Given the recent discussion about women’s’ dissatisfaction with their bodies because they feel unable to meet the media standards of very tall and thin models, it made me laugh to come across this article . It reports on research that found that overweight women live longer than their very under- or overweight counterparts.
The most interesting part was that the usual risks of increased body mass are considerably less in older women than they are in younger people. These findings are making the researchers realize that it is time to review what is really ‘normal’ as we age. While I would be the first to warn against unlimited eating, it is good to hear that there is a useful reason for the weight we tend to gain as we age. Our bodies seem to know something science is only just coming to understand.
On a similar vein, I was listening to NPR this morning, and heard this story. Initially it seemed to be a story about the physical and mental benefits of raising your heart rate which was interesting, but nothing new. Part way through I suddenly heard a reference to this long term study of nurses. It was found that in women aged 50 and up, just 72 minutes a week of activity that raises your heart rate, such as walking, can make a real improvement to your health as you age. The study found that women who exercised even this modest amount had significantly less diabetes and heart disease. So, not only does exercise improve your heart function and mood, but the increase in blood flow to the pre-frontal cortex of your brain helps control impulsive behavior, possibly giving an extra moment to decide against eating the candy bar after exercising.
Given the discouraging messages the media often gives us about our bodies, I was encouraged to realize that upping my exercise level a bit and carrying a bit of extra weight isn’t all bad!
