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Your Body at 25, 35, 45

posted by Mary Christ
filed under diet postings
In the battle to stay fit as we age, it's athletics versus genetics. Here's how to cheat.

 

Hair: By age 55, at least 50 percent of men and women are about 50 percent gray.

Fit fix: Sorry, only lifting a bottle of hair dye can help this one.

Eyes: After age 45, at least 90 percent of men and women have trouble focusing at close range.
Fit fix: Wear sunglasses outdoors; if you work at a computer, periodically look away and focus on something in the distance: massage closed eyes with a warm paper towel or washcloth.

Heart: At age 25, the average man's maximum heart rate is approximately 193 beats per minute; a woman's, 195. Your maximum heart rate declines by about one beat per year. Max heart rate = 205 - 1/2 age (for men); 220 - age (for women).
Fit fix: Regular aerobic exercise, three to five days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes, will help keep your heart healthy.

Lungs: After age 25, the body's maximal oxygen consumption (the amount of oxygen it is able to absorb and use from each breath) decreases about 1 percent a year in sedentary individuals.
Fit fix: Regular aerobic exercise and resistance training will help preserve—if not improve—your body's efficiency and endurance.

Muscle: At 25, men start to lose six to seven lbs. of fat-free mass per decade; women, four to five lbs. per decade. At the same time, body fat increases by 2 to 3 percent for men, and 3.5 to 5 percent for women. Take the two together and you end up with a 5 percent decrease in men's and women's metabolism per decade.
Fit fix: Watch your diet and boost your calorie burning through exercise, especially strength training.

Flexibility: Men and women achieve peak range of motion in their mid- to late 20s. After that, flexibility drops due to joint and muscle degeneration and inactivity.
Fit fix: Stretch for a minimum of five to 10 minutes at least two or three times a week.

Bones: Most men and women attain peak bone mass somewhere between 25 and 35. After this point, women lose bone at a rate of 1 percent per year (men lose bone more slowly). Women typically lose up to 20 percent of their bone by age 65; men, 10 to 15 percent.
Fit fix: Weight-bearing exercise and circuit weight training (along with adequate mineral intake) can increase bone strength and mass.

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