Lifestyle Habits Across The Lifespan

Taylor Tomperi, BS, CPT

When I was growing up, I always had older family members tell me to enjoy my ‘young metabolism’ while I can because it’s all downhill when I get to their age. Were they right, or is there something else happening? Metabolism, simply put, is the process of converting food into usable energy that powers everything from exercise to simply keeping us alive. It’s true that most adults gain, on average, 1–2 pounds a year (1). A recent study examined energy expenditure in relation to age, sex, and fat-free mass (the sum of our muscles, organs, bones, and water). This study sheds light on what happens to our metabolism throughout the course of our lives (2). The findings of the study concluded that energy expenditure is not related to age but is proportionally related to fat-free mass.

Individuals with a higher fat-free mass burn more calories compared to those with a lower fat-free mass. Pound for pound, infants have the highest energy expenditure relative to their mass, which decreases until about age 20. So, it’s true that kids burn more energy compared to adults when we adjust for fat-free mass. This is largely because they are still developing. However, the most surprising finding of the study was that, on average, energy expenditure remained relatively stable from age 20 to age 60.

So, to understand why people are gaining 1 to 2 pounds a year on average, we need to consider other factors that are not metabolism. The biggest component leading to weight gain is predominantly due to lifestyle changes that occur as we move through different stages of life. People tend to be less active than when they were younger. Recreational activities often decrease as we enter the workforce, get married, have children, and settle into routines. Most people don’t notice it because it’s usually a very gradual decline in activity. This is why it’s important to engage in structured and purposeful physical activity each week to help us stay active, build or maintain muscle, and maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI) as we age.

The Department of Health and Human Services, along with the American Heart Association, recommends striving for 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity and 2 or more days of resistance training per week for substantial health benefits. But getting active doesn’t always need to take place in the gym. Here are some simple strategies to add more physical activity into your daily routine:

· Set reminders for yourself to stand up and take a few steps each hour.

· Park farther away from the entrance wherever you go.

· Take the stairs in place of the elevator.

· Make your next coffee date a walking date.

· Join an intermural sports league or club team.

· Track your steps with a wearable device.

· Invite a friend or family member to be an accountability buddy.

The bottom line is that movement needs to become a conscious decision the busier we get. Life can get crazy, and it’s easy to let our health move to the back burner. However, adding even a little bit of physical activity to each day can add up to big changes over time and can help ward off that gradual weight gain that many people experience as they age.

Sources:

1. Hutfless S, Maruthur NM, Wilson RF, Gudzune KA, Brown R, Lau B, Fawole OA, Chaudhry ZW, Anderson CA, Segal JB. Strategies to prevent weight gain among adults. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2013 Mar. Report No.: 13-EHC029-EF

2. Pontzer H, Yamada Y, Sagayama H, et al. Daily energy expenditure through the human life course. Science. 2021;373(6556):808-812. doi:10.1126/science.abe5017