Weight Gain After 60

Article by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

 


Weight Gain

Do you ever wonder why you put on weight after a life event? Perhaps as you grow older, or after a medical procedure - after getting married, having a baby or even losing a loved one?

What about after you've tried so hard to diet or after you have exercised steadily or lifted weights?

All of these life-event situations create a perfect foundation for weight gain.

Gaining Weight in Your 60's, Common Causes

Too Many Calories Consumed

The most common cause of weight gain after 60 is a lack of activity to support caloric intake. Simply put, we consume more energy than our body uses so the excess becomes stored for future needs.

But in this day and age, we rarely have need of excess energy. Back in the caveman era, those extra layers of fat were appreciated when harvest time was lacking. But in today's world the scarceness of food is not an issue.

Lack of Exercise

We must keep in mind that activity is not the same as exercise. For example, June moves about the house cooking dinner, vacuuming the floor, washing out the bathroom and doing laundry. She is medically defined as being in a state of activeness.

If June goes out for a brisk walk, if she decides to dig a hole to plant a tree or flower garden, of if she plays a game of tennis she is considered as engaging in exercise.

Exercise doesn't need to occur on a mat doing windmills, tumbles, sit-ups and pushups. We can enjoy the things that we like to do while getting in a good stretch of activity. And if you're over 60 - and if you don't want to increase your risk for Sarcopenia [low protein diet + low activity level = Sarcopenia which causes frailty in older individuals], then now more than ever it's time to make some life-changes. You can read more about Sarcopenia at Natural Diet Plan in this article: Sarcopenia

The good news is that it is a reversible condition accomplished via change in dietary habits and adding more activity into your life.

 


So how much exercise do you require? Even we-older adults need about 1 hour per day. If you haven't exercised in a long span, you should meet with your doctor for his/her advice on your current physical limitations and abilities. Start out slow - a 10 to 15 minute walk per day, and build up over time. A serving of 100% cherry juice before you engage in exercise may serve to alleviate soreness, aches and pains associated with exercise.

Health Conditions Which Cause Weight Gain

We tend to grow more relaxed in our golden years and fact is, we simply don't have the same amount of steam as we did when we were in our 20's, 30's or even our 50's.

One factor is keyed to the body's cells. As we age, they are unable to rejuvenate as they did in younger years - and they cannot protect as well against invading toxins and other elements which pose harm to the body's health.

In addition, with the ageing body we have the ageing metabolism. The food that we consume isn't digested as rapidly - the metabolism just isn't as effective as it used to be. Thus, we may experience weight gain.

And other conditions may trigger weight gain - such as the onset of diabetes. We may also come down with another ailment which limits the amount of activity that we can perform throughout our day, thus the sedentary lifestyle further contributes to weight gain.

Poor Dietary Habits, Fast Food, Fried Food

How does your meal plate look? If you're still on a fast food, fried food, creamy and cheesy food addiction, it's time to pull back a bit. At this point in our lives, most of the damage has been done as to our heart health. However, every little thing that we do in a positive manner serves to take away a certain amount of risk. And that can be a very good thing - a very healthy thing!

 

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