Dropping excess weight doesn’t necessarily massive lifestyle changes.
Find it increasingly hard to lose the gin blossom you’ve been working on for the past few decades?
Well, get in line. You’re not alone.
As people age, metabolism slows down to a crawl, and a lot of your metabolic processes and organic functions become a little less efficient than it once was.
You now need fewer calories than ever to keep your body mass at healthy levels, much less reduce it.
Muscle quality also breaks down naturally as men age. From being mostly comprised of mostly muscle fibers during your youth, muscles develop fat deposits by the time you hit age 50.
The ultimate result of such a shift leads to fatigue – and being more easily tired than usual. This leads to a slowdown in metabolism, loss of muscle mass and definition, and makes it harder to keep the pounds away.
In the end, losing weight at age 50 and beyond – or any age, for that matter – requires more time and deliberate effort than it once used to. Easy? No. Painstaking? Yes. Impossible? Not at all. Simply follow these ten lifestyle hacks you can employ to keep off the excess weight throughout your golden years.
Go heavy on the fruits and vegetables.
It’s important to understand what to eat more of in order to lose weight effectively. Fruits and vegetables are an excellent addition to your diet, particularly if they are berries or green leafy or cruciferous vegetables (kale, broccoli, and cauliflower come to mind).
Fruits and veggies are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that you need more of as you age.
Eat more beans.
You know how the song goes about beans being the magical “fruit.” And it’s not just a lyrical device without merit, either: beans are loaded with filling protein and fiber, which also help nourish the good bacteria living in your digestive system.
Said bacteria, in turn, create short-chain fatty acids that help and aid your metabolism. Try to incorporate more legumes in your diet, and don’t limit yourself to just one type of beans. There are more beans out there than you can shake a stick at – and you can simply throw them all into a pot to make a tasty lentil stew.
Concentrate on your food intake.
We can’t stress it enough: don’t overeat. Also, avoid eating like a soldier in between working lunch meetings. Rather, deliberately and mindfully eat your food in order to bolster your weight loss efforts.
Avoid eating in front of the TV; according to the journal of Obesity, eating in front of the boob tube was linked to increased weight gain – potentially for the same reasons, we shovel food in whenever we’re on the go or in the middle of completing a tough deadline.
Avoid sugar-loaded foods and drinks.
Sugar is the primary culprit for most people struggling with weight gain. That’s because sugary foods and drinks load you up with a lot of calories despite not being as satisfying to your appetite.
See, a can of Pepsi contains 150 calories from the get-go. On the other hand, it would take you to eat more broccoli than you can take to reach that same amount of calories eating veggies. Here’s a hack: instead of taking sugar-laden smoothies and fruit juices, consider consuming the entire fruit itself than just the concentrate.
Add some variety to your workouts.
Older individuals who performed 30 minutes of cardio and aerobic exercises and 30 minutes of resistance training at least thrice a week reduced body fat and gained substantial muscle mass, apart from normal blood pressure and overall fitness (critical to an aging heart).
Resistance training is effective in helping build muscle, burning more calories than fat (apart from raising your testosterone levels). On the other hand, aerobic exercise helps you burn fat. When both are incorporated daily, you’ll position yourself for a better quality of life no matter what your age.
Focusing on the large muscle groups of the upper body as well as the legs fire up more muscle groups than isolated lifts, leading to more muscle gain and more fat metabolism.
Cardio, on the other hand, may not be as exciting, so do something you’ll surely enjoy, such as biking, swimming, cycling, jogging, or simply walking.
If it’s been a long while since you’ve done any sort of regular exercise, consult your doctor and see a personal trainer. They will help you determine where you’re at physically, so you know where to begin.
Find different ways to satisfy your hunger.
Apart from not overeating, one other way you can consciously keep track of what you eat is to simply stop eating when you’re satisfied, rather than eating until you feel “full”—sound advice.
Do yoga
Yoga may help you keep flexibility and remain mobile at any age, and its stress and anxiety-reducing effect work well if you’re looking to drop the pounds. Sure, doing yoga alone may not help you achieve your weight loss goals, but it’s a good habit that can form part of a healthy exercise routine. Plus, it’s a great way to keep mentally tuned in.
Audit what you’re putting into your body
Most men above the age of 50 are on some kind of medication; that’s why it’s a good idea to audit how such medications may impact your weight loss efforts with your primary healthcare provider. Ask your doctor if you can change something that may be a detriment in helping you lose weight.
Ditch the junk food
Instead of Doritos, make peanuts your default snack food. Completely replacing junk food with nuts helps defend age-related weight gain, keeps the calories, salt, or excess sugar found in junk food.
Eat whole grains every time you can
It doesn’t matter where you get your whole grains from – they’re all good for you. People between the ages of 40 and 65 who ate more whole grains than refined grains burned more fat and calories. Whole grains are packed with fiber that promotes good digestive bacteria growth, which fuels metabolism.
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