Once you pass 40 years of age, your body’s needs change. You may find that what worked for you a decade ago no longer works when it comes to losing weight or getting in shape. I have lost over 50 pounds in the past year and am in decent shape for 43 years old. Following are 10 tips to get fit and lose weight over 40.
#1. Get Fit and Lose Weight over 40 by Changing Your Outlook. Perhaps when you were younger, you didn’t worry about your weight or fitness level. Now that you’ve passed 40, it won’t come as easy. You may find it harder to maintain your weight and you may have to actively pursue the level of fitness you were used to in the past.
#2. Reducing Stress Can Keep You from Gaining Weight over 40. Stress can cause you to gain fat around your middle due to increased levels of cortisol. Find ways to reduce stress daily to keep that spare tire from forming.
#3. Get Enough Sleep to Get Fit and Lose Weight over 40. After 40, we may not need as much sleep as we did when we were younger. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, too little sleep can cause changes in your body’s hormones that can actually make you gain weight.
#4. Get Fit and Lose Weight over 40 by Knowing about Metabolism. Your metabolism slows down at some point around 40 years old. This can be from a decreased activity, improper diet or loss of muscle mass. If you get less activity or too little calories, your metabolism slows down. Also, less muscle mass means you burn less calories.
#5. Use Aerobic Activity to Get Fit and Lose Weight over 40. Aerobic activity gets your heart rate up to strengthen your heart and lungs. It also burns calories to help you maintain or lose weight. After 40, we may not move around as much as we did when younger so it is especially important to get purposeful exercise.
#6. Keep Muscle Mass over 40 with Weight Bearing Exercises. Several times a week you should do some sort of weight bearing exercises to increase muscle mass or at least to maintain it. Our bodies tend to burn muscle quicker than fat, especially if we aren’t getting adequate nutrition. More muscle mass also increases metabolism, helping you burn more calories.
#7. Get Fit and Lose Weight over 40 by Knowing Your Calorie Needs. As we age we need less calories for our bodies to function properly. If you try to continue with the same diet you ate in your 20s, you may just find yourself gaining weight.
#8. Don’t Overdo Cutting Calories to Get Fit and Lose Weight over 40. As mentioned above, cutting too many calories can increase cortisol levels which can increase abdominal fat. Consuming too few calories also slows down your metabolism. You can read more in my article Cutting Calories Can Increase Cortisol Stress Hormone in Women.
#9. Some Medical Problems and Medications May Cause You to Gain Weight over 40. As we age we seem more susceptible to medical problems. Some of these problems or necessary medications can be linked to weight gain. It is best to talk with your physician about ways you can still get fit and lose weight over 40 while taking care of any medical problems or staying on necessary medications.
#10. Get Fit and Lose Weight over 40 by Making New Habits. If you spend more time in activities that don’t take much action, such as watching TV, not only is your body less active, but you may lose interest in more energetic activities. One of Newton’s Laws of Motion can apply here, albeit a little simplistically, “A body at rest tends to stay at rest, and a body in motion tends to stay in motion, unless the body is compelled to change its state.” Sometimes the last part is stated as “unless acted on by an outside force”.
After 40, you need to be more in control of your health and fitness. You must be the “outside force” that compels your body to change its state. By being aware of changes you need to make and actively pursuing those changes, you can create new healthy habits and can get fit and lose weight over 40.
SOURCES:
1) Personal Experience
2) Mayo Clinic; Obesity Causes; Mayo Clinic
3) Jolynne M Hudnell; Cutting Calories Can Increase Cortisol Stress Hormone in Women; Associated Content
4) Thinkquest.org; The Five Most Important Concepts in Physics; Thinkquest.org
