We know: to live a long and healthy life, we can play on several parameters – the most important of which are regular physical activity, good stress management, quality sleep and a balanced diet.
Exactly: researchers from the University of California at San Diego (in the United States) have just discovered a new longevity factor: weight stability.
The scientists followed nearly 55,000 women for several years, Americans aged 61 to 81 at the start of the study. About half of the participants managed to reach the age of 90; only 9% have become centenarians.
The researchers found that women who managed to maintain a stable weight (that is to say: who managed not to gain or lose more than 5% of their total weight over a period of at least 3 years) had average twice as likely as others to exceed 90 years.
How to maintain your weight after 60?
Several tips can be adopted today to avoid gaining (too much) weight or losing (too much) weight after menopause:
- Adopt the Mediterranean diet. Excellent for health (and particularly for cardiovascular health), it is balanced and not very frustrating. Concretely, you just have to take your foot off red meat, dairy products and sweets and concentrate instead on small fatty fish, olive oil and “sunny” fruits and vegetables.
- Exercise every day. You just need to walk 30 minutes every day to get the famous “regular physical activity” recommended by health authorities! If the weather is bad, a few core exercises (for example: the plank, an exercise accessible to everyone) can be beneficial.
- Limit sugar. Particularly at breakfast, the meal that remains the sweetest of the day: why not switch to a savory breakfast, like our English neighbors? A habit to get into, as good for your health as it is for your figure.
- Sleep well. Poor quality sleep promotes weight gain: if you are prone to waking up at night and/or insomnia, an appointment with the doctor is necessary.
