Unlock Weight Loss Secrets
Hello and welcome back to Fitness Corner. This month I would like to give you basic information regarding nutrition and weight loss. As we get older, we tend to gain weight faster and have a harder time losing body fat, especially around our mid-section. This can be frustrating, but there are good habits we can perform to help eliminate and improve our body appearance. A simple diet plan and exercise can help achieve weight loss and lose body fat.
When we were in our teens and early 20s, we could eat anything and wouldn’t gain weight. But in our 30s and later on, we could gain weight by just looking at the food. We always thought it was because our metabolism slows down, but in reality the age of 60 is when our metabolism slows down, so there are other contributing factors that cause weight gain.
Poor habits such as eating too many calories, eating bad foods, high stress, poor sleep, lack of physical activity, etc. all can be factors in slowing down our metabolism.
Another major cause of weight gain and body fat around the mid-section in women is menopause. The lower levels of hormones cause an increase in weight gain. In return, this can cause a lack of muscle mass, which plays a vital role in body composition.
Although the amount of calories you eat plays a role in gaining weight, many people can still struggle to lose weight with a calorie deficit and an increase in physical activity. So what causes this to happen? It can depend on what kind of carbs you’re eating, such as white bread, pasta, and of course sugary drinks. These are considered bad carbs because of the high content of sugar. Once you cut out the bad carbs and eat good carbs like vegetables and low-sugar fruits, then you’ll start to burn fat easier and faster.
We are always told to stay away from fats, but we need to eat the good fats that will benefit us. The bad fats that we should really stay away from are seed oils. Reason being that these oils throw our body out of balance and can cause inflammation. Many processed foods are made with these oils and we need to stay away from them. Eat more good fats like avocados and extra virgin olive oil, but keep track of the calorie count since they’re higher in calories.
Eating enough protein will help eliminate losing body mass because of the building blocks muscle needs to maintain the size and strength. Try to eat 1.0 to 1.5g of protein per body weight per day. Some great protein choices are fish, skinless chicken, turkey, eggs, and red meat in moderation.
Lastly, try to keep your stress levels low because when they’re high, cortisol is released and having too much of it will increase body fat.
As always, STAY ACTIVE AND BE IN CONTROL OF YOUR MIND, BODY & SOUL
Paul Passino holds a B.S. in Human Performance & Sport with a minor in Health, Education, and Coaching, complemented by 45 hours in Sports Administration. He brings over two decades of experience teaching P.E., weight training, and coaching.
