Middle age spread

I got this from NST few weeks ago and been shelving it. I like collecting articles but failed to keep it safe. Perhaps, blog is the best way to file it. With a year to go before punching my biological clock into the fourth decades, the following extraction could be useful for men:

In your 30s

What's happening to your body

You need to start looking for yourself, not just by exercising but with good nutritions and by drinking lots of water. If you've been abusing your body since your teens, you'll start to look like a woman. I'm serious: man boobs and a fat butt are common consequences of alcohol, bad food and toxins creating more oestrogen in the system and causing a more feminine body shape. Beer is probably the worst offender - recent research from Oregon State University found beer hops to be the most powerful substance in terms of oestrogen replacement for post-menopausal women.

How to keep in shape

Towards the end of your 30s, your muscle strength starts to diminish, so make sure that you do resistance work (lifting weights, preferably free weights) backed up with some cardio, maybe a bit of boxing or a light run a couple of times a week. Taking up jogging will not be the answer to all your problems. It's not a good idea to do just cardio work because the increased respiration speeds up the rate of oxidation in the body's cell, which ages you. Those dumbells matter - the more muscle you have the faster your metabolisme will be and so you'll maintain a better body composition with less fat.

Start thinking about taking up supplements - a couple of fish oils and multivitamins - to make sure that your system is well-nourished.

In your 40s

What's happening to your body

You need to be much more conscious of what you eat because it will start to show on your body more. Eat fruit, vegetables and especially fibre, not least because there's an increase chance of colon cancer in your 40s. If you're not eating enough green vegetables, try a fibre powder (available in health food shops). Your metabolism starts to slow down, your testosterone productions slows too, but remember - if you still change your body, it will do it's best to keep up.

How to keep in shape

Believe it or not, you should be aiming to exercise six times - the standard three days won't be enough if you want to look and feel good. Don't worry if you're new to exercise. Start with a brisk walk and take it from there. If you can walk into a room, you can do a simple squat and lunge - there's no excuse for not being able to do there basic movements.

It doesn't have to be an hour's long in the gym - run around with the kids, teach them to surf, go to the gym and don't dismiss Pilates or yoga. As you get older you develop faulty breathing patterns from being stressed at your desk, so breathing is a huge part of being healthy and lots of men find that Pilates and yoga help. I've had clients get up to 90 per cent more oxygen per breath. As a result, they find they have much more energy and less stress.

A tip for feeling instantly less stressed is to breathe like a baby - breath right into your tummy, then push the breath out using your tummy muscles, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.

The article covers 20s and 50s as well. 20s is history, 50s in later coverage la kot :)