It’s a common occurrence to find yourself gaining weight as you get older, but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to stay slim as you age. There are just some different things you have to think about to ensure that you aren’t being stupid with regards to your approach.
It can be a shared experience; the pounds just seem to creep on with every passing year without us even noticing and, unfortunately, this is a phenomenon is supported by the facts. It’s known, for example, that starting at around age 40, the average American woman gains around a pound a year. That means that by the time you hit 60 you can be around 20 pounds heavier than you were. This can increase the risk of serious problems such as diabetes and heart disease.
When you first look at it, it can seem that the cause is simple arithmetic. If you eat more than you expend and eventually you’ll put on weight. But it can be far more complicated than this as other factors, from your hormone levels to the size of your dinner plate, can alter the equation. The chances are that the weight gain is caused by physiological and lifestyle changes that you weren’t even really aware of.
Some of the unwanted weight gain that occurs as you get older is natural. Starting in your late 30s, you begin to lose your muscle tissue, which is the body’s main calorie burner. It’s replaced by fat, and that only makes things worse.
Fight back against this by increasing the amount you exercise, especially with weights. This has the dual benefit of increasing metabolism and improving your muscles.