Fit and Active Lifestyle For 40+
Lifestyle
By Coventry City Council on 2012-10-13 10:01:40
Beyond the age of 40, your fitness starts taking unexpected turns and your health and overall well-being cannot maintained solely through a well balanced diet. Activities that were easy in your 20s or 30s and had done wonders to your body just don’t work at this age. Those workouts may start to become painful, and they may not help you lose weight as easily as they had when you were younger. This can be extremely frustrating, especially when you start to gain weight after you’re 40 because of your slowing metabolism and joints. You may find that you can’t exercise as intensely as you did in your 20s or 30s. Hectic job hours and your childrens’ needs may interfere with your diet, forcing you to resort to junk food.
What Is The Reason For Increased Weight Gain Beyond 40?
Many people in the age group of 40+ complain that no matter how health-conscious they are, they still put on weight. They say, “I eat a well balanced diet in small, spaced-out meals, briskly walk for 30 minutes every day, drink plenty of water, only have healthy diet snacks, and still I tend to put on weight.” According to medical research, after the age of 30, the human body starts losing muscle mass due to atrophy: the muscle shrinkage that results from inactivity. The body also tends to lose bone density – especially in women – and this can gradually lead to osteoporosis. When you were younger, your muscles were frequently active and helping you with the calorie-burning process. When you pass 40, your metabolism starts slowing down due to loss in muscle mass – and this result in more weight gain. So is there any way to achieve healthy weight loss beyond 40?
Restart Your Workout Session
For fitness over 40, a good exercise program coupled with a well balanced diet is vital. A common misconception among people over 40 is that cardio exercises are the best way to lose weight. Cardio exercise – such as walking, jogging or running on treadmill – has been proven to help you burn calories. However, these exercises only burn calories during the workout. So, after 3-4 hours of your workout, your body leaves the calorie-burning stage.
The answer to this problem is to include some form of strength training in your workout. Strength training exercises help you build and maintain muscle, and your muscles will begin to burn more calories even when you’re in a resting state. According to research, one pound of fat burns around 4 calories per day, while one pound of muscle burns around 50.
The message is quite simple: if you are above 40 and want to lose fat and gain muscle mass, it is imperative that you include strength training exercise along with your cardio and stretching exercises. Another piece of evidence to motivate you further: people who have included strength training in their workout routines have lost around 40% more fat than those who have not.
Staying fit is all about feeling strong and having fun, regardless of the activity. Exercise well and maintain a well balanced diet, and you can control your body’s well-being.
