Why we tend to gain weight as we age?

 

Many of us gain weight as we age; why is this? 
We don't eat more and often we eat less than we did, so why are we fatter?
The answers are in the following.

• Lower Metabolic Rate
• Lower Physical Activity
• Reduced Muscle Mass
• Insulin Resistance
• Stress and anxiety
• Poor diet

 

What can we do about it

Increase our metabolic rate through regular exercise, exercising 3 to 4 times a week for 30 minutes is a good place to start. Increase and maintain our muscle mass by including resistance exercises in our programs. Increased muscle mass = Increased metabolic rate. This is for both men and women.

 

Reduce our intake of carbohydrates with sugar being the major culprit causing obesity, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. Keep your carb intake between 50g and 100g per day and the pounds will drop off. 

Stress and anxiety cause hormonal imbalances that can increase blood fat and sugar levels. These can directly cause weight gain and worse lead to heart disease. 

Through exercise our bodies will release endorphins elevating our mood. Exercising also enables us to be more single focused and 'in time' reducing worries and irritations, and allowing to put them in perspective.

A healthy balanced diet is fundamental to losing body fat and maintaining a healthy weight. For many it is not about calorific restriction but about changing what we eat to include real foods and to avoid processed foods which provide little or no nutrition and cause hormonal imbalances (insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome) that can cause us to pile on the pounds.

Summary

There are three key points to losing weight and gaining the healthy body we deserve:- exercise, nutrition, and stress management. By just taking small measures in any of these areas you are bound to see improvements and by taking greater measures the benefits will snowball.

It doesn’t have to be hard in fact it can’t be or you won’t do it. 
People who are in good shape do it because it is enjoyable it becomes addictive once get over the inertia. So make a plan and try it out, you will surprise yourself and may find you enjoy life more. Visualise the slim attractive you and how you will feel in only a few weeks. The summer is coming.