After 50, getting in shape takes more effort than it did at 30 and 40. This is especially true if you haven’t exercised in a while. The reason for this is that as you get older, your body changes. It’s the time of life when your lean muscle mass will decrease and your metabolism will slow down as a result. What can a 50-year-old do if the weight isn’t coming off? It’s crucial to know what to do since there are plenty of mistakes made by individuals in their fifties that might prevent them from losing weight.
It’s critical to be physically active all through your life in order to maintain your fitness and control weight, but not everyone has been conscientious over the years. Don’t get worked up; it’s never too late to start a good regimen—just make sure you’re doing it the right way. Keep these blunders in mind as you work out or create an effective fat-loss plan so that you don’t end up gaining unwanted weight. Keep reading to learn more.
1 — You are only performing low-intensity cardio
The most common error committed by individuals in their fifties is believing that exercising for prolonged periods of time is the best approach to reduce weight. It’s also a widespread notion that because they’re older, they should go easy on themselves. Cardio isn’t the most effective method of weight reduction, and if you do it, you should do it at a higher intensity to get the most out of your calorie expenditure.
2 — You’re not performing strength training
So many individuals believe that they must run miles and starve in order to lose fat. Simply stated, if your aim is to shed pounds, you should try to make strength training the primary focus of your workouts, aiming for at least 2 to 3 sessions each week. You can lose around 1.4% of your body fat by strength training effectively. In reality, studies show that by strength training the right way, you can minimize body fat without needing to go on a diet. So get started lifting some weights—you won’t be disappointed with the results.
3 — You are not strength training properly
Even if you put in a lot of effort, strength training isn’t a fantastic component of your routine if you don’t do it correctly. Many individuals believe that in order to lose weight, you must use lighter weights and do more repetitions. But think again because the situation is exactly the opposite.
When it comes to burning fat, the most important goal is to stimulate your muscles to lift heavier weights. If you’re used to training with reps in the 15+ range, it’s time to scale back and train in the 6-10 range.
Make sure you do a lot of compound movements in addition to your strength training. Presses, rows, lunges, and hinge movements are all excellent choices for your exercises.