International Women's Day was recently observed and many local women stalwarts were recognised for their contribution to nation building. One of the weaknesses we have as women is that we spend a lot of time taking care of others, sometimes to the detriment of our own health. However, I think that we are learning that if we are unhealthy, we will be more challenged in taking care of others.

As we grow older and move into the decade of the 50s, taking care of ourselves becomes much more important. There is no room for excuses at this stage; you either make corrections or reap the consequences.

Women in general have a higher body fat percentage and lower muscle mass than men. Our muscles are our fat burning tissues. As we age, the amount of energy the body uses at rest is reduced. Many people become very busy, take on large responsibilities at work and in the community, start new studies and often put off physical activity. This is the time too when many women reward themselves with their dream car and want to enjoy it and so walking becomes less frequent. Eating habits are also impacted by increased res-ponsibility and very limited time for planned meals.

Eat fewer calories

Changes are also occurring hormonally which, apart from affecting our emotions and feelings, cause a shift in body fat to the abdominal region, resulting in an enlarged abdomen. We therefore need to consume less energy. If we, for example, maintained a healthy weight in our younger years, we will have to consume less than we previously did to maintain that same weight. We have to exercise to preserve our muscle mass and prevent excess fat accumulation. The accumulation of excess fat, especially in our abdominal region, will increase our risk for diseases such as diabetes and heart conditions.

We want to move into our later years with a good quality of life, so let's make the necessary lifestyle changes to accomplish our dreams.

Rosalee M. Brown is a registered dietitian/ nutritionist who operates Integrated Nutrition and Health Services; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.

Tips

Reduce calorie intake, consume less fat especially from animal sources and choose healthy fat alternatives such as from nuts and avocado.

Avoid trans fats which are abundant in commercially baked products as partially hydrogenated fats. These will increase your bad cholesterols (low-density lipoproteins or LDLs).

Increase calcium-rich foods as our need increases as we age to maintain the integrity of our bones.

Increase fibre-rich foods to reduce constipation. Benefits include helping blood-sugar control, cholesterol control and the fullness signal in the stomach which will lead to a reduction in overall food intake.

Consume foods rich in iron as at this time some women experience more- than-usual heavy periods leading to anaemia.

Have planned meal times and stick to them to avoid eating too little or too much.

Increase water intake to keep hydrated and to reduce sugary alternatives.

Manage existing chronic diseases to avoid life-altering and threatening complications.

Learn coping strategies to deal with stress.

Have regular mental health breaks to keep healthy.

Stop procrastinating and make plans to improve your lifestyle today.

Lose the weight and keep it off!

Want to find out how? Then don't miss this special three-month feature running every other Wednesday in the Gleaner's multi-award winning Health section. See next Wednesday's edition when weight-management challenge winner, Tanica Plummer, gets her prize of free exercise, nutrition and mental health consultations.

Send feedback to yourhealth@ gleanerjm.com.