Exercise and Wellness

Can you dissolve your middle-age fat?

in Exercise and Wellness, Obesity, Perimenopause

As women approach perimenopause and menopause, weight gain becomes a challenging issue. On average, middle aged women gain about a pound a year with body composition shifting to more fat and less muscle. The weight gain is particularly frustrating since many women discover that weight loss strategies that may have worked in earlier years are no longer effective. There are serious health implications associated with the extra pounds, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain types of cancers, thus minimizing weight gain is critical for healthy aging. However, adoption of new weight loss strategies should be safe and must include enduring life style adjustments for long term success. Unfortunately many women search for a quick fix and some are turning to risky procedures such as lipodissolve.

Lipodissolve is Unregulated

Lipodissolve, billed as non-surgical fat removal, is an unregulated and potentially dangerous procedure offered by spas across the U.S. Spas offer lipodissolve, as a series of injections described as a “fat-melting” alternative to liposuction. The process is also known as injection lipolysis, lipozap, lipotherapy, and mesotherapy. There is no standardized list of ingredients for these injections since they are typically chemical cocktails with a makeup that varies depending on the pharmacy or spa that prepares the injections. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) reports a range of adverse effects including infections, defects and tissue death after lipodissolve. The FDA has reports of permanent scarring, skin deformation, deep, and painful knots under the skin in areas where the lipodissolve treatments were injected.

FDA Cracks Down on “Fat-Melting”

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cracking down with long overdue warnings for the claims spas are making about lipodissolve since the injections have not been proven safe or effective and are not approved by the agency.

FDA warnings have gone out to six U.S companies:

  • Monarch Medspa in King of Prussia, PA
  • Spa 35 in Boise, ID
  • Medical Cosmetic Enhancements in Chevy Chase, MD
  • Innovative Directions in Health in Edina, MN
  • PURE Med Spa in Boca Raton, FL
  • All About You Med Spa in Madison, IN

So although a quick-fix for menopause weight gain may be tempting, lipodissolve is not FDA-approved and the safety and efficacy of the procedure has not been established.

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Strength Training – A Prescription for Longevity

in Exercise and Wellness

Strength training is one of the best tools for preventing osteoporosis and maintaining weight – it can slow the metabolic decreases, muscle loss, and weight gain that normally occur in middle-aged women.

Unless you exercise to counter muscle loss, fat replaces muscle resulting in about 1/3-1/2 lb muscle mass lost each year after age 35. To make matters worse, as you lose the muscle tissue, your metabolism also decreases. One of the best strategies to prevent muscle loss is to burn more calories, at work and at rest, by adding or increasing resistance and strength training.

Combating the Muscle Loss

In addition to reducing obesity, strength training reduces signs and symptoms of numerous diseases and chronic conditions, such as arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, back pain and depression.

Many women don’t realize the importance of strength training and its link to high bone mineral density. Combining adequate amounts of calcium in the diet with progressive high-intensity resistance training is the best preventative strategy for osteoporosis.

For improving muscle strength, bone density, balance, disease prevention and fat loss, pumping iron is now a proven prescription. If you can’t get to the gym, there are lots of alternatives to support your efforts at incorporating strength and resistance training such as videos, podcasts and books.

Keeping Track to Maintain Fitness Goals

It is helpful to keep a journal or a recording of how much you actually exercise each week. Tracking the amount and type of exercise is not only motivating, but also encourages incorporation of a variety of exercises. With a log, you can clearly see if you are lacking activities that support bone health such as strength training. Try using the Get Primed! Exercise Log for a month and see the benefits of tracking your activities to meet your fitness goals.

Send along any suggestions for modifying the Get Primed! Exercise Log and we will send you a customized version.

Get Primed! Tip: Keep track of how much you exercise each week with the Get Primed! Exercise Log.

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