Fun Ways to Stop Middle-Age Spread

Need some inspiration to start working out? Here's some. If you're physically active throughout early adulthood, you can look forward to a slimmer waist and a trimmer body in midlife than your couch-potato cousins can.

For women, the numbers are dramatic. Their waistlines are typically 1.5 inches smaller and their bodies 13.4 pounds lighter. Guys wind up 5.7 pounds lighter, with waists 1.2 inches smaller. (That translates to about 3 years less disability and 3 years more great sex.) All it takes, according to a new study, is moderate to vigorous exercise for 150 minutes a week -- 30 minutes a day, with 2 days off. Use this waistline tracker to help you cinch your waist.

Not a Jock in Your Youth?
No worries if sports were never really your thing. Start now. After only 2 months of strength training (three 40-minute sessions a week, including warm-ups), women 65 to 75 years old can recover a decade of muscle loss and men can recover 2 decades.

Here's how to get started and stick to it:

1. Find your true motivation. To stick with a plan, ask yourself why you want to get moving. To look better? Ease aches? Lose weight? Get stronger? Enjoy more years with the grandkids? Follow this foolproof eating and exercising plan to shrink your middle.
2. Start slow. You may be revved up to get moving fast, but overdoing it early invites strains and injuries that sap your goals.
3. Match activities to your personality. Love parties and socializing? Sign up for Zumba classes. (Find out how to make Zumba nicer to your joints.) Like moving at your own pace but don't trust yourself to stick with it? Spring for a trainer, or schedule exercise dates with a friend or your grandchild. They'll love it!

Then, buy a full-length mirror to admire the results.

RealAge Benefit

Losing excess weight by increasing physical activity can make your RealAge 3 to 9 years younger. Take the RealAge Test!

Actively patrolling your health can make your RealAge as much as 12 years younger. Take the RealAge Test  Copyright 2010 RealAge