If you were very active in your younger years, you may have had some injuries.  Like a spicy pepperoni pizza does after dinner, those injuries from your carefree days can come back to haunt you.  These ghosts of injuries past show up in the form of early arthritis, bone spurs, tighter muscles, pinched nerves, etc.  After our 30’s, new injuries also take longer heal.  No wonder we slow down.

People naturally lose muscle after 40, especially women after menopause. Because muscle burns more calories than fat, this can slow down your metabolism and make it harder to shake those stubborn pounds. Strength-training exercises -- lifting weights or doing body-weight exercises, like push-ups and squats -- at least twice a week can help you keep those muscles.

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