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Beating the Beer Belly Blues

By Bob on January 17, 2011 6:15 AM

I think it's a given that most Baby Boomer men know very little about their bodies. Don't get me wrong. We're not stupid. It's just that our knowledge, is shall we say limited to the basic below-the-belt topics like erectile dysfunction and colonoscopy jokes.

Turns out, there's a lot more to Boomer body mechanics than bathroom humor.

 

Who knew? Well, Brad King, for one.

 

Brad's the author of Beer Belly Blues: What Every Aging Man and the Women in his Life Need to Know. Brad's a nutrition and longevity expert who really understands the Boomer male and he's got some great tips for dealing with male menopause (aka, andropause).

 

We asked Brad to share some tips with our Boomer brethren and he graciously agreed.

 

Beating the Beer Belly Blues by Brad King, M.S., MFS

 

Women are not the only ones who stress over aging.  Men also worry but less about weight gain and wrinkles, more about prostate problems, low libido, hair loss, cardiovascular problems, increased belly fat and the dreaded erectile dysfunction - just to name a few! 

 

Unfortunately, it is a fact that the aging process actually starts to take place in our 30's and although it may be years before the damage is visible, it does happen. Research confirms that this is largely due to a drastic decline in male hormone levels--a phenomenon known as andropause--or as most women refer to it as the GRUMPY OLD MAN SYNDROME.

Men actually lose approximately ten percent of their testosterone levels each decade after age 30. By the time they hit age 60 they are typically producing 60 percent less testosterone than they did at 20!  It gets worse - at the same time they are losing testosterone they suffer a rise in the female hormone estrogen - the culprit that contributes to 'moobs' (yes, man boobs)!  Another alarming fact for men to worry about is that mortality rates are 88% higher in men with low testosterone compared with men who have normal testosterone levels.

 

The good news is that these negative effects of aging can be stopped - and in some cases even reversed - with simple to follow, lifestyle changes.

 

Here are my top three tips to beating the Beer Belly Blues:

1. Reduce your stress--whether it is real or perceived, stress is stress.
   
2. Eat less. Eat better, smarter, cleaner. Eat more often (5 smaller meals per day--3 solid and 2 in the form of a high quality protein shake). Eat a lot of fiber. Avoid while flour products, starches (such as potatoes) and sugar. Yup, sugar makes you fat. End of story.
   
3. Perform testosterone boosting exercises (i.e. high impact/short duration activities, such as sprinting and resistance exercise).

Check out more of Brad's tips at Beer Belly Blues.

 

Brad King, M.S., MFS, is an authority on nutrition, obesity and longevity. He is the author of 10 books including the international bestseller Fat Wars and his award-winning book Beer Belly Blues: What Every Aging Man and the Women in his Life Need to Know.

 

 

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