4 Scientific Reasons It's Harder To Tone Up As You Get Older (And The Solutions)

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Youth is a beautiful thing. When you're in your teens, you feel as if you'll never get old. You can eat what you like, not exercise, and live a generally slobby lifestyle without putting on weight or losing muscle mass.

Things change as you get older, and this doesn't mean you have to be old. Most men and women experience small-yet-significant changes in their mid to late twenties. Usually, it's as annoying as not being able to lose weight and tone up as efficiently. Well, there are reasons for this that are backed by science. Sorry!

However, you shouldn't consign yourself to a life of eating junk food and sitting on the sofa drowning in self-pity. Whether you're in your late twenties or early thirties, there are solutions to slow the tide. Continue reading to find out more about the reasons why your fitness is suffering and the basic-yet-effective fixes.

Sarcopenia

Sarcopenia is the technical term for a loss of muscle. After you hit the big 3-0, studies show that lean muscle can reduce by as much as 8% in some instances. The least you can hope for is a 3% decline, but you may end up somewhere in the middle at 5%.

Lean muscle is essential to weight loss and toning up because it uses more energy than fat. As a result, it burns more calories and requires less food to repair tears and maintain a healthy level of mass. If you continue to consume the same amount of calories you did before you turned thirty, you'll probably gain weight.

The key is to use strength and conditioning training to your advantage. This not only targets core muscle groups, but it prevents injuries. A significant reason for putting on weight is not exercising regularly.

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Slow Metabolism

Ah, your metabolism, that magic word you used to throw around with careless abandon. As a teenager, you love the fact that your metabolism is speedy that you're almost smug. Now, Father Time and Mother Nature have decided it's time to slow down. Easy there, Speedy Gonzalez!

Your body's metabolic system is essential as it turns food into energy. Therefore, when it's slower, you'll convert fewer calories that'll be stored as fat. Thankfully, pumping iron is on hand to lend an assist again - having more muscle than fat burns more energy regardless of age. Also, a thermogenic fat burner is a useful tool as, among other things, it targets the metabolism and makes it work faster.

Watch out for health conditions such as hyperthyroidism, too. This is a notorious ailment regarding a slow metabolic rate.

Hormone Production

Men and women deal with changes in hormones as they age. For women, it's the menopause. For men, it's a drop in testosterone. Studies prove that both are integral in leading to issues that lead to weight gain and a loss of muscle mass. Guys, for instance, need testosterone to distribute fat evenly.

Now, it's worth noting that these changes don't come into effect until later in life, around the forty mark. You've still got plenty of time! But, preparing for those tweaks now will make it easier when you do hit other landmark birthdays. Cutting down on your calorie consumption is a fantastic option as it gets the body used to eating less.

Also, you may need to consider cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol. Drinking and smoking as you do now isn't healthy during middle age, as you can't bounce back effectively. By starting now, you could swap an addiction for a healthy obsession, like exercising or reading.

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Stress

Stress is a killer! It's something that often goes under the radar because it's commonplace in society, yet the impacts are enormous. A rise in cortisol levels affects everything from your mental health to your cardiovascular system, increasing the likelihood of heart disease.

From a mental health perspective, too much stress makes you feel tired. As such, it's almost impossible to find the motivation to exercise and stay in shape. When this happens, losing weight and toning up is out of the question. The key is to locate tension-relieving activities that bring your cortisol levels down.

Working out is the perfect medium, but it's not appealing to everybody. In that case, you may prefer a massage or a long walk. Whatever takes your mind off the responsibilities that are causing you to lose sleep at night! Speaking of, make sure you get seven to nine hours per night, too!

Toning up is tougher as you reach the daunting age of thirty. However, it's not impossible if you lift weights and engage your muscles and relieve tension in your body.

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