When most people think about hitting their 50s, they fear aching joints, ailing health, and losing the vestiges of youth and physical fitness.
Women, in particular, face the biggest changes with menopause and the wide-ranging effects that the cessation of sex hormone production can cause.
Symptoms vary in severity and frequency but often include low energy, hot flushes, reduced sex drive, disturbed sleep, and memory and concentration problems.
Overweight and obese women are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease post-menopause.
What you may not know is that a similar process occurs in ageing men too. Andropause is the term used to describe the steady decline in testosterone levels that often occurs in men as they age.
Symptoms of low testosterone in men include loss of muscle mass, loss of hair, reduced sex drive, altered mood, lack of energy, change in body fat distribution (potentially the growth of “man boobs”) and more.
In men, physical inactivity and obesity are strongly linked to lower testosterone levels. It is estimated that around 40% of obese men may suffer from low testosterone.
However, there are natural solutions that prove highly effective when it comes to turning back the clock.
High-intensity exercise in sedentary ageing men alone has been shown to increase total testosterone by near 20%.
Weight loss is also a potent tool for improving hormonal balance, as studies have shown that a 10% reduction in body weight can restore normal testosterone levels in obese men.
Studies have also shown that exercise and weight management play key roles in minimising menopausal symptoms and their associated risks.
It just goes to show that weight management through diet and exercise will go far to slow the onset of ageing and age-related health issues. So, whatever your status, there’s no better time to start making positive changes to your health!
So can weight training “make you younger”? The plain answer is no, but it can make you feel a whole lot younger, more mobile and more energetic.
Sue’s transformation story
When her mother sadly died as a result of diabetes, 51-year-old Susan feared she was heading down the same path.
Caring for her mother all those years meant she neglected her own health. But this proved to be a wake-up call.
Her 21kg (46lbs) transformation at Ultimate Performance helped her turn back the clock, reset her health and feel great again in her fifties.
Read how Susan achieved her transformation in her 50s at Ultimate Performance.