Losing weight at the age of 40+ becomes a completely different ball game. You are not just dealing with the slower metabolism; you may also be going through hormone imbalance, which can have negative side effects such as fluid retention, bloating, poor thyroid functions and weight gain. You should consult with your physician if you are noticing any of these symptoms: allergy symptoms, depression, fatigue, anxiety, headaches, dizziness, low sex drive, hair loss, facial hair growth, etc.
Many women lack the adequate amount of sleep because of their busy lifestyle. Getting a good night's sleep is essential for weight loss. You should sleep for a minimum of 6 - 8 hours a day. As you grow older, your chances of developing sleep deprivation conditions is also growing. You should regularly get yourself checked for conditions like sleep apnoea and sleep insomnia.
Choosing a diet program or simply dieting may no longer provide the best results. What every woman at this age needs to learn is, choosing a healthier lifestyle. You must learn how to avoid foods that do not provide any nutritional value and are loaded with chemicals, oils and fats. If you are an average modern woman, chances are that you're eating foods that are high in sugars and fats but low in fibre and nutrition. This also means those so-called low-fat products that contain artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Artificial sweeteners are much worse than sugar; they interfere with your body's ability to metabolize sugar.
A healthy diet for a woman over 40 would be different than a diet of a younger person. When we are mid-aged our bodies are no longer as effective in processing carbohydrates as ones were. Therefore, a woman in 40s should consume fewer carbohydrates than they did in their 20s. If you've prepared a meal for your teens or family, this doesn't necessarily mean you have to eat the same thing. If your family is eating fattening meals, you should prepare a separate meal for yourself. Your family might have a faster metabolism than yours.
Another problem that a mid-aged woman face is "No time to exercise". This is true, especially if your schedule is something like this:
In the morning -- Prepare breakfast and lunch for the family.
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. -- Go to work.
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. -- Take your son to hockey game or daughter to shopping.
8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. -- Time to cook dinner.
10:00 p.m. -- time to sleep.
If every day of your life is like the one above, you must incorporate physical activity into your schedule. You should do exercises while doing other activities e.g. aerobic exercises while you wait for milk to boil, push-ups or sit-ups while you defrost the steak. Even adding a bit of physical activity to your daily routine can have a large impact on your weight loss goals.
Some prescription drugs may also be hindering your weight loss efforts or may even cause weight gain. According to the experts, more than 50 commonly used drugs can have these types of effects. Some of these are:
- Prednisone -A steroid prescribed for respiratory ailments.
- Elavil - An antidepressant.
- Tofranil - Another antidepressant.
- Zyprexia - In drug that addresses psychosis.
- Diabeta - For diabetic patients.
- Diabinese - Another commonly used drug for diabetes.
- Prevacid – Anti hurt-burn
- Nexium – Another anti hurt-burn drug.
And the list goes on and on. You should grab all of your pills and visit your doctor. Even if, the pills you are taking are not listed above. Majority of the time there are alternatives available.
Last but not least, you should drink plenty of water. This is by far the most important weight loss tip ever. Drinking water is one of the best things you can do for your health. Water helps your kidneys to clean your blood, it helps in detoxing your body, and it improves bowl movement. People keep forgetting the power of water. Make a habit of keeping a water bottle with you at all times. Keeping a bottle of water with you will repeatedly remind you to keep drinking it.
Maintaining weight at the age of 40s might be little harder, but it is not impossible. You need to keep changing yourself according to the situation as you grow order. If you continue incorporating these tips to into your lifestyle, maintaining weight in 40s will be like maintaining weight in 20s.
