Shedding those extra pounds takes a lot of work and dedication. It can get particularly difficult to lose weight after 50. It gradually becomes harder to drop the pounds as you grow older. You cannot ignore the physiological forces that work behind the scenes that lead to this situation in the first place.
The way your body stores fat depends on a lot of factors such as the endocrine function, metabolism, level of activity, motivation, etc. It might feel like a mountainous task to lose weight after 50 but a planned diet and fitness routine can help you reach your goal.
As the metabolism goes down, muscle mass tends to decrease, and fat mass tends to increase with age. Even if you’re not eating a lot, the weight creeps up as the fat is metabolically inactive and muscles burn calories.
How A Fitness Routine Can Help You Lose Weight After 50
Higher Metabolism
A good fitness routine which is neither too hard nor too easy can help you boost the metabolism of your body. The major part of the calories that we burn goes into metabolic processes. It’s important for you to hire a professional trainer to devise a good fitness routine for you. Most people don’t hire professionals as they think that they do not need them- if you are serious about increasing your metabolism than hiring a trainer is a must. In addition to it being their profession, trainers also come loaded with knowledge that can be tailored according to your body’s functions. What we mean is that only a trainer can correctly guide you with a fitness routine that makes sure that you keep those pounds off and don’t gain them again. You also need to have all essential gears for your fitness routine like running shoes, home gym kits, water bottle, sportswear, jump rope etc. There are also special women shoes made for running & gym sessions.
Calorie Burn
To lose weight, you need to be burning more calories than you’re consuming. When you work out, your metabolic rate goes higher, and you burn calories even when you’re resting. In fact, the whole point of working out is to boost your metabolism so that you burn more calories. The calories that you burn during the workout are just the tip of the iceberg. As you go on with your workout you will find that, as your body adapts, you will also begin to lose pounds more quickly than before and if that isn’t progress, we don’t know what is.
Detoxification
Exercise greatly improves the detoxification capacity of the body. It is necessary to detoxify the body to lose extra weight, especially after 50. Fat cells in our body hold toxins to prevent them from causing any damage to the cells.
Unless you get rid of these toxins, your body cannot use those fat cells as fuel. Moreover, they will also begin to affect your hormonal health as well. Detoxification is a long-term process. It can take you a few months to detoxify your body, especially if you’re over 50. Your body has been accumulating those toxins for years and it needs time to get rid of them so be patient.
It won’t do you any good if you quit after three weeks or a month because you “don’t see any changes.” Some things require patience, and this is one of them. Either way, the long-term benefits of detoxification generally outweigh the time you spend to detoxify your body, so it is worth it.
Improved Cardiovascular Health
The cardiovascular system plays a major role in the overall health of an individual. Without a healthy cardiovascular system, the cells don’t get proper nutrition and will not able to get rid of waste substances.
Improved Lymphatic System
The heart is the organ that managed our cardiovascular system. However, our lymphatic system does not have such a pumping organ. Instead, it depends on the movement of muscles and the electrolyte balance for circulation.
It is especially mandatory for strong immunity, removal of waste from the cells, supplying nutrients to the tissues, detoxification and a lot more. A good fitness routine improves the lymphatic function of the body and protects you against a number of disorders.
Improved Mental Health
Regular exercise makes you feel good as your brain releases endorphins when you workout. Moreover, it also allows you to socialize, lets you make new friends and stay engaged. It’s important to feel good and stay motivated in order to live a good life. Mental health goes a long way. Research has shown that there is a link between exercises and mental diseases such as depression. Exercising on a regular basis can help reduce depression along with stress and anxiety. Even after you’ve lost your desired weight, we recommend that you continue to exercise as it only helps you stay fit- both physically as well as mentally.
Improved Posture
A good posture is the key to good health. Without any physical activity, our posture tends to become slouchy and the body finds it difficult to perform optimally. With regular exercise, it gets easier to maintain a good posture.
How A Planned Diet Can Help You Lose Weight After 50
Strengthening the Muscles
As you grow older, your body tends to lose its muscle mass. Therefore, it’s important for you to consume an adequate amount of proteins in order to get stronger muscles. Our muscles burn calories as fuel. That’s why your muscles can help you greatly to lose extra weight.
Healthy Digestive System
With the right amount of fiber, pro-biotic and other digestive elements, the digestive system can stay healthy. Unless you have a strong and healthy digestive system, the body cannot get enough energy for optimal performance. Without enough energy, the metabolic rate tends to go down. And, as we all know, this leads to energy- which could have otherwise been used by the muscles or elsewhere in the body to perform vital tasks- to be stored in the form of fats in your body. This gives rise to the mass of fat and increase your weight. In order to make sure that you stay fit, you must make sure that your digestive system is healthy. Make sure that you eat a variety of foods that rich in everything. Keep your balanced, having too much of a protein or fiber can also be harmful for your body so do refer to a professional trainer or a nutritionist for this. They’ll know exactly what your body needs.
Free Radical Scavenging
With a diet rich in antioxidants, it can get easier for your body to detoxify itself. There are a number of factors, such as poor diet, stress, environmental pollution, etc. that increase the free radicals in our body.
Free radicals cause a lot of damage to the healthy cells. The antioxidants in our diet can scavenge the free radicals and protect the cells against damage. All of this is possible through a healthy diet and detox program. In fact, some professional trainers recommend that you ‘scavenge’ the free radicals through detoxification before you start your diet as it becomes easier to lose weight once you have removed the toxins from your body.
Healthy Endocrine System
A balanced diet rich in micronutrients is necessary for a healthy endocrine function. Our hormones are chemical substances that play a certain role in our body. Our body needs proper nutrition to produce them so doesn’t skip meals. Instead, invest in hearty, healthy meals and avoid junk or fast food as much as you can. Such foods might seem like a good, quick solution but they’re actually quite damaging for the body. Try to move towards more organic foods like salads (with minimum to no dressing except of a drizzle of olive oil) and fresh juices.
Limited Calorie Intake
It’s important to make sure that you consume fewer calories than you burn to lose weight. Without maintaining a calorie deficit, you cannot lose weight. However, you should avoid any kind of serious dieting and focus on consuming foods that are rich in fiber, micronutrients, and protein.
It is also very important for you to cut down on your sugar and fat intake. You should consult a nutritionist to devise a good diet plan as per the needs of your body.
Final Words
For a healthy life, it’s important for us to maintain a healthy weight. There’s no denying the fact that it gets difficult to lose weight as you grow older. However, a good fitness routine and a planned diet can allow you to do just that.
Make sure that you don’t overburden yourself with your fitness routine and devise a workout plan that can help you stay in a good shape. A nutritionist can help you understand what you should eat to lose weight. It’s important for you to adopt the healthy eating habits gradually as a sudden change can attract a number of ailments.
Losing weight before or after 50 is not a race, it’s a marathon. Give your body enough time to lose weight and get in shape. It’s all about dropping the unhealthy habits and adopting the healthy ones. It can take you a few weeks before you get used to a healthy lifestyle. After that, losing weight will still take some time but the process will be a lot smoother.
