Camire speaks with BDN about getting fit in midlife
Mary Ellen Camire, a professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Maine, was interviewed by the Bangor Daily News for the article, “Losing weight, getting fit in midlife is a reachable goal.” “Our bodies do change as we age,” Camire said. A natural tendency toward lower metabolism and a more sedentary lifestyle means most older adults need fewer calories to maintain a healthy weight, she said. But many adults do not change their eating habits, resulting in weight gain, according to the article. Camire, who suggests a diet built on the recommendations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said the first step toward successful weight-loss should be to increase physical activity. “From our 30s on, we lose muscle mass steadily unless we’re actively working to build it,” she said. Allowing healthy muscle tissue to be replaced by fat not only slows the rate at which the body burns food calories, it also destabilizes balance, flexibility and strength, increasing the likelihood of injury and threatening mobility, the article states.