Your Roaring 20s
A 20-year-old body is at its peak. It's still
responsive to the littlest of efforts. Weight gain isn't even a concern. "People I liain in their 20s don't really care much about their weight; they want to tone their muscles," says Gaki Azurin, fitness specialist and personal trainer. This
is the best time to get started though. "Train yourself to eat healthy. If you're active, keep it up. If you aren't, start now, or you won't know what hits you when you get to your 30s and 40s," she warns.
Write What You Eat Along with youth
comes insecurity, so emotional eating may
come to play in your 20s. Weight gain isn't far
behind. Keep a record," recommends Che de
Vega, R.D. "Write down what you ate, and how
you were feeling at that time, so you become
more conscious of your emotions and learn to
deal with them through other things, not food."
Monitoring your intake also makes you realize how much food you're actually consuming.
Keep Moving Up
"Try any sport this is the best time to do what you want,"
says Azurin. Hit two birds with one stone and go for activities that aid weight loss while building bone mass (to stave off osteoporosis later in life). Load-bearing exercises like weight lifting, running,
racket sports, dancing, stair-climbing, and other activities that require your muscles
to work against gravity are the best for bone-building.
Don't Shun Red When people think
weight loss, many opt for white meat, but de Vega says, "there are nutrients [in red meat] that you can't get from other sources." In the case of iron, we know that leafy, green vegetables are a good source, but de Vega says that the type of iron we get from veggies aren't as efficiently absorbed by the body compared to the iron we get from meat. "Thirty grams of white meat is
the same as 30 grams of red meat:' De Vega
adds. Just be sure to choose a lean cut and trim off any visible fat.
Get Social There never seems to be
enough time for everything, so why not
take two of this generation's most popular concepts social networking and multi tasking—to get things done? Choose
physical activities that involve groups,
like Ultimate Frisbee or flag football, so you get exercise and time to socialize
simultaneously. Even the solitary sport of running has clubs you can join.
You also don't need to rule out eating with friends while on a diet just make sure they know of your weight loss plans.
Friends can provide motivation, and can take on half a meal if it goes beyond your calorie intake plans.
Your 30s: The Start of the Slowdown ,When you reach your third decade of life, your body chemistry starts to change. For one, your metabolism begins to slow down. It's also around this time when you start to lose muscle mass, even though you exercise
regularly. So not only is your body less efficient in burning excess fuel, but there's also less muscle to fuel.
Hot and Hotter Although a balanced
diet is still her recommended solution, De Vega says there are certain foods that help
boost a metabolism that's started slowing down, like green tea and chili peppers.
The catechins in green tea have been shown by several American studies to intensify fat oxidation and increase the rate at which the body burns calories. Research at the University of Chicago has also shown
that it may have the ability to suppressappetite if taken in regularly. But one cup
a day won't be enough. In majority of the studies, the recommended dose is three to five cups daily to achieve any effects; green tea extract capsules are a viable option.
Chili peppers also have the ability to suppress appetite, especially for people
who don't regularly consume them.
Capsaicin,
a substance found in peppers, is responsible
for this, and also for the pepper's ability
to boost metabolism through there mogenesis (the process in which the body produces heat).
Just 3% of Your Day
"The rule is to burn more than you consume," says Azurin
when estimating how much physical
activity you need to counter the amount of food that you eat. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
recommend at least 150 hours (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (bike riding, brisk walking, etc.)
plus two or more days of muscle-strength training a week. Although it seems like a lot, that's just 30 minutes daily, and
you can break that up even more into three 10-minute sessions throughout your day.
"The rule is to burn more than you consume."
Break That Fast Skipping a meal will
not result weight loss. Quite the opposite, as eating breakfast may help you shed pounds. "In the morning, since your body is well rested, it's at its optimal for burning food,' says De Vega. "Minimize what you eat in the evening and increase what you eat in the morning for more efficient food burning." Breakfast also provides your body
with energy so you're more physically active throughout the day, according to Katherine
Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. of the Mayo Clinic. Because you're less hungry later in the day,
the chances of you bingeing are decreased.
Give It A Lift
"Muscles are an active tissue:' shares Azurin, "they eat up more calories: And because you're starting to lose muscle mass in your 30s, it's when you should be working doubly hard to build more. Having more muscles will also help
counteract a more sedentary lifestyle. Weight-training activities, like push-ups, I i fting weights, and yoga, will help build your muscle mass, which will then help
your body burn more calories even as you watch TV.
"The most profound weight gain in a
woman's life happens in the years leading
up to menopause (pen-menopause)," say doctors at The Mayo Clinic. Rolando
Balburias, M.D., director of The Medical City's Center for Wellness and Aesthetics,explains that the hormonal changes with this age can cause your body's metabolism to slow down even more.
"Due to hormone deficiency, fat deposition in certain areas of the body is enhanced, hence making it harder to
lose weight in your 40s." There are no
shortcuts, says Dr. Balburias.
Dish It Up The FNRI's Recommended
Energy and Nutrition Intake (RENT) for adult females aged 30 to 49 is
1,810 calories. To lose weight, you can decrease slightly the amount of calories
you consume, while still maintaining a
balanced diet. Dr. Balburias suggests using the plate method," where your
plate is made up of fruits and veggies, lean
meat or protein, and grains or starches
(rice/pasta). Be careful when choosing
your dinner plate though, and reach for
one that is just nine inches wide so you
don't go overboard on your portions.
Bottoms Up Milk's no longer for kids. "Calcium [from milk] combines
with the fat in your diet and helps [fat] get flushed out of your system: says de Vega.
But you should be drinking the low-fat variety. Increasing the calcium you drink helps keep osteoporosis at bay, especially in women who didn't consume enough calcium in their youth.
