Finally, it happens. You start off the pizza but can’t seem to end it. You eat less and less but it seems that you are getting bigger and bigger. What gives? It’s not a trick of your mind; you stop losing weight as you age. As your age progresses, your muscle mass and strength take a direct hit. The less muscles you have the less calories you burn. This is actually the reason most people gain a lot of weight in their declining years. But they still act like they’re 30 and wild and unfortunately, some of them end up at the injury doctor, the orthopedic doctor, or the physiotherapist. This is true for both men and women.
Here are some ways you can easily lose weight even after 50 and look 30 (okay, maybe 40)
RESISTANCE TRAINING
Resistance training, also called strength training just might be the last thing people ever think of, especially in their advanced years. Usually what most people think of, and what most people advise others is cardio exercises like using a treadmill or an elliptical or something to that effect.
Resistance training is an exercise where you use weights, or your own body weight, to toughen up your muscles. It helps you increase the strength of your muscles and helps them grow while fortifying the tendons, ligaments and bones.
Like we discussed earlier, as we age, we lose muscle mass as our metabolism slows down. The more our metabolism slows the more muscle we lose and before we know it, we are stuck in a vicious cycle. But if you start strength training, you break the cycle and that immediately has an effect on your body and your health.
KEEP SUGAR AND CARBS AT BAY
I know what you’re probably thinking. ‘But I’m already eating less’ and you’re right. But in declining years you have to take care more about what you eat rather than how much you eat. Eat the right food, but do give up on that daily dessert.
The reason we say this is that in advanced years your body tends to develop high blood sugar because of insulin resistance. When your cells become resistant to insulin, the glucose that was being consumed stays in your bloodstream. This leads to higher blood sugar and even type II diabetes. That makes it extremely hard to shed some pounds. The solution: decrease the carbs and sugar intake.
DRINK UP ME HEARTIES YO HO!
How does water help you lose weight? It doesn’t! So why is it mentioned here? Because sometimes when you’re thirsty, your body sends you signals that get mixed up with hunger. So what do you do? You eat. A study published in 2009 stated that due to modern environmental factors like cheap and plentiful food (we didn’t say healthy, we said plentiful) and calorie-rich drinks our body’s signals for thirst and hunger are weakened. Especially the food-like products that we consume today have made our thirst mechanism less reliable.
So drink around half of your body weight. It averages to about 5-6 bottles of water per day.
INCREASE YOUR INTAKE OF MAGNESIUM
Although we take some form of vitamins, Magnesium is something that slips our minds. It is an energy mineral that also boosts our metabolism by synthesizing the proteins and carbs in our body. Among the other tasks that Magnesium performs in our body, the most important one is to activate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which is the storage unit that stores energy in our body.
Add a little absorbable Magnesium in your water. Not only will it help with your diet, it will also help you with your loss of energy, sluggishness and headaches.
WALK ON SUNSHINE (IN SUNSHINE)
Are we asking you to get a tan? Absolutely not. What we’re suggesting is that you need to get some much needed Vitamin D!
Vitamin D deficiency not only affects your bones, it also makes you eat more. Vitamin D works with leptin, a hormone, to regulate hunger signals. When your Vitamin D is low, your hunger signal malfunction and cause you to eat again and again.
START YOGA
Everybody knows that one of the major reasons of overeating is stress. Manage your stress, manage your diet. The best way to manage stress is to relax. Some people do it on their own, most of us need some help. Take up yoga. Not only will it help you shed your worries, it will also help you with your balance and core strength. Just don’t overdo it or you’ll be running to an accident doctor. Just in case, search Google for ‘accident injury doctors near me’, ‘personal injury doctors near me’ or something to that effect so that you are prepared.
GET SOME SLEEP
It is a proven fact that sleep affects your overall health. Your body produces the Human Growth Hormone or HGH that helps your body heal. Sleep will also help you build more energy for yoga and strength training. Make sure you are getting 7-8 hours of quality sleep.
Well, there you have it. Easy steps to lose weight and add a couple of years to your life.
