As you get older, many changes set into your body. You will notice that losing weight becomes much more difficult, and you become unable to do the things you used to be able to do with lesser effort earlier. That is because many things tend to slow down, and that affects your metabolism, digestion and cell growth rate among other things. Hormonal changes also happen in your body, which also affects the way it works. Essentially, you’re not imagining things when the same diets you used to do or exercises don’t cut off the pounds as much as they used to. With the new changes and way of working in your body, you need to change your strategies and routines if you want to be able to lose the weight.
Luckily, we have 4 effective tips that you could use in order to lose weight once you’re past 40. These will cater to the changes your body has undergone, in order to be more effective.
1. Low Calorie Diets
Image Source: caloriediet.net
As everyone knows, diets are a great way to lose weight, but not all diets are appropriate for women over 40. The most effective diet is really a low calorie diet, because other diets often involve some sort of starvation and completely cutting out certain foods. Drastically removing things is really bad for women over 40, because you are more affected at this age by lack of nutrients and vitamins, which fad diets tend to do. Simply lower your usual number of calories to about 1200-1600 per day, but also try to make sure the food you eat is healthier and has the right balance of vitamins and nutrients. This is a very safe way to steadily lower your weight.
2. Small, Frequent Meals
Image Source: livetradingnews.com
One great strategy recommended by doctors and dietitians is to try to eat small, frequent meals throughout the day rather than the main 3 big meals. The reason why most women put on weight is because of excessive eating and snacking, especially of food that isn’t all that good for you. By having small, frequent meals, you won’t be getting hungry enough to want to munch on treats that can make you gain weight, but still fill yourself with the right kinds of food. This will also make sure you keep a steady blood sugar level and prevent fatigue. In this case, you could try having about five to six light meals a day.
3. The Right Kind of Exercise
Image Source: venusbuzz.com
As you have probably already figured out, at this age, you cannot exactly do the same exercise routines as women in their 20s, and it isn’t healthy for you to do so either. As mentioned earlier, it is not good to be deficient in things at this age as your body is definitely weaker than women in their 20s and you will reap the consequences more quickly. Thus, you should stay away from high intensity workouts and instead go for normal, steady workouts every now and then. Having more muscle on your body will help increase your metabolism, which will make it easier for you to maintain or lose weight. You could try doing basic exercises to build muscle strength using weights and simple workouts or trying some Pilates.
4. Get Enough Sleep
Image Source: walkingtall.co.in
Sleep does much more than simply giving your body the chance to rest. Sleeping enough and regularly is key to balancing hormones in your body, including the ones involved with hunger and metabolism. By getting enough sleep, you are less likely to get frequent cravings for snacks and unhealthy food that usually result from a need for more energy. You can also burn calories as you sleep.
These tips may seem quite simple or basic, but they will really do you wonders if you tried them out! Try to keep up a healthy lifestyle as well to make weight loss and maintenance much easier.