Why is it easier to gain weight as one enters middle age? This is because the body’s functions are not as efficient as they were in youth, meaning your calorie expenditure is not as high as before. With a decline in metabolic levels, excess calories are more likely to be converted into fat and accumulate. You will find that the age group of 30-50 is the demographic with the highest likelihood of gaining weight. How can we effectively boost metabolism and maintain the good figure we had in our youth? Start with these four self-disciplined behaviors:
Behavior 1: Avoid staying up late and overworking. Nowadays, people work overtime for their jobs and stay up late until three or four in the morning for entertainment, only to get up again at seven or eight for work, resulting in severe lack of sleep and dark circles under their eyes. Such behaviors can accelerate the aging process, lower the efficiency of the body’s metabolism, and significantly increase the chances of gaining weight. Studies have shown that people who sleep for less than 7 hours have a disrupted hormone metabolism, making them more likely to overeat, while those who sleep 7-9 hours a day are less likely to feel drowsy during the day and can better control their appetite, thus maintaining a good figure.
Behavior 2: Adjust dietary habits. As one reaches middle age, the digestive system is not as efficient as it was in youth, and one can no longer indulge in excessive eating and drinking, otherwise, calories are more likely to accumulate. We need to avoid unnecessary gatherings, give up greasy takeout, and quit afternoon milk tea and snacks.
Learn to eat healthily, such as: drink more water instead of various beverages to promote metabolism; eat meals at regular times, avoiding irregular eating; and eat less fatty meat and more green vegetables, maintaining a ratio of three parts meat to seven parts vegetables. This can ensure balanced dietary nutrition, reduce calorie intake, and help you avoid the troubles of gaining weight and becoming overweight.
Behavior 3: Ensure physical activity. Many white-collar workers are accustomed to sitting still and prefer to stay at home on weekends, and insufficient exercise can also lead to a decline in metabolic levels and even induce various chronic diseases.
Maintaining a moderate amount of exercise, accumulating 120-150 minutes of training per week, can effectively strengthen the body and improve obesity issues. Those with poor physical fitness can start with brisk walking and cycling, then gradually transition to jogging, aerobics, skipping rope, and weight training.
We should learn various different exercises to maintain a diverse range of physical activities, which can improve overall physical fitness and maintain youthful vitality. Incorporating weight training can prevent muscle loss and effectively increase the basal metabolic rate, allowing you to shape a better figure.
Behavior 4: Quit the habit of drinking alcohol. Many people in middle age easily fall in love with drinking alcohol. Such a bad habit not only easily induces diseases and accelerates the aging process but is also one of the causes of obesity.
When you drink alcohol with various dishes, a single drinking session can easily exceed 500 calories. If you drink twice a week, the calorie intake exceeds 1000 calories, and your weight will increase by several kilograms without you realizing it over the course of a year.
