There are two life zones in fitness; before 30 and after 30. Losing weight before 30 seems almost effortless compared to losing weight after the age of 30. Most times it feels like an uphill task. So the trick is in maintaining a healthy weight instead of having to shed it. And if you look around, most men over 30 have beer bellies and the women aren’t faring any better. Why is that?
1. You are naturally losing muscle mass, which basically means reduced fat burning. This can be combated by strength training exercises.
2. Your testosterone levels dip. This begins after the age of 30. And this is what contributes to the belly fat more commonly referred to as the middle-aged spread.
3. Lower metabolism. Our fat burning abilities become sluggish with age, and so you have to continually seek ways to bolster it. You can do this by:
Drinking more water
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Being active
Building muscle
What are the things you can do if you want to remain in shape?
1. Move more
Past 40, your testosterone levels dip. This means that your muscle building and fat torching abilities have waned. And a low testosterone level means increased storage of fat around your midsection. Ensure that you have at least 30 minutes of activity every day. And on some days, double up.
2. Eat less than you used to
Now you are older and chances are you move less. You probably sit at your desk a lot more than you used to, but still consume the same amount of calories if not more; thanks in part to earning better. If you could cut about 500 calories from your daily diet, it would help. This is because you really don’t need the calories.
You can achieve this easily by:
a.) Eating smaller portions
b. Not skipping meals. While you may think skipping meals will help you lose weight, it will in fact just slow down your metabolism and frustrate your weight loss. Instead, eat smaller portions as scheduled. 3. Rthink your snacks
While in your younger days you could repeatedly eat a full plate of chips, chug down a few beers and have a full carb-loaded meal in the evening without bursting some seams, well, not anymore. Outside of your meals, if you consume just as much calories as your meals contain, the kilos will definitely pack up. Now if you get hungry between your meals, make smarter decisions. As long as it is healthy, and you are not sedentary, you will be fine.
Think fruits, nuts, yoghuts, dark chocolate, eggs etc.
