Losing weight is perhaps one of the hardest feats to accomplish as we age, especially once we’ve reached our sixth decade.
That being said, there are some tried and true methods that can help those over the age of 60 lose that stubborn extra weight!
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The Science of Weight Loss: Losing Weight After 60
With any discussion about weight loss, it’s always important to discuss a major key concept: calories in vs. calories out.
It’s crucial that everyone understands the underlying physics principle behind weight loss: calories in must be less than calories out. If this requirement isn’t met, a person will not lose weight, plain and simple.
Unfortunately, for people in their 60s, their metabolism slows down. This means that the “calories out” portion is usually much less than it was when they were younger.
With a calories-in, calories-out (CICO) approach, however, there are many different ways in which a person can lose weight.
For instance, you may elect to go on a specific healthy diet in which you eliminate a certain food group. Alternatively, you may decide to really ramp up your exercise output.
In the next section of the article, we will review seven of the best-kept weight loss secrets for those over the age of 60.
7 Best Tips for Losing Weight After 60
Increase Physical Activity
Moving more is always a good idea, no matter your age. For those that are trying to lose weight, any extra movement goes a long way. Now, it’s important to note that “physical activity” is different from exercise.
Physical activity is any unstructured movement that a person achieves throughout the course of a day.
This could include gardening, grocery shopping, or even something as simple as walking to get the mail.
Increasing your level of daily physical activity adds up toward your overall energy expenditure in a big way over time.
Try HIIT
The name high-intensity interval training may scare some people away, but it shouldn’t!
HIIT training can be done by anyone, provided that it is effectively scaled for a person’s ability level.
This type of interval training burns tons of calories during an exercise session, helping the person achieve a bigger caloric deficit.
Find Workout Partners or Groups
One of the best ways to increase your physical activity is with a group of like-minded people.
By finding a person or group of people to which you are accountable, you can more easily stick with your weight loss routine and get closer and closer to your goal!
Perform Explosive Exercise
There is nothing wrong with slow and steady movements. In fact, you’ll definitely want to incorporate regular exercise with a controlled pace into your workout plan.
However, having a day or two a week in which you perform some explosive exercise can help a lot with weight loss.
Explosive (AKA power) exercise comes in many different shapes and sizes.
You can even incorporate power training into some core exercises. If you’re unsure of how to go about starting a power training program, reach out to a trainer at your gym!
Focus on the Positives
When you’re trying to lose weight, you will probably experience some frustration. This is not unusual, weight loss is hard!
But when you start to feel frustrated or think that you’re never going to lose the extra weight, try to focus on all the positives in your exercise journey.
If you’re working out and eating well, you’re doing great things for your body.
If you stick to the program, the weight loss will come (maybe more slowly than you’d like sometimes). But if you give up on your goals and revert back to eating chips and ice cream, you won’t be able to lose weight.
Find a Form of Exercise that You Like
Sure, some exercises burn more calories than others. But if you don’t like a certain exercise, you’re never going to stick with it. In turn, if you don’t stick with an exercise program, you’ll never reach your weight loss goals.
For this reason, it’s critical that you find a form of exercise that you truly like. This might include biking, aerobic exercise, jogging, jumping rope, core training, circuit training, or yoga.
Whatever interests you, stick with it and watch that weight start to come off little by little!
Document your progress
One of the biggest reasons why people stop exercising or doing other healthy activities is because they feel like they aren’t seeing progress. For this reason, it’s best to keep a record of your major milestones.
This can be done through a computer spreadsheet, an app such as a step counter, or even the old-fashioned pen-and-paper method! Whichever way you choose, just be sure that you have a way to monitor progress over time.
The Bottom Line On Losing Weight After 60
Losing weight is hard, especially when you’re in your 60’s. Try out some of the 7 tips listed above and see if they help you on your weight loss journey!
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