The stubborn belly fat, love handles, double chin, baggy eyes and flabby limbs are some of the common woes of women in their 40s. Things that used to work well for weight loss in the 30s just cease to reduce or maintain weight anymore. Rather than running after futile efforts like crash diets and heavy work outs, women must understand that their bodies undergo a major change with the onset of the fourth decade. Here’s list of 5 weight loss hacks for real people that work well in 40s and help you stay in shape in the long run:
1. Control Your Hormones
Keeping a check on your hormones should be a part of your wellness regime. As you near Peri-Menopause or Menopause, major fluctuations in your sex hormones aka estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone take place; which in turn, can throw your mood off, make you gain weight, decrease your bone density, diminish your sex drive, lower metabolism and so on. Consult a good endocrinologist to maintain hormonal balance and thrive in your 40s.
2. Check Your Insulin Level
Your insulin tolerance takes a toll in 40s. The simple mantra to keep your insulin levels in check is by including more protein, healthy fat and dietary fiber in every meal along with complex carbohydrates. Practice clean eating and say no processed food, fried food, spicy food, white rice, white bread, cakes, cookies, pastries, donuts, soda and so on. These foods are the biggest enemies of women as they make you age faster, sag your skin and crash your blood sugar levels.
3. Stress Less
By the time you are in your 40s, you must have a clean circle of friends and family who put you in the happy mode and are not stress creators. Low stress levels have a domino effect on lessening your belly fat, that otherwise accumulates due to high cortisol levels.
4. Stay Active
The best way as per gynecologists to tame your hormones is to stay active. Create a group of friends for regular workouts, yoga, meditation and dance sessions. Go for a morning jog and do not miss a walk under the star-studded sky post dinner. Include moderate strength training to rebuild lean muscle.
5. Sleep More
Lastly, sleep more as it will help you shed extra pounds. You have come far from the age of a new mom and there is still time to be a granny. So create a sleep schedule of minimum 8 hours and stick to it, to let your body burn fat while you’re asleep and recoup energy to wake up fresh the next day. If you are experiencing sleep issues, take a cold shower and slip inside cotton pyjamas, write a gratitude journal and go off to sleep at exactly the same time every night to set your biorhythm.
