Can Elder Adults Reduce Excess Weight on Their Waist?
Over time, our metabolism slows down gradually, and consequently, a high percentage of fat starts accumulating in the body, especially in the abdominal area as you age. The fat storage in the abdominal area may be unsightly, but more importantly, it is simply not healthy and can lead to a multitude of chronic health problems. Most people are under the misconception that as one’s, metabolism slows down; their ability to control their waistline becomes an impossible task. But there are ways to manage your waistline. Well, there are certain tricks that can be applied to lose weight irrespective of the age. With the help of effective workouts and a healthy diet regime, one can speed up the metabolism simply by reducing the amount of food consumed, while maintaining the feeling that you are full.
Most people tend to develop insecurities about body weight and fat belly especially during old age. Therefore, it is best to get rid of belly fat sooner than later. When you cross the age of 40 to 45, the muscles get replaced with fat. And, even if your workout and diet routine hasn’t changed, you may still begin to notice that your spare tires are being developed. As stated earlier, there is health risks involved if you have excess belly fat stored in the body. Diabetes, obesity, heart diseases, is some of the health hazards caused due to excess belly fat. In order to get rid of belly fat, here are some steps you can take to reduce your waistline and improving your health.
Cardio Workouts: Working out for half an hour every morning is one of the effective methods to lose belly fat. People over 60 years need to focus mainly on cardiovascular exercises like walking and swimming. For best results, it is advisable to follow these workout routines pre breakfast.
The most essential meal: Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day for all age groups. For elderly people, breakfast should strictly include fruits, oatmeal or whole grain cereal, and milk. Fruits consist of natural sugar that helps in increasing the energy levels. Milk is high in calcium and boosts the metabolism while strengthening the bones. Whole grains have fiber content that helps in quick digestion and makes one feeling full throughout the day. As a result, one tends to eat less food. So, the question of overeating does not arise.
Strength Training Exercises: Strength training workouts can be performed twice in a week as it helps in retaining the muscle mass. Lean muscles, in addition to helping your posture also increase the metabolism. As you age, muscles begin to degrade, which is why muscle mass retention is essential.
Portion Size Control: Decreasing the portion size and consuming more protein is yet another effective method to lose belly fat for older people as the metabolism is relatively slower and one doesn’t need high calories for maintaining the body weight. Old people should completely refrain from overeating. It may be difficult to kill this habit, thus one should consume more protein as it helps in keeping the stomach feeling full. For best results, add dairy, eggs and lean meat with all meals.
There are a variety of things you can do to promote healthy living. Just make certain if you are about to begin significant changes in your diet or exercise routine it is always important to consult your doctor before you make changes in your diet or level of physical activity.
Author: This article was written by Crystal T. Giannini
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55158656@N06/6959081027/sizes/z/in/photostream
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