and lifting and carrying.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia sufferers experience general muscular pain, fatigue and poor sleep. Although it may feel like a joint disease, fibromyalgia is not a true form of arthritis and doesn’t cause joint deformities. In fact, it is a form of soft tissue or muscular rheumatism.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis, the third most common form of arthritis, is an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks itself. It is characterized by pain, warmth, redness and swelling. Many joints of the body have a tough capsule lined with a synovial membrane, which seals the joint and provides a lubricating fluid. In rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation begins in the synovial lining of the joint and can spread to the entire joint, leading to damage of the bone and cartilage. The space between joints diminishes and the joint loses shape and alignment.
Rheumatoid arthritis can strike at any age but usually appears between 20 and 50, developing slowly over several weeks or months. Although it is most often found in the small joints of the hands and the knee joint, it can affect most joints of the body. The effects of the disease vary widely: some people must remain in bed while others run marathons. It is also difficult to control and can cause severely deformed joints.
Other Forms of Arthritis
Other common types of arthritis include:
Gout, a metabolic disorder that leads to high uric acid levels and crystal formation in joints, especially the big toe, and causes pain and swelling.
Spondylarthropathies, inflammatory diseases of the spine that can result in fused vertebrae and a rigid spine.
Systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disorder that can involve the skin, kidneys, blood vessels, joints, nervous system, heart and other internal organs. Although lupus can affect any part of the body, most people experience symptoms in only a few places. The most common symptoms are aching joints, skin rashes, anaemia, arthritis, prolonged fatigue and possible high fever. It is important to stress that diagnosis is made by a careful review of a person’s entire medical history, coupled with a series of medical tests related to immune status. Currently, there is no single test that can determine whether a person has lupus or not.
Other Age-related Conditions
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
High blood pressure is strongly linked to cardiovascular disease and stroke. The risk of cardiovascular disease increases as blood pressure rises, even within the normal range of blood pressures. This suggests that a large number of people may be at risk.
How the GI Walking Diet Can Help
It’s possible to reduce high blood pressure through physical activity, such as the six-week walking plan, and by adjusting your diet. The six-week menu plan is low in salt, making it ideal for people who need to reduce their blood pressure.
Diabetes
In diabetes, the body doesn’t produce or cannot properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that converts sugar, starches and other foods into energy. Without insulin, glucose builds up in the bloodstream, and can lead to many health-threatening conditions. The health implications of diabetes are staggering:
Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease.
Diabetes is the main cause of new cases of blindness in people aged from 20 to 74 years.
Sixty to seventy per cent of people with diabetes have mild-to-severe forms of diabetic nerve damage, which can lead to loss of lower limbs.
People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to suffer from heart disease and strokes.
The exact cause of this long-term, incurable condition is a mystery. However, genetics and environmental factors – like obesity and lack of cardiovascular exercise – appear to play roles. There are two types of diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes: sufferers need daily insulin injections to stay alive because their body doesn’t produce this hormone.
Type 2 diabetes: the body makes insulin but is unable to produce enough or use it properly. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90–95 per cent of all diabetes cases. It used to be referred to as ‘late-onset diabetes’, as it was more prevalent in later life. Now, however, with the growing number of overweight and obese people, type 2 diabetes is found even in young children. Doctors have warned that diabetes is nearing epidemic proportions. Overweight people have a greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes, so keeping your weight under control is vital.
Metabolic Syndrome
In recent years, metabolic syndrome has become increasingly prevalent. A pre-diabetic condition, it is characterized by
High triglyceride (blood fats) levels
Elevated blood pressure
High blood sugar levels
Low levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol
and, guess what? That fat deposition in the middle again.
How the GI Walking Diet Can Help
Getting physically active and reducing your weight is the most important action you can take to prevent metabolic syndrome.
Every day is an opportunity to make a fresh start or to build on yesterday’s success.
Ageing and Body Weight (#)
Many different factors may have led to you putting on weight at this stage of your life. Some of these may have been physiological changes, while others may have been psychological issues. Understanding why this weight gain has occurred allows you to put things in context and to understand what action needs to be taken. Now is the time to get excited about what you can achieve for yourself, your body, your weight and your health.
Weight gain predominantly occurs because we are consuming more calories than we are burning off through physical activity. As we have seen, however, weight gain in later life can be the result of other factors, such as a decrease in our muscle mass and a consequent lowering of our resting metabolic rate. This leads to us requiring fewer calories to perform our everyday activities. In addition, hormonal changes make it easier for the body to lay down more fat, especially around the middle.
Why Men Lose Weight More Easily
I often hear people comment that it is much easier for a man to lose weight than it is for a woman. When partners embark on a ‘diet’ together, it is quite common for the man to lose weight more quickly, and possibly to lose a little more than his partner does. Research has shown that having personal support as you embark on a healthy lifestyle programme has a major impact on your long-term success. In fact, recovering male cardiac patients whose partners showed an active, positive, supportive role in their recovery had a 74 per cent greater success rate than patients whose partners showed neutral support.
From my research for this book, I know that many of you will want to complete the six-week plan with a partner or friend. I actively encourage people to do this. The walking plan, in particular, can be a great source of enjoyment. Walking with others can be great fun, and the support aspect will be vital when your motivation naturally wanes at points throughout the six weeks.
If, however, you are participating with members of the opposite sex, it is likely that your rate and amount of weight loss will be different. This doesn’t mean that a woman’s efforts are any less than a man’s; the truth is there are strong physiological reasons why it is easier for men to lose weight. But before you give up before you have even started, let’s make one thing clear – although your rate, and possibly the amount, of weight loss may be different, the health benefits to be gained are there for both men and women to enjoy.
Although men tend to lose weight more easily, the health benefits of the GI Walking Diet are there for both men and women to enjoy.
How the Body Stores Fat
