3 Factors that Affect Your Ability to Lose Body Fat
by Roberta Wyatt
When you’re in your 20′s, it’s easier to control your weight. And some people are blessed with a faster metabolism than others, allowing them to indulge and get away with it. But as we move into our 30′s and beyond, our body fat will begin to increase unless we take steps to control it. Why does it get harder to lose body fat as we get older? Lifestyle changes play a role as we enter our working years and start a family, but physiology works against us as well.
The 3 Factors are:
1. Growth Hormone levels drop – GH levels are highest during puberty, then slowly decline as we age. GH is anabolic for building lean body mass, but it also promotes fat loss, so it’s harder to lose fat as the GH level decreases.
2. Muscle Mass declines – We begin to lose muscle mass at a rate of about 1% per year starting in our early 40′s and it accelerates after the age of 50. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, which leads to a drop in metabolism. This is why our calorie requirements decrease as we get older, but some of us don’t adjust what we eat.
3. Insulin Sensitivity decreases – As we age, insulin sensitivity decreases. When this happens, the pancreas produces more insulin to push glucose into cells. Insulin promotes fat storage, so higher levels of insulin increase body fat, especially around the waist and tummy.
What to do?
We can’t stop the aging process, but there’s a lot we can do to prevent weight gain as we get older. High-intensity interval training, like our RIPPED classes, is a good way to boost your calorie burn. Resistance training, like our Sculpt classes, is a must for preventing weight gain with age. Not only will you become stronger, but you will increase your metabolically active lean body mass. Reducing your calorie intake is important as well, but don’t cut out lean protein sources; that will help preserve muscle mass. And finally, get enough sleep. Letting the body recover is as important as working it out!
