People of think of losing weight after 40 to be a difficult task. It’s true that once you reach 40, your metabolism will not be as active when you were younger. There are several reasons why your metabolism can be slowed down. A slow metabolism can be related to thyroid problems, lack of physical activities, life changes, loss of muscle and a lot more. Also, our body’s metabolism naturally slows down every decade by 5%.
A lot of individuals, especially females have the wrong perception when it comes to losing weight after 40. They think it is impossible to lose weight due to a slow metabolism. However, no matter how old you are, there are ways to improve your metabolism or at least keep it going.
Here are some things that you ought to know if you are trying to lose weight after 40.
Reduce Calorie Intake
One of the best ways for you to lose weight is to reduce your calorie intake by a minimum of 10%. Simply try to cut calories by avoiding junk foods such as sodas, candies, cookies, chips and fast foods as well. By cutting out 10% of the amount of calories that you consume each day. It will also prevent you from gaining ten excess pounds every year.
Instead of eating junk food, you should increase consumption of vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy, whole grains and fresh fruit. As you are filling your plate, focus on adding several servings of vegetables. They are low calorie and help fill you up. Do limit your fruit intake. Fruit is healthy but it contains natural sugar.
Exercise More Often
Exercising is an effective way to lose unwanted weight especially if it is paired with a healthy diet. Individuals that are in their 40’s are less likely able to spend time exercising due to their busy schedules. In most instances, they tend to have less time in doing things that can benefit them for them to provide what their family needs. And the number one way to care for your body is to get out and exercise. However, most people tend to forget or put exercise on the back burner. So try to make it a habit of spending some time in doing some workouts just to keep you fit. By exercising, your muscle will be able to burn calories even if you are resting.
Exercising can seem like a time-consuming thing that needs to be done or just another box to check on their list. Today people tend to fill their calendar with things to do and they live a busy lifestyle. Busyness is just an excuse for not exercising. When you drop the excuse, you can carve out 30 minutes a day to care for your body.
Eat a Balanced Diet
Balance your diet out by eating more fresh vegetable and fruits. Adding fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet is very easy to do. Fruit makes a great dessert or even snacks. By adding more fresh produce to your diet means that you are consuming fiber into your body and you are reducing your calorie intake as well. Fiber helps you feel full longer and prevents constipation.
Don’t forget to eat plenty of protein too. Protein is an essential building block inside of your body so it is important that you are consuming the recommended daily allowance. Protein is used to build and repair tissue, helps make enzymes, hormones and other body chemicals.
Drink More Water
Always make it a habit of drinking a plenty amount of water every day. Health experts recommend you to consume at least eight glasses of water every day. The good thing about water is that you can drink it anytime that you wish plus it does not contain any calories at all. If you are not a big fan of water then what you can do is add a few drops of citrus to it just to add flavor. One effective method that you can use if you want to feel fuller at a faster time is to drink one glass of water before you take a meal.
Many people dread turning 40 due fear of gaining weight due to a slower metabolism. As you age, your metabolism naturally slows down. However, you can use these tips to help you get rid of those unwanted pounds or prevent the weight gain from creeping up on you.