Aerobic Exercises for Middle-Age Spread

The dreaded middle-age spread is weight gain -- generally around the waist and hips -- that many people experience as they enter their late 40s and early 50s. As we age, factors such as hormone levels, genetics and lifestyle contribute to weight gain. However, middle-age spread is not necessarily inevitable. Eating a healthy, low-fat diet and remaining physically active as you age can help prevent the spread.

  1. Causes

    • Hormonal changes can contribute to middle-age spread for women, as metabolism slows down in both men and women as they age. This can lead to an accumulation of body fat around the middle and thighs. Genetics and lifestyle -- such as stress, eating habits and lack of exercise -- also play a role in middle-age weight gain for both men and women. Lifestyle changes, such as adopting a healthy diet and engaging in regular exercise, can help reduce your weight gain after middle-age. Aerobic exercise can help you lose fat, but only if you reduce the number of calories you eat as well. It won't matter how much you exercise, you won't beat the middle-age spread if you are consuming more calories than you are burning throughout the day. Eat fewer calories and exercise more to create a calorie deficit and burn fat.

    Aerobic Exercise

    • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise each week. Moderate aerobic exercise is any activity that increases your heart and respiration rates and makes you sweat. Brisk walking, jogging, calisthenics and swimming are effective aerobic exercises for burning fat and beating middle-age spread. According to MayoClinic.com, a 160-pound person can burn 365 calories doing low-impact aerobic exercises for one hour. The same person can burn 402 calories in an hour doing water aerobics. Do high-impact, vigorous aerobic exercises to burn even more calories.

    Sports

    • Playing sports is a good way to get your aerobic workout to burn fat and have fun doing it. According to MayoClinic.com, a 200-pound person can burn as much as 728 calories in one hour by playing basketball. The same person can burn more than 630 calories ice skating. If you weigh between 160 and 200 pounds, you can burn between 584 and 728 calories by playing singles tennis for one hour. The more you weigh, the more calories you will burn. For example, a 200-pound person can burn 1,074 by jumping rope, but a 240-pound person will burn about 1,286 calories in one hour of jumping rope. You can join a softball team, play tennis or a round of golf each week with a friend, or play basketball with the kids.

    Step Aerobics Classes

    • Step aerobics is a high-energy, high-calorie-burning way to avoid the middle-age spread or get rid of your bulging middle section. Depending on your weight, you can burn between 533 and 796 calories after one hour of step aerobics, according to MayoClinic.com. Step aerobics is a high-impact type of exercise that consists of choreographed moves often set to music. Step aerobics are offered at gyms and sometimes at community fitness centers. Home DVDs are also available so you can exercise in the privacy of your own home.