Having trouble with middle-age weight gain? Weightloss over 40 can be tough, but we’ve put together the best tips to stay healthy over 40.
If you think it’s impossible to drop 20+ pounds in 2 weeks then you need to read this article. No magic pills, insane diets or crazy fads – simply pick four of the fitness expert and nutritionist secrets that follow and add them to your schedule for the next 14 days.
Rather than having to follow a strict regime we know you’ll be more likely to stick to your new lifestyle plan if you can pick and choose from a number of exercises and eating strategies. So all you have to do is pick four. Want more results? Feeling ambitious? Add on a few more, the more you follow the more the pounds will melt away!
1. Cardio 30 Minutes Each Day
Cardiovascular exercise increases your heart rate which will burn calories. Depending on your level of fitness do what works for you – if you can pick a routine that engages multiple muscles at the same time you’ll burn even more calories.
To burn 300 calories per hour as well as tone your arms, legs and tummy you might like to try spin classes, cardio kickboxing or boot-camp workouts. You can burn even more calories each session if you incorporate interval training which alternates between bursts of intense cardio followed by periods of easy/moderate cardio.
2. Have Coffee or Caffeine 60 Minutes Before Your Workout
Caffeine gives you extra energy during your workout so you can push yourself harder and burn even more calories. A pre-workout cup of coffee or a calorie-free energy drink also increases your metabolism so you’ll burn more calories while achieving a more effective workout.
A black coffee is just 5 calories, and a coffee with a splash of skim milk and calorie-free sweetener is only 11 calories.
3. Swap Beverages For Water
Did you know an energy drink, sports drink, smoothie or light beer can contain up to 150 calories? Not only is this a waste of 150 calories which you could replace with food, but the sodium and sugar can play havoc on your body and brain – leaving you bloated and craving unhealthy snacks.
Substitute those drinks for water – a zero-calorie zero-carb alternative which helps you flush out excess weight and boost your metabolism. Drinking ice cold water can even make your body burn calories to process as it has to heat the water to your body temperature!
If you don’t like the taste of plain water try adding some lemon wedges and mint leaves and let infuse in the fridge.
4. Substitute Refined Carbohydrates For Veggies
Refined or ‘simple’ carbs are one of the worst things to eat when trying to lose weight. They are digested extremely quickly and give you an energy spike, then crash – making it more likely that you’ll overeat later on. Avoid foods like chips, white rice, spaghetti, bread and rolls.
Try replacing refined carbohydrates with vegetables. Instead of white rice try cauliflower rice. Substitute chips for carrot and dip or celery and dip. Vegetables are complex carbs and digested much more slowly giving you sustained energy without the crash and cravings.
5. Nightly ‘You-on-Top’ Sex
You can burn an additional 150 calories for every 30 minutes that you’re on top. The position is a fat blaster. Not that you needed an extra excuse to hook up with your guy every night, haha!
Sex also pumps out endorphins keeping those food cravings subdued. Bonus points for riding your guy reverse-cowgirl to give your butt and thigh muscles some extra work.
6. 40 Push-Ups and Lunges Every Other Day
These staple exercises will help tone your body for a more streamlined appearance as well as sculpt muscle. Lunges work your lower body – butt, hips, thighs and core. Push-ups target your upper body – arms, chest and core.
Make sure you keep your spine and legs straight when you do push-ups to improve your muscle tone. If you’re finding bodyweight lunges too easy, you can work your legs harder by holding dumbbells in each hand while you do them.
Start out doing 3 sets of 12 push-ups and 3 sets of 12 lunges every other day. Add more sets as you become stronger.
7. Get 30 Minutes More Sleep Each Night
Did you know that getting an extra half hour of sleep a night can reduce cravings and make you feel less lethargic? It doesn’t matter whether you sleep 5 hours or 9 hours – getting an extra half hour will help immensely with your weight loss.
More sleep results in a boost in your metabolism which means more calories burned. Also, when you sleep your body is repairing and building muscle so more sleep means a more toned body.
8. Sacrifice 1 Indulgent Food
You can subtract 200 to 300 calories from your diet each day by simply sacrificing one of your indulgences. Whether it’s the chips you have for lunch, or the chocolate or ice cream after dinner – skip this one indulgence for 2 weeks and you’ll be losing flab.
9. Add Salmon To Your Diet
Salmon is loaded with healthy fats and essential fatty acids that our body needs. It is packed with protein and nutrients that add to muscle tone and even give your skin a radiant glow. Nutritionists claim that consuming a portion of salmon each day can immediately make your face look more contoured.
10. Keep Good Posture by Standing Up Straight
Good posture makes your tummy more streamlined and gives you a slimmer overall appearance. Keep your shoulders back and spine straight. Good posture will even make you look taller.
11. Do Squats and Sit-Ups Each Day
Squats and sit-ups are commonly used by bodybuilders before competitions to tone and add definition to their muscles. Squats work the biggest muscles in your body – your legs, butt and core. Bigger muscles mean more calories burned without even exercising.
Tighten and tone your abs, butt and legs temporarily by doing 3 sets of 12 squats and sit-ups each day.
12. Bye-Bye Sugar
“Tears roll down your cheeks.” We know, it hurts!
But yes, sugar could be the number 1 reason why you’re packing on those pounds. Read the labels of the ingredients you take in and many of it have added sugar. This tiny, beautiful crystals that look harmless and taste so good actually triggers the liver to store fat efficiently when it gets into the body.
And the storage happens in all the weird places too. If you’re headstrong about losing your unwanted weight, cut your sugar intake and make room for more fibre in your body. That would be your best shot!
