Fighting the Fight Against Flab
Remember when you were a kid and you could eat anything and not gain weight? Where a quesadilla at midnight and then bedtime at 12:15 wouldn't lead to love handles? Yeah, well, those days are long gone. Now we need to exercise, watch what we eat, learn how to mix HCG, or risk losing the battle of the bulge. Face it, we aren't teenagers anymore, and our body is well aware of it.
One of the first things that goes when you grow up is that wonderful metabolism that kept that weight off when you were younger. Frankly, as you grow, your body needs all that fat and calories to fuel it. You might not remember, but you move a lot when you're a teenager so most of those excess calories get burnt up. Now that you're older, that metabolism is slower and we live much more sedentary lifestyles with work and such, so those extra calories just stay in your body. This is why you tend to gain weight as you grow older. It's a shock to the system when you realize this, and that is why people have a tendency to fill out a bit as they hit middle age. This is also why you need to come up with a plan to keep the weight off when you're eating habits don't line up with your metabolism.
The first thing to remember when you're setting up a workout plan is to be realistic. Don't expect to be able to grab a six pack and lift 500 pound weights if you've treated the gym like a plague for 20 years. Start out by just having one simple goal: keeping weight off. You see, as you grow older it becomes harder to lose weight. It's still possible, of course, but it also means a complete change in lifestyle. If you're willing to do that: great. If not, then just stick to the idea of fighting weight gain by coming up with a plan to keep yourself in shape. Try and carve out a trip to the gym three times during the week, with an hour of cardio and weights. Maybe, as time goes on, you can join a bicycling class or a yoga class.
Another thing to consider is altering your diet as your age progresses. I'm not talking about cutting everything out, but maybe limit your fast food habit to once a week or eating more vegetables. They are just little steps you can take to make sure you live a long and healthy life.
One of the first things that goes when you grow up is that wonderful metabolism that kept that weight off when you were younger. Frankly, as you grow, your body needs all that fat and calories to fuel it. You might not remember, but you move a lot when you're a teenager so most of those excess calories get burnt up. Now that you're older, that metabolism is slower and we live much more sedentary lifestyles with work and such, so those extra calories just stay in your body. This is why you tend to gain weight as you grow older. It's a shock to the system when you realize this, and that is why people have a tendency to fill out a bit as they hit middle age. This is also why you need to come up with a plan to keep the weight off when you're eating habits don't line up with your metabolism.
The first thing to remember when you're setting up a workout plan is to be realistic. Don't expect to be able to grab a six pack and lift 500 pound weights if you've treated the gym like a plague for 20 years. Start out by just having one simple goal: keeping weight off. You see, as you grow older it becomes harder to lose weight. It's still possible, of course, but it also means a complete change in lifestyle. If you're willing to do that: great. If not, then just stick to the idea of fighting weight gain by coming up with a plan to keep yourself in shape. Try and carve out a trip to the gym three times during the week, with an hour of cardio and weights. Maybe, as time goes on, you can join a bicycling class or a yoga class.
Another thing to consider is altering your diet as your age progresses. I'm not talking about cutting everything out, but maybe limit your fast food habit to once a week or eating more vegetables. They are just little steps you can take to make sure you live a long and healthy life.
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