Well,there is no shortage of (sometimes) effective and quick weight loss tips. But how do you know which tips will work and which won’t? And which ones are right for you personally? Depending on your own habits,tastes,lifestyle,fitness level,and life stage,some tips that may be great for some folks might have zero chance of working for you. So,what do you do? Well,the most successful approach is to first arm yourself with information and learn why people gain weight as they age. Then you can figure out how to avoid the average annual weight gain that most people experience.
Why Do People Gain Weight As They Age?
When it comes to weight maintenance and weight loss,there are multiple factors that work against you as you age. But the primary reason is that you burn fewer calories. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why this happens as you age.
Your Metabolism Decreases
When most people hit age 25,their metabolism starts to slow down. You simple don’t burn as many calories as you used to. Your body has stopped growing and it’s become more efficient at converting food to energy. However,you tend to eat the same amount. And as you mature and your lifestyle changes,you may even start to eat more,as you shift from “eating to live” to “living to eat.”
Since you are still consuming the same amount of calories – or perhaps even more – the extra calories are converted to fat and stored for future use. If you are lucky,that future use will be exercise and you may be able to shed the pounds. If not,the extra fat will continue to build every year.
You Become More Sedentary
As you age,you tend to become more sedentary. You may give up playing the sports that you enjoyed as a teenager or young adult. You spend long hours sitting at desk. You will probably stop riding your bike,and when you drive you will look for parking spaces near the door. You wait for the elevator rather than walk up the stairs. In the evening,you’ll sit on the couch and watch tv before bed. No wonder you are burning fewer calories?
So,what should you do? You should start a regular exercise routine – head to the gym or sign up for a local sports league. You should take the elevator instead of the stairs. If possible,ride your bike to work. If you drive,park further away from the door and walk a little. Get a treadmill,a stationary exercise bike,or an elliptical trainer and use it while you watch tv at night. Do whatever you can to more active (and burn more calories) rather than less active.
You Lose Muscle Mass
Once you hit age 30,most people also start to lose muscle mass. This has to do with both normal physiological changes and with the fact that your lifestyle has likely become more sedentary. This lack of muscle mass is also a problem. Why? Because your body uses more calories to maintain muscle than fat. The more muscle you have,the more calories your body will burn – even when it’s at rest in front of computer screen or asleep at night.
So,hit the gym and lift some weights to keep up your muscle mass. You’ll feel better,look better,and you’ll burn more calories in your battle to lose weight and keep it off!
Evaluate Those Tips
Now that you know why you gain weight as you age,you can better evaluate all those tips and figure out which ones will work best for you. You can follow them all,so pick and chose the best ones,and you’ll be on your way to avoiding the annual weight gain that most people experience. That’s certainly one trend you should try not to follow.