MUFFIN TOPS AND POOCHY BELLIES AFTER 50

Not all patients come to see me because of pain. Some people see me because they don’t like their aging bodies and they believe I can show them how to fix it. I’ve shared one of these questions before on 1010 Park Place: Why do our butts get flat and wide

Going further up, we see the fat on the tummy and the muffins. Sure, some of us had muffin tops and big bellies at 25. Having children and gaining weight can lead to these formations. But many of you have maintained a slender figure your entire life, shed baby fat quickly, trimmed your abs, and got back in shape. you are amazing.

But even if you maintain a slender teenage body as you age, you’ll start to develop a sense of spaciousness in your back and belly. This is always related to the feeling of fat in the lower abdomen. Your upbringing has diminished. The tummy got fat, and with a second mirror we would have muffin tops, caressers, and sometimes sagging skin under the shoulder blades.

Some women go to a chiropractor to massage their ribs and buttocks. Some therapists told them that their joints were shortened and could be manipulated to their previous length, so they took Pilates and yoga, thinking they needed to adjust their posture. They do crunches, planks, and bridges to build weakened abs. Sometimes they injure themselves with overly aggressive sports, or if they inflict rib damage…or whatever.

This phenomenon is a result of some of the same problems that cause our butts to widen — our spines get shorter. It is a byproduct of the loss of disc height in all of us, as well as the loss and deformity of the vertebral body in those of us with osteoporosis. This in turn results in less space for organs, muscles and flesh, and a relative weakening of the abdominal muscles. This is using the same string on a shorter bow. The shortening of the spine brings the ribs closer to the pelvis. I’ve seen some women whose ribs basically touch the top of the pelvis.

I’m here to emphasize again a natural process and encourage you to embrace some of the changes in this wonderful body that has brought you so much. Of course, you can try to prevent those things that are preventable.

Maintain your weight, for those of us whose metabolism and gene pool allow.
Do your weight-bearing, cardio and strengthening exercises, Pilates and yoga.
Take your calcium and vitamin D.
Stand up straight…as long as you can stand up straight.
Inhale it.
Most importantly, don’t hurt yourself. Throw away your mirrors. After 50, we’re not just about our muffin tops and fat tummies.