*The following is a guest post provided by Donna Moore.

Many of us women have noticed that as we get older, keeping off the weight becomes more difficult. A new study, published a few weeks ago in the most recent edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, confirms this fact, and suggests that middle-aged women who want to keep their figure must exercise at least an hour a day. The study, however, has had many critics, who feel as though an inadvertent effect of this study will be to discourage women who do not have the time for daily exercise.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, who surveyed almost 35,000 middle-aged women who weren’t dieting for a period of thirteen years. After analyzing the data, the researchers concluded women who have a body mass index of less than twenty-five, which encompasses a normal weight range, had to engage in moderate exercise at least sixty minutes a day in order to avoid weight gain. Most of the women who did not gain weight over the time period studied put on an average of less than 2.3 kilograms, which is a little over five pounds.

Although the study does confirm what many women have long suspected, critics say the JAMA research report has some pitfalls. For one, all the data was self-reported, which always means there will be considerable errors in the data, since people tend to underreport what they eat, and either over- or underreport time spent exercising. Another shortcoming of the study is that it collected dietary information only at the beginning of the thirteen year study period. As a result, changes in diet, which happen inevitably over the years, were not accounted for.

In any case, the study was one of the most comprehensive and thorough observational studies on women’s fitness to date. The results also noted that women who participate in intense thirty minute work outs ever day accrue the same benefits from a one hour-a-day exercise regimen. Also, many times light to moderate exercise can be included in even the more mundane tasks that women often engage in, like the physical energy expended in taking care of children.

In the final analysis, the study underscores the fact that exercise is an essential in maintaining one’s health, especially as a middle-aged woman. And that is something all of us women who juggle a career or family but still find time to exercise with enthusiasm can celebrate.

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This guest post is contributed by Donna Moore, who writes on the topics of massage therapy schools.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: donnamoore20@gmail.com.