STOP GAINING WEIGHT AS YOU AGE

Check out these diet and lifestyle tweaks to help you look and feel your best across every decade.

30s

Your metabolism is humming. Keep it that way with good habits.

a family and your social life, the amount and quality of your sleep can be negatively impacted. Sleep deprivation increases your levels of ghrelin, a hormone that fuels appetite, and decreases leptin, a hormone that helps you feel full. Strive to achieve a better balance.

Do Make lunch

your main meal. Your metabolism is fastest in the morning through lunch, and slows as your body shuts down for the night. Aim for a good breakfast, a hearty lunch

and a light dinner.

Do Work your

core. Muscle burns kilojoules faster than fat, so the more muscle you have, the better prepared you’ll be to counter a metabolic slowdown. Exercises that work to strengthen Do Get seven hours or more of shut eye.

While you’re juggling work responsibilities,

WATER IS ESSENTIAL FOR GOOD HEALTH. A SIMPLE WAY TO KNOW IF YOU’RE HYDRATED IS YOUR URINE. IF IT’S NOT A PALE STRAW COLOUR, IT’S TIME TO UP YOUR WATER INTAKE.

and build your core, such as yoga and pilates, are especially effective because they work larger muscle groups.

Don’t Starve yourself.

Crash diets may result in rapid weight loss, but they also reduce energy reserves and slow your metabolism. Instead, follow a satisfying eating plan that fuels your body, but also lowers kilojoule intake and your chances of weight gain.

Don’t Neglect your emotional wellbeing.

The tensions of everyday life can increase your body’s production of the stress hormone cortisol, which can contribute to the storage of belly fat. Set aside 10 minutes every day to do deepbreathing exercises. These will help offset the effects of stress, decrease cortisol and keep your metabolism on track.

40S

Meet your body’s changes head-on with these simple adjustments.

DECIDE WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO EAT AHEAD OF TIME AS IT’S EASY TO OVERDO IT ONCE YOU’RE HUNGRY.

Do Fight fat. Due to hormonal changes during menopause, women can experience an increase in weight and body fat, mostly visceral fat in the abdominal area. The best strategies to tackle it are increased activity and diet changes. It may also be time for your GP to check your hormone levels.

Do Muscle up.

Beginning from the age of roughly 40, women start to lose muscle mass twice as quickly as men, making strength training more important than ever. For effective results, aim to complete 30 minutes of strength training, such as pilates or yoga, two to three times a week.

Do Eat to beat

inflammation. Foods high in sugar, saturated fats and processed ingredients can prompt an inflammatory reaction from your body which can, among other things, lead to disease. Focus on eating wholegrains, fruits, vegetables – especially dark leafy greens – and foods such as salmon and walnuts that are rich in inflammation-fighting omega-3s.

DON’T Skimp on

protein. Your body immediately breaks down protein into amino acids, which then go directly to your muscles for optimal kilojoule burn. Problem is, your whole body needs protein, and when there isn’t enough to go around, your muscles are the first to lose out. Keep your protein stores high, but don’t limit it to meat, which can rack up saturated fats. Also include foods such as yoghurt, quinoa and eggs.

50s, 60s AND BEYOND

Keep up the good work with these easy add-ons.

Do Interval train. As you age, your endurance levels tend to drop. Switching from a sustained workout (30-minute jog or walk) to brief intervals of pushing yourself intensely (four short bursts of speed walking within a half-hour routine) can keep your kilojoule burn high, even if you exercise less. How? When you’re taking it down a notch from a sprint, your heart rate and kilojoule burn will still be going strong, even though your body is getting a chance to rest.

Do Have an antistress plan. From changes at home and parents needing more care as they age, to purely physical events such as menopause, these are decades full of shifts, which can be incredibly stressful. Preserve your emotional balance by taking 20 minutes a day of ‘me time’ to relax.

Do Ask your doctor

about COQ10. Levels of this enzyme, which helps your body turn kilojoules into energy, can nose-dive with age and lead to a sluggish metabolism. If natural sources such as mackerel, herring and liver don’t appeal, talk to your doctor about taking a supplement.

DON’T Skip meals.

Breakfast is crucial, as it jumpstarts the process of using kilojoules to break down food. Many people find their appetite shrinks with age, but going too long without eating makes your metabolism slump. If you often find you’re only lunching at 3pm as you can’t face a big meal any earlier, aim to eat six small meals a day, rather than three larger ones. Along with lean protein, incorporate legumes such as lentils and chickpeas in meals or snacks as they’re high in fibre and protein.

TEAM UP Tackling your weight-loss journey with friends can help lower stress and boost results.