Table of Contents
Part 1: The True Reason Why We Experience the “Middle-Aged Spread”
Remember the good ol’ days? You could scarf down an entire pepperoni pizza and 6-pack of beer. Your waist line stayed lean and defined.
Slowly, as the years ticked by, the scale dial crept up and up. You needed to buy bigger and bigger belts to encircle your growing mass. When you decided to lose weight, the pounds stubbornly refused to vacate your body. As your frustration mounted, you began to question the cause of your torment!
It’s called the ‘middle-aged spread.’
And lucky for you, this inconvenient occurrence is NOT due entirely to your poor diet and exercise habits.
In fact, there’s a biological reason why people past middle age have a harder time losing weight. The phenomena is called ‘somatopause.’ It is defined as a gradual and progressive decrease in human growth hormone (HGH) secretion that naturally occurs as we age.
Somatopause is associated with the following symptoms:
– increased fat tissue – even without a change in your diet
– decrease in lean body mass
– loss of bone density
– lower energy levels
– more skin wrinkles
– decrease in good cholesterol
– increase in bad cholesterol
Oh, the joys of getting old…
So, beyond your busy life and sweet tooth, you now know that your aging body is actively working against your efforts to lose weight. This decrease in HGH is going to continue throughout the rest of your life, so it behooves you to take action right away.
How to Battle Somatopause: Two Solutions to Your Weight Loss Woes
There are two main ways that researchers have found to combat the symptoms of somatopause.
Solution #1: HGH Injections (not recommended!)
First, you can opt for growth hormone injections. Do not take this option lightly as it can be very expensive and widely illegal. Each monthly shot can cost as much at $1,000. You’d need to visit a qualified physician and be prepared for a number of possible harmful side effects.
A 2005 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that HGH was being given to tens of thousands of people each year who were looking for an “anti-aging” solution. They take this shot at their own risk, because the Food and Drug Administration has banned it for all but a few medical conditions. It has now been added to the watch list for professional sports leagues and is forbidden by the International Olympic Committee.
Hmm… so this option definitely won’t work for most people.
Solution #2: Exercise (DEFINITELY recommended!)
The second option is much simpler…exercise!
Yes, simple exercise can help trigger the natural release of HGH to keep your body looking and feeling young. But not any form of exercise will do. You’ll need a specific exercise plan to cause any real effects.
The best type of exercise to stimulate HGH release is high intensity exercise over a short time period. Programs like HiiT (high intensity interval training) workouts are great at ramping up your metabolism and causing increased fat burning over a longer time period. Best of all, this type of exercise causes the natural release of HGH.
Dr. Phil Campbell explains in an article on BodyBuilder.com, “The somatopause has two cures proven in mainstream research: growth hormone injections that have serious implications and run $1000 a month, and anaerobic exercise-the short-burst, get-you-out-of-breath in 10 seconds, sprinting types of exercise.”
He goes on to explain that the right type of exercise induced HGH increases can produce an average response of 14 percent loss of body fat and 8 percent gain in muscle. It also creates improvements in skin, bone density, and cholesterol. Read more about Dr. Phil Campbell’s work in his book: “Ready, Set, Go!”
Plus, learn more ways to boost your treadmill workout.
Check out Part II of this article where we’ll look at the journey of one man who decided to take control of his life after passing 40 years of age.
We’ll learn about the steps he took to reverse his body’s natural weight-gain tendency. You’ll be amazed at his results!
