Turning 40 come with many positives, such as improved wisdom, increased self-awareness and incredible self-confidence.
But it can’t be denied that the fourth decade of your life also comes with some unwanted physical changes. You develop some extra flab and bulges around the middle. Maybe you’re finding that the diets you took in the ’20s or ’30s are no more useful as they used to be. Thanks to hormones influx, sluggish metabolism and less insulin.
Weight gain after 40 might be usual, but that can’t be considered healthy. Obesity makes you prone to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, gout, cancer and other health risks.
Nowadays, there are many quick weight loss methods, including surgery, special workout programs and certain steroids. But you don’t need to opt for any one of them if you can lose weight naturally. All you need to manage some key triggers to get back in shape even in the 40s. Here’s how…
Learn to Manage Your Hormone Fluctuations:
Hormones are the driving force behind your changed body as you age.
They are responsible for controlling your body functions, ranging from appetite, sleeping, heart rate to reproduction.
As you reach menopause, the levels of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone start fluctuating. Consequently, it leads to massive changes, from sparse bone density and lean muscle mass to mood swings and weaker sex drive. With the fluctuated estrogen levels, you are likely to eat more and stay less physically active. Top of that, it causes fat storage and slows down your metabolism as well.
Therefore, to stay fit and in shape in the ’40s, you need to manage your hormone fluctuations. It can be done by taking proper sleep; taking care of diet, and do some workouts.
Boost Your Metabolism:
Did you know that your metabolism tends to decrease by 5% for every life decade after 40?
Metabolism plays an essential role in weight management. If you have an efficient metabolism, your calories are even burnt during rest or regular activity, leading to weight loss. Therefore, you need to boost this element to keep your weight in check.
Doing workouts, taking protein and taking good sleep are some tried and tested ways to rev up your metabolism even in your 40’s.
Apart from that, you can try several herbal products to boost metabolism, including green tea, cinnamon, ashwagandha, turmeric and fenugreek.
Maintain Your Lean Muscles:
As you turn 40, you start losing muscle mass that plays a vital role in managing the calorie in the body. It is caused by the low level of estrogen and testosterone. The loss of lean muscles is also coupled with a sluggish metabolism, hindering the process of calorie burning.
The simple and easy way to fix this one is to workouts and strength training. Exercises help build lean muscle mass that keeps your fat in check as well as increase metabolism.
Reduce Your Insulin Resistance:
Insulin is a hormone that controls blood sugar level and increases glucose storage as well. We are likely to lose this substance as we age. If your cells, muscle, fat and liver don’t respond to insulin, it leads to increased blood sugar. This situation is called insulin resistance. Our liver, fatty tissues and muscles are less likely to interact with insulin as we get older.
Your cells find it challenging to burn energy, making weight loss challenging in your 40s.
Here are some ways to control your insulin resistance:
- Stay active by climbing stairs, cycling or even simple walking. Regular movement is important. Cut on sweets and sweetened beverages. Instead, you can use stevia, Xylitol and erythritol but in moderation.
- Add unprocessed foods and green veggies to your diet.
- Consume Omega 3 capsules.
- Get good sleep.
Keep a Healthy Appetite:
Our appetite changes as we age. For some women, dipping estrogen levels due to menopause around 50 or 51 can lead to a similar pattern of craving more sweets and carbs. The disturbance in hormones like ghrelin, which tells when you’re hungry, and leptin, which signals when you are full, can create confusing appetite cues.
As we get older, these hormones lose their efficiency. We tend to eat more just because our hormones feel they are hungry, not the brain. It can lead to sudden weight gain, especially if slow metabolism and hormone fluctuations are taken into account.
You can deal with appetite problem by taking small meals more frequently as well as nutrient-rich foods. Workouts also help you improve your appetite in the 40s. Apart from that, you can take several herbs like mint, ginger and cinnamon as well as herbal products to control appetite.
Manage Your Stress:
Going through the changes of midlife leads us to stress, there’s no doubt about it, and we’d all like to minimize stress in our lives.
Stress not only upsets your peace but also causes a range of physical problems such as headache, upset stomach, high blood pressure and sleep problems. Gaining weight is one of the adverse effects of stress.
For example, cortisol is a stress hormone that occurs during stressful times. It can “encourage” you for overeating. Because the alleviated levels of the hormone also spike insulin levels, your blood sugar dips and you crave fatty, sugary foods as a result.
To deal with stress in your 40s, do the following things…
- Exercise Regularly.
- Keep a Positive Attitude.
- Learn to Meditate.
- Take Healthy and Balanced Diet
- Herbs are also proven to reduce stress such as tulsi, ginger, lavender and ashwagandha. Or you can try some herbal products to reduce stress.
Take a Good Sleep:
Ageing also affects our sleep patterns. No wonder why women in their 50s face problems with their sleep. Hot flashes and night sweats are two biggest culprits in this age which can ruin your sleep, thanks to the fluctuating hormones. When you don’t get sound sleep, the body produces more ghrelin and less leptin, making you feel hungry and accelerating your appetite.
You can deal with your sleep problems by establishing a strict bed routine as well as giving up on the use of electronics when going to bed.
Stay Active:
Last but not least—make sure to maintain an active lifestyle. In fact, most of the tips stated above advocate for an active lifestyle. If you are not able to do gym workouts or intense sprint, you can do cycling, light exercises, and easy yoga poses. Even simple walking can do the trick.
However, the lack of energy can prevent you from doing workouts. It calls for high energy diet as well as some good herbal products to boost body energy.
So, these are some tips to stay active in your 40s. It is all about taking the right diet, staying active and thinking positive. What do you think? Let us know by commenting below!
