....so much up against to stay sexy......ugh

So, from my other blog you just found out that cortisol caused by stress is NOT our friend. In fact, you tend to store fat in order to protect your body. Yes, the body is very smart how it heals and repairs itself. We have to understand the mechanisms so we can work WITH it and not AGAINST it. LIke my motto goes: Workout smarter - not harder!!
As we get older, we have more obstacles to get over in order to keep our perfect body image alive. There are hormones, muscle loss, energy loss, kids left-over foods we don't want to throw out.....LOL  But if we have that knowledge, we can do something about it. Year by year we go through a lot of hormone changes already, such as testosterone changes and estrogen levels lower at a certain age. Estrogen helps with the distribution of fat and also is something we have to be mindful of. When our stress level increases, cortisol level raise, which makes your body store fat. As our muscles deteriorate because we go up in years, our metabolisms also slow down. And if we get our own plate of food, we do not eat someone elses also.
Knowing all this now, we just have to adjust our lifestyle a little bit. Don't eat the kids left-overs, give them to the pigs or dog. Keep your stress down, that includes good stress, too. A hard work out elevates cortisol also. So keep your workout at a medium level and give your body time for recovery in between. With a heart rate between 65-70%  of your m/hr your body burns fat. Anything higher, your body first will burn the glycogen in your muscles and then your muscles. Frequent breathing exercises and yoga will help your body learn to relax and keep the cortisol down. You know what that means - better weight and fat management. You will keep your body happy and release endorphins creating a happy and content feeling.
Lift light weight to maintain your muscles and keep your skin from sagging (although there is more to sagging skin.....)
The main thing is to stay happy. With happy thoughts you attract more happiness into your life. Focus on the good things in life and enjoy the activities you get to participate in. I believe that is the main reason for life and the core to a happy one.