Starting at about the age of 30 our metabolism starts slowing down about 5% each year. From the age of 35 to 45, we start to lose muscle mass so we end up needing about 200 calories LESS a day.

This fun fact helped our aged ancestors survive in the wilderness when hunting and gathering all day was the closest thing they had to a Publix and the older folks who weren’t as good at it anymore needed a little meat on their bones to ward off starvation.

Now, a trip to Sonic for a Pineapple Upside Down Master Blaster shake will provide you with 2,020 calories and 94 grams of fat (women up to the age of 50 need about 1800 calories a day). Or Olive Garden’s Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara will set you back 1,590 calories and a whopping 114 grams of fat. All without having to forage or stalk a single one of those carbs. Yikes.

So, unless we are kicking up our activity levels at the same time when we want to just take a break, and right when the “itises” start showing up at our doorstep – or we purposefully start to eat more balanced and focused diet, we can end up with a few extra pounds seemingly out of nowhere. This can lead to feelings of frustration and a tendency to want to give up or give in.

Here are 4 things you can do to keep the midlife middle in check:

1. Eat as fresh as possible. Summer is a great time for farmers markets and gardens so try to embrace the beauty that are harvest in your local soils. You can find your local farmers marker location here: http://localfarmmarkets.org/
2. Don’t diet or limit yourself, but eat intentionally and eat from all the food groups. Eat the not-so-good foods once in a while and read the labels for added sugar. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/18-surprising-foods-high-in-sugar#section1. One trick is to try to eat 100 calories less a day. That might be one cookie instead of two, or adding in 20 minutes of walking to your day.
3. Try a copycat recipe that takes some of your decadent favorite foods and makes them healthier, this site has the Wendy’s Frosty and a Starbucks mocha frappaccino reimagined in a healthier way: https://www.prevention.com/food-nutrition/g20497811/10-clean-eating-copycat-recipes/?slide=4
4. Move as much as you can. We know from our brief obsession with fitbits that #allstepsmatter. Park further, take the stairs, walk and talk with friends. It all adds up.
   And remember, it’s not about the rules, it’s about a connection to positive choices and loving yourself no matter what.