Our weight is largely determined by three main factors:
How many calories you consume during the day
How many calories you burn off through daily exercise
Your age
If you eat too much and exercise too little, you're likely to carry excess weight — this obviously includes belly fat.
Now - as we getting older our muscle mass will naturally decrease - this is why its important to stay active and train!
With this decrease in muscle mass in turn we can gain fat - I’ve mentioned before with an increased muscle mass our bodies actually burn more calories - which is a hugely positive factor!
Consider this - if your muscle mass decreases with age with fat increases and we continue to still eat the same amount of calories or even a slight excess calories you can see how we easily pile on the pounds as we get a little older!
Females may not gain weight on the scales, or a maybe just a little - BUT Many women also notice an increase in belly fat as they get older. This increase in fat is likely due to a decreasing level of estrogen.
The trouble with belly fat is that it's not limited to the extra layer of padding located just below the skin (subcutaneous fat) - the fat that we can actually pinch, or see that “roll” as we sit down.
We also need to consider visceral fat — this is of more deep concern, and visceral fat lies deep inside your abdomen, surrounding your internal organs.
Although subcutaneous fat poses cosmetic concerns, visceral fat is linked with far more dangerous health problems, including:
Heart disease
Type 2 diabetes
High blood pressure
Abnormal cholesterol
Breathing problems
Without doubt maintaining your active routine and healthier eating options as you get older is of paramount importance, I firmly believe male and female should try to retain and maintain as much muscle mass as possible.
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