When you are a woman over the age of 40, weight loss becomes a different game than when you were younger. The same methods you used to lose weight in your 20’s or even 30’s may no longer work as well for you. When women reach a certain age, their metabolism starts to slow down and most of the time it takes a lot more effort to lose weight than it did when you were younger.
Here are some weight loss tips for women over 40 to help you shed those unwanted pounds no matter how old you are.
As mentioned as you get older, your metabolism starts to slow down. This is especially true for women who are at the menopausal age or past menopause. Menopause can affect all your hormones and can really slow down your metabolism as well as make your body store more fat. This means even if you were a healthy weight before, as you get older your eating habits could stay the same but you could start gaining weight and end up overweight.
One of the most important weight loss tips for women over 40 is to raise your metabolism. If you can do this you can kick start your body into losing more weight and shedding the fat that your body seems to want to hold on to.
One of the best ways to raise your metabolism and lose weight when you are over 40 years is to make sure that you not only do aerobic exercise but you also add in strength training to your workout routine at least 1-2 times a week. Not only can strength training help you lose weight but it can also make you stronger and help with any other ailments related to aging. When you have more lean muscle on your body, you burn more calories per hour even in a sedentary stage. Adding a simple 20 minute routine of light weights or resistance training into your weekly workouts 1-2 times a week will make a difference in your weight loss.
Another weight loss tip for women over 40 is you need to stop with the yo-yo dieting. Diets don’t work and they can actually make your metabolism slow down. Instead you need to make a lifestyle change and start making healthier choices in the way you eat. Watch the portions you eat as well as what type of food you are putting in your mouth. Simple changes like changing from white bread to whole grain breads are a great way to start your weight loss. Over time you won’t even miss the old ways you used to eat and healthy eating will become a way of life.
Along with healthy eating you want to make sure that you are taking a daily vitamin for women over the age of 40. Most women don’t get vitamins that their body needs at their age and this can affect your weight loss efforts. If you don’t have the energy to work out during the week, you aren’t going to be able to shed the pounds. There are plenty of multi-vitamins that are made for women over the age of 40 to choose from, you just need to make sure you are taking them on a regular basis.
Lastly, women over the age of 40 may find that they hit a weight loss plateau quite early in their weight loss efforts. This is completely normal and expected. Your body will start to get used to the amount of calories you are eating as well as your workout routine. Be sure that you mix up your workouts and don’t do the same thing every time. Also try to vary the amount of calories you consume every day and eat different foods. Once day you may eat 1600 calories and the next day you may only eat 1400 calories. This keeps your body guessing and keeps it in fat burning mode rather than giving you those dreaded weight loss plateaus.
Hopefully these weight loss tips for women over 40 help you shed those unwanted pounds and get the body that you want. If you follow these tips not only will you lose weight, though, you will also feel much healthier overall and much younger.
