If you want to burn fat after 35, you have to commit to a plan.
The human body is funny. One minute, you’re eating cookies, fatty foods, and pretty much anything you want, yet it seems as though nothing can slow you down–you can even still fit all your clothes!
The next minute, BAM! You’re slower, more tired, the fat is harder to get off, and so on.
What happened? Life happened.
After a certain number of years–genetics and family history play a lot into this–your body slows down. It happens to all of us.
But the good news is, we can slow this aging process down and turn our bodies back into fat-burning machines.
Despite genetics and gender, there are a few things you need to do more in order to boost your metabolism and burn more fat after the age of 35. Here are 7 steps to do it:
1. Exercise More.
Start by serving yourself protein at every sitting, such as low-fat yogurt, chicken, and salmon, says Darwin Deen, MD, a medical professor in the department of community health and social medicine at City College of New York and a co-author of Nutrition for Life.
All three of the above foods contain omega-3 fatty acids, which help promote weight loss by increasing your feelings of fullness.
In addition, eat more foods that slowly release the sugar you need for sustained energy, like high-fiber fruits and veggies and whole-grain bread and pasta.
Also, munching on a food high in fiber three hours before your workout can help you burn extra fat, according to a recent study. Even coffee can help since caffeine stimulates the production of adrenaline, which speeds up the metabolism.
Just limit yourself to no more than two cups a day!
2. Do More Cardio.
Aerobic intervals will help you maximize your burn and double the calories you burn.
Intervals also keep your metabolic rate higher than a steady-pace routine does for as long as an hour after you stop exercising, according to Michele Olson, PhD, a FITNESS advisory board member and professor of exercise science at Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama.
So start easy, go hard for a few minutes, then alternate between the two for your entire workout.
3. Start Lifting Weights
A head-to-toe strength routine will turbocharge your calorie-blasting quotient.
Add five pounds of muscle to your body and you can zap as many as 600 calories an hour during your workout, Olson says.
Be sure to choose a weight-lifting routine that targets your core, legs, arms, chest, and shoulders; challenging numerous muscles will help your body function like a calorie-burning machine, according to Goldsmith.