How to Maintain a Lean Fit Body for Those Over 50
Although maintaining a lean fit body is frustrating at any age, but it can be even more discouraging when you’re over 50 years old.
It is absolutely possible for you to maintain lean mass even at over 50 years old. As you age, your body muscle mass decline.
So, it may not be easy as it was when you were 20, but the rewards will be just as great.
No matter your age, you are never too old to get back in shape. With regular exercise and some lifestyle modification, you can reach your fitness goals. The key is to make a plan and stick to it.
You are never too old to work out or to maintain the leanness lifestyle you want. Regular exercise can help you shed excess fat and also help you maintain your fitness goals.
- Have a positive mindset
Even if you have been sedentary for two to 20 years, you’re never too old to get back in shape.
There are many reasons to gain extra weight loss muscles tone due to age. But regular exercise can help you to lose weight and maintain your leanness goals.
Just believe that you can get back to shape, it is never too late to start your fitness goals,
Whether you have health challenges or other physical limitation, you can still do exercise to improve your fitness. But your program might look a little different.
Healthy or not, it’s always a good idea to check in with your doctor about resuming a workout program.
The most important is to make a positive decision and stick to it. Your doctor can help you devise a program that meets your individual needs.
- Shed excess fat
If you want to maintain a fitness program even after 50 years losing excess fat is the first goal.
Overweight or obese in middle age increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, certain types of cancer, kidney disease and osteoarthritis.
During middle age, a lot of things can cause weight gain like the natural slowing of metabolism that occurs with age, are beyond your control. But the most common cause of weight gain is simply eating too much and not exercising.
To begin to lose fat, you have to turn those tables around so the calories you burn each day are greater than the ones you consume.
- Follow a weight loss diet plan
What you eat play an important role in the way you look. What you eat controls how you put on or take-off weight.
You can increase your activity level, but if you’re still getting too many calories or eating unhealthy foods, you won’t lose weight.
So, before you have your gym shoe laced up you have to work on your kitchen and refrigerator. So as to clear that food that contains high calories.
It is not about starving; it’s about the overall quality of your diet. Low-fat or low-carb diets miss the point and, in the long run, don’t work better than simply eating a diet with fresh fruits and vegetable.
Eating more of processed foods that are low in protein and fiber but very high in sugar and fat, it means you need to work on your food menu. Eat more fresh foods; it will help you to get fit even after 50 years.
You can’t lose weight if you can’t reduce the number of calories below your calories expenditure is the goal. Always make sure that your diet is lean protein and fiber.
Lean protein and dietary fiber are highly in satiating, they affect appetite so you can feel satisfied without overeating.
It is vital to follow a diet plan that at least allows you to get 35 grams of fiber from vegetables, fruit and whole grains and 8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight from lean meat, fish, beans, eggs and tofu each day.
It is good to shed fat naturally and you can achieve that when you eat less food that causes weight gain such as sweets and sugary beverages, fried foods, fast foods, processed foods and refined grains in white bread, pasta and rice.
- Stay more active in the day
When you are able to burn more calories in the day, it will help you to maintain the leanness lifestyle you want even after 50 years.
Physical activity is crucial for getting fit after 50. Exercise helps you burn calories and fat and help you build lean muscle mass.
A study has found that adults who exercise regularly reduce their risk of chronic diseases, improve their sleep and emotional well-being and boost their cognitive function.
If you are physically active, performing everyday tasks becomes easier and you have more energy to achieve your fitness goals.
Study in the International Journal of Obesity found that, when people were more physically active, they naturally made healthier food choices and were better able to regulate their food intake.
- Start aerobic exercise
Adults should get at least 2 hours of moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise each week. Moderate-intensity activities include brisk walking, recreational swimming, biking at a pace of fewer than 10 miles per hour on level terrain, playing doubles tennis and doing active forms of yoga.
There is another intense cardio exercise but you can do them at least 1 hour and get the same benefits.
Intense activities include jogging or running, swimming laps, bicycling faster than 10 miles per hour, jumping rope and hiking uphill.
When you continue to increase your cardio activity to at least 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 150 minutes of vigorous activity each week it will help you to lose more fat.
- Build up your muscle mass
As you age it is natural to lose muscle mass, the study has review that after 30 years that it is possible to lose 2-3 per cent of muscle mass but strength training is needed in order to stay fit even after 50 years.
Lean muscle mass will help you to maintain your body weight, muscle mass is metabolically active, meaning your body has to burn calories for energy to build new muscle mass and maintain existing muscle mass.
Muscle mass account at least 20% of adult daily energy expenditure, having more lean muscle mass is especially helpful to combat the age-related slowing of metabolism.
It is advisable to do bodyweight exercises at home or go into the fitness center to lift weights, do at least one exercise each for your arms, shoulders, back, chest, abdominals, glutes, thighs and calves.
Do enough reps or lift enough weight that you fatigue the muscles. Start out slowly and gradually build the intensity as you get stronger.
- Get enough sleep
Getting enough sleep is very important for both infant and adult, everyone needs to get at least 7-9 hour of sleep each day for mental functions like alertness, memory consolidation, mood regulation, and physical health.
Too few hours of sleep or poor sleep could pave the way to a myriad of emotional and physical problems, from diabetes to obesity and many others.
As you are exercising in order to shed more fat and regain lean muscle mass try and get enough sleep and rest.
Conclusion
Getting back to shape sometimes is difficult for all age, even at 20 or 50 years, but it can be more discouraging when you’re older and wondering whether it’s even possible.
Rest assured, getting fit after 50 is absolutely possible. These aforementioned tips will help you to get your dream leanness lifestyle even at 50 years.