The good news is that our doctors were right.  If you’ve been getting your thirty minutes of exercise five days a week, that is good.  You probably feel a noticeable increase in energy, an improvement in mood and you’ve been reducing your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.  What the new study shows is that while this amount of exercise is healthy, it may not be enough to help you in your quest for weight loss if you are a middle aged woman.  This study followed over 34,000 healthy women for an average of thirteen years.  The women in the study were all 45 or over at the start of the study.  The study found that normal-weight women who exercised for one hour day maintained their weight, while women who exercised less, tended to gain weight.  The study findings suggest that if you are overweight or obese, then you should combine a healthy diet plan with one hour of exercise each day in order to avoid gaining weight during middle age.  To achieve weight loss, even further calorie cutting would be required. 

I think the main lesson here is to be proactive and start a healthy weight loss program that includes exercise, before we begin to see weight gain in our middle years.  Middle age, naturally presents additional challenges to our bodies and our weight loss goals.  Therefore, getting a head start and getting our bodies in shape before we are middle aged, should help us enjoy healthier and happier lives.