How Women Over 40 Can Prevent Shrinking!

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

As an adult, when you re-visited some of these ladies, now getting along in years, were you surprised to discover they were shorter than you recalled? Did you just chalk it up to your - as an adult - being taller now?

The reason is that your mom and other female relatives have probably gotten shorter over the years; in fact they could be shrinking!

The medical community used to think that on average, a woman would lose between 2 1/2 and eight inches of her height in her late adulthood. Now medical experts are realizing that it can be prevented.

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.

As you reach 40 years of age, it becomes increasingly vital to start a regular Exercise program. Retaining your bone mass (and thus your height) is only one benefit of Exercise. Staying fit reduces your risk of developing any of a number of health problems associated with your cardiovascular system, diabetes and even cancer.

The key to doing Exercise on a regular basis is to do something that you really enjoy. Think about things you really like doing - walking, dancing, biking etc. It does not have to be a brutal workout at the gym.

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.

Weight lifting is the best form of building and retaining bone mass. If you decide to lift weights, you do not have to worry about developing huge muscles like competitive female lifters because that is not what you need 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 took two groups of post-menopausal women. Neither group were taking hormone replacement therapy nor was either group already enrolled in a Fitness program 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.

The most wonderful change in these postmenopausal women was evident in how they now spent their free time. Now free from the inactive lifestyles of before, they took up canoeing and went dancing and played a more active role in all of their lives.

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.