Losing weight is a challenge. It is a process that would involve not just the workouts and the diet needed but more importantly, the perseverance and the discipline to keep going no matter how tempting the circumstances are.
Indeed losing weight is tough and it gets even tougher as one grows older. When a woman hits 40, her metabolism starts to slow down. At this age, the body shifts to new biological changes, especially among women who experience hormonal changes once she is on her midlife age.
When it comes to dieting, it is important to understand ones metabolism as it goes hand in hand with losing or gaining weight.
Metabolism is the process that your body performs to convert food into energy. The faster the metabolism, the more food is converted to energy for breathing, blood circulation, physical activity and other functions that the body needs to perform.
However, when the body takes in more food than what it needs, those excess food will not be used up as energy, but will be stored as fat. Since one cannot combat against nature, significant changes in the diet, as well as in the daily habits, must be made to help the body cope with such bodily changes.
How does one lose weight even at 40? Here are some ways to fight aging gracefully.
Exercise regularly
Yes, this may sound cliché to you but there is no other way to keep the body strong healthy than exercising regularly. Doing physical activities such as aerobics, jogging or even as simple as walking for an hour a day will quicken ones metabolism, thus burning more calories and storing less fat.
Also, keeping the body physically active will make your body add muscle which uses energy even when the body is at rest. Shawn Talbott, an exercise physiologist, suggested that combining aerobics and weight-lifting will be a good routine to prevent metabolism to slow down.
Eat in moderation
By this, you can eat whenever you are hungry, as often as you can, but eat only in moderation. Starving yourself will only make your metabolism slow, so it is better to eat 3 full meals and in-between snacks to keep your metabolism going. Of course, you have to watch what you eat.
Make sure that you eat a good balance of carbohydrates, protein and minerals to give your body the nutrients that it needs. The American Dietetic Association suggests that one should take in 3 full meals containing 300 calories each meal and two snacks of 200 calories each.
Avoid sitting too much
Yes, sitting at home and watching too much TV or spending longer hours in front of the computer can slow down your metabolism. It would get even worse if you eat a bucket of popcorn while watching your favorite TV show.
Even while you are at home or in the office, you can do simple exercises such as walking while talking on the phone, picking up clutter or doing errands on your own instead of asking someone to do it for you. James Levine, author of Move a Little, Lose a Lot said that choosing to take the stairs everyday instead of using the elevator can be little but it can do wonders for the body.
So the next time you go to work, try the longer way up to your floor by climbing the stairs.
Check your medication
At 40, it is likely that a woman has to take several medications for conditions such as depression and for most women, the need to take birth control pills can have an adverse effect to the body. Depo-Provera, for example, is an effective contraceptive but it can cause weight gain.
Also, those who are undergoing depression are given antidepressants which can affect the thyroid gland, thus Kent Holtorf, a thyroidologist said that those who are undergoing medication for depression are more likely to gain weight.
If you are having a hard time losing weight, check your meds. Ask your doctor if there are other alternatives you can take in case your medication is causing the weight gain.
If you are nearing 40, embrace your age. Take these tips by heart and live a healthy life.
