The popular imagination tends to link weight gain to aging, or, conversely, weight loss to youthfulness. A slim, slight build on a female body is referred to as “girlish.” A curvier form, on the other hand, is called “womanly.” (Unfortunately, “womanly” is also sometimes interpreted as a lame euphemism for “fat.”) In some cases, a chubby build is linked to youth, as in the expression “baby fat,” but more often, staying young also means staying slim.
This is not without reason. Metabolisms slow down as we get older, meaning that eating the same amount of food and getting the same amount of exercise will make a middle-aged person put on more weight (or lose less weight) than someone younger. Physiques also change naturally as people get older: witness how the ultra-thin runway models of our time tend to be much younger than the curvy, athletic glamazons of the 1980s.
People approaching middle age also have to content with the fact that many types of twenty-first century lifestyles are working against their health. White collar professionals and some types of blue collar workers as well, are sedentary for most of the day. Many workers who are physically active as part of their jobs are often paid relatively low wages. This may translate into fast-food diets and other similarly cheap, greasy meals. Thus, it can be much harder for adults to stay trim, as opposed to younger people, who may have more opportunities to join sports or other types of healthy physical activity. Of course, this contrast is exacerbated once the adults retire, and likely cut down on physical activity even further.
The connection between weight loss and slower aging is not just skin deep, or down to your waistline measurement: after all, being young or old is not just a matter of appearance. It is also linked to the development and maintenance of your physical and mental processes. Weight loss can help you stay physically sprightly and mentally acute as you grow older, by staving off illnesses that are related to age and weight gain. Think of weight loss as a preventative measure, then, that is also about your health, in addition to your confidence and physical appearance.
For example, some age-related illnesses that are also linked to weight quite literally go down to your bones. One of these illnesses is herniated disc, which is particularly prevalent in middle-aged or elderly women who are overweight is. A spinal disc can slip out of alignment, pinching critical nerves. It can lead to serious back pain or impairment in nerve function, limiting mobility. In serious cases, surgery is required. Even then, the aftermath of such drastic surgery can be considered a type of aging: the recovery process is often quite long, requiring physical therapy and strong painkillers. Patients have to be very careful about their physical activities so as not to disrupt the recovery process and end up needing more surgery. In addition, even if the surgery and recovery proceed as desired, the patient is likely to need surgery again in some years’ time, especially if he or she does not lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle in general. The patient may have a relatively youthful appearance, but the immobility and need for painstaking medical care can change his/her lifestyle to that of an elderly person.
In short, weight loss is, indeed, linked to staying youthful, and not just because pop culture and advertising say that a young body is a slim body. Keeping off excess weight is important for maintaining good health, and staving off the physical deterioration that is one of the unfortunate side effects of getting older. Of course, we are not expected to try to maintain the build of a teenager for the entirety of our adult lives: that is both unrealistic and downright dangerous. Filling out is a normal part of growing up, and, up to a point, is healthy. However, once your weight becomes unhealthy, you are making yourself much more vulnerable to weight-related ailments. Keep the excess pounds off, and hold on to the health of a young person—the component of youth that is much more valuable than a breezy attitude or smooth skin.
Great article! Especially the conclusion: we should be more concerned with having the health of a young person than the physique of a young person.
The secret to aging well is finding an effective formula that is particularly suited to the kind of person that you are. Growing old is almost equivalent to tackling different types of changes in life. That includes losing a loved one, retirement, health issues, and threat on independence. If you are not able to balance out those changes with a positive outlook, you will find it difficult to cope with flair.