Kids playing are enjoying themselves tremendously. And the more they are moving their bodies the more fun they get. This shifts with age: Exercising becomes less and less linked with fun. Some of my clients over 40 have trouble getting themselves into the gym or doing any form of physical exercise, making it challenging to lose weight permanently over 40.

But this doesn't have to be that way. In fact, most people doing regular exercise experience being in a better mood. Generally, people doing exercise experience themselves as more productive and emotionally stable.

Recent research released in the Archives of Internal Medicine investigated the results of exercise on the quality of life of menopausal women. All women were overweight or obese and had a sedentary lifestyle. They participated in 3 different exercise plans with varying level of exercise intensity. As always in these studies, a control group had no exercise at all.

Some women did not lose weight, because they counterbalanced the calories spent while exercising by eating more. But: For all of them their quality of life increased. And: The higher the intensity level of the exercise program, the better the women felt.

A beneficial result on the sense of well-being was achieved even by the group doing the exercise program with the lowest intensity.

Of course, to lose weight permanently over 40 you have to integrate physical activities in your life style. However you shouldn't do it for the weight loss only. Physical Exercise will make you feel better and increase the quality of your life- particularly if you are over 40.

The main problem for most women over 40 seems to be that their days are so filled with activities that they just do not find the time to exercise. In addition, many do not want to join a gym- and if they are honest, it's often because they are self-conscious and do not want to be seen among all of these ?thin people?. The latter is very understandable- but, there are women-only gyms as well, the ?Curves? gym chain comes to mind.

In addition, many regular gyms have ?women-only? classes aiming especially at losing weight. These should be a good start, because there you will find many women your size. Exercising in a group is more fun too!

But for most women the ?I have no time? argument is the most prevalent reason not to exercise. First of all, let me tell you: When you start to exercise regularly your energy level will go up, so you will be able to get more done. And, most of our entertainment is actually not really that supportive. Think of watching TV in the evening- it's not really relaxing. TV is made to engage the viewer (so he watches longer and is exposed to more commercials). Your nervous system will be activated, so you won't sleep that well. A relaxing walk would both give you exercise, and relax you mind so you'll sleep better.

Getting enough sleep has been linked to weight loss- if you are stressed out you'll have a hard time losing weight permanently. As always, you need to find out what works best for you. You might consider a program giving personalized advice so you can find out what works best for you in your specific situation.