Yes, You Can Transform Your Body At Any Age

As we age, our bodies are changing. Many people think that once they reach a certain age they are resigned to a body that they are unhappy with. However, it doesn’t need to be that way. Regardless of what your age is, you are going to be able to completely transform your body.  Depending on your age, there are different things you are going to have to take into consideration. Below we are going to look at how your body changes as you age and what you can do to work out the right strategy to get the body you want.

In Your Thirties 

When you are in your thirties, your body is in the beginning stages of rebelling against you. Beginning in your thirties, women lose approximately five pounds of muscle each decade.  A study done by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed that normal weight women are likely to have a gain of 5% of their body weight per decade between the ages of 25 and 45.

Fitness – That doesn’t mean that you can’t fight against those changes. Staying at your ideal weight in your thirties is going to set you up for success later in life. Cardio is one of the most important things you can do during this decade.  A study done in 2010 by Harvard showed that women who rode a bike for more than four hours a week while in their thirties were twenty-six percent less likely to gain more than five percent of their starting body weight over the next sixteen years. Mix in some muscle building exercises, but focus on your cardio to set yourself up for success.

Nutrition – To lose weight at this age, you should aim to eat on a regular schedule. Eat breakfast within an hour of waking up, and space the rest of your meals three to five hours apart. One other important factor, while you are in your thirties, is to make sure that you are getting the calcium you need. Calcium is necessary to help your muscles contract and maintain strong bones.

In Your Forties

When you get into your forties, your metabolism is starting to lose steam. This is, in part, due to hormonal fluctuations. This means that you are going to more likely gain weight and lose another five percent of your muscle mass.

Fitness – Just because you are likely to gain weight and lose muscle mass doesn’t mean that you need to resign yourself to it. While you should continue working on your cardio, strength training is going to become increasingly important.  Strength training is going to put force on your muscle and bone, which is going to keep your muscle mass as well as your bone density at their peak. This is also going to help to boost your metabolism and fend off unwanted pounds.

Nutrition – One thing you don’t want to do when you enter your forties is to cut back on your calories. Instead, you are going to want to aim to have balanced meals. Focus on foods that are rich in good carbohydrates, lean protein, and healthy fats.  The carbohydrates are going to give you energy and the protein and fat are going to help you heal and maintain the muscle that you need to keep your metabolism working at its best.

In Your Fifties

As you begin to go through menopause, you are going to experience a thirty percent decline in bone mass. This is because of the estrogen production declining which is going to accelerate the rate that you experience bone loss.

Fitness – A study that was done at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center showed that people who were between the ages of forty-five and fifty-five who did yoga at least once a week for four or more years gained about three pounds fewer than those who didn’t do yoga. Regular walking and stretching are the most important exercises to do while you are in your fifties to build flexibility, balance and muscle strength.

Nutrition – Protein is the most important nutrient once you have hit your fifties. A study that was done at the university of Texas medical branch at Galveston found that eating four ounces of protein rich foods per meal maximizes your body’s muscle building rate by up to fifty percent.
This is because you don’t process protein as well as you used to, so by separating it, you are giving your body a better chance to process it and reap the benefits from it.

Don’t forget to enjoy a glass of red wine as well. A recent study in the journal Menopause showed that having one or two glasses of red wine a week might contribute to the slowing of bone breakdown.   As you age, there is no reason to resign yourself to not having the body that you want to. While biology naturally causes you to gain weight and lose muscle mass, there are things you can do during each decade to minimize those effects and have the body you want to have as you age.

Be sure to check out our other informational and interesting articles on food, nutrition and exercise.

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