Fighting the Middle “Spread”

From:  John Hernried, M.D.

         

One of the more common complaints I hear in my internal medicine practice is from 55 year-old women complaining about their increasing abdominal size.  Many of these women had few weight problems prior to menopause, and now are frustrated with their changing shape.  The usual cause of this is a buildup of visceral fat, which is known to be a risk factor for diabetes, hypertension and coronary artery disease.

The Strong Health and Empowered (SHE) study, sponsored by the NIH showed the importance of strength training in fighting increased fat.  Women in the study used free weights and machines and worked out for an hour twice a week.  A control group was just given information about exercise.  The results showed that women in the study group had a markedly reduced rate of abdominal fat and their overall body fat percentage declined by 3.7%.  The patients were told not to change their diet and their total body weight did not decrease.

This well-designed study reinforces the benefit of fitness.  Through their two hours a week, they have markedly reduced their risk for heart disease and diabetes for years to come.

How can you prevent your own “spread?” For those who wonder how to get started, this is a great opportunity to contact a certified personal trainer at a gym or in the community. The resistance training that was done in the study would be difficult to reproduce at home.  However, this is a good use of a local gym or a small training studio.  Most gyms offer one or two free consultations with a personal trainer to orient clients to the weight machines.  Make sure it is a certified trainer with one of the following certifications:  ACSM, NSCA, or ACE.  Once you get going, make an appointment with the trainer monthly so that you can progress forward.   

Comments

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