Wrinkles Are The Least of My Worries

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gaining weight after 30 or 40

I thought I was years away from caring about aging but lately it’s been top of mind. While I still think I am young, my body seems to think  differently. It’s not the wrinkles that I’m noticing, it’s the weight gain.

Just in this last year I gained 10 pounds. The weight gain started after having lost a lot of weight after an intense year of running four races.  I was slimmer than I had been in years. Although I expected to put some weight back on after I finished training, I never expected to put on this much.

Mini dessert tray

The biggest weight gain all started for me when I got into a car accident in May.  All workouts and physical activity stopped. I was in so much neck and back pain, running was out of the question. Even yoga or Pilates were not an option.  For the first time in years I was not active.
And it sucked. So I sat around and enjoyed the food – like I typically do. Suddenly, my skinny jeans are no longer comfortable and then one day, they don’t even fit.  Yikes.

Finally I have been able to work my way slowly back into the gym and a regular routine again but it seems like all the yoga and elliptical  I have been doing are not giving me the results I want – or need. It’s just not coming off like it once  used  to so now I’m faced with figuring out why.

Simple answer. I’m getting older. My metabolism is not as young as my face looks.  We have all seen those commercials telling us how much weight we will gain once we hit 40.  I was sure this rule did not apply to me- yet at least.  Well, according to Dr. Oz, women do have a harder time losing weight after 30 and even worse after 40. In fact, we are likely to gain weight no matter what we do unless we start eating less. Even if we work out.

This scenario is not on my agenda.

So now what?  Well, according to my Google searches research, the solution to avoiding weight gain as you get older is “simple.”

Three Simple Ways Not to Gain Weight as You Age

1) Sleep More. Lack of sleep leads to your body releasing cortisol -which leads to your body storing fat or craving bad food.  And if you are up late, you may be eating.

2) Eat Less.  Since your metabolism is slowing down, we have to consume less calories. Eating more fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains is key.

3) Reduce Stress.  Stress also releases cortisol and other fat producing hormones. And when stressed, most women tend to emotionally eat.

These three tips seem so easy yet so hard.  I already know I don’t sleep enough (it’s after 1 am now), I love to wine and dine with friends and family- weekly at least, and I live a high functioning stressful life.

So now what? Live a different life? Or just accept the inevitable? Accepting the inevitable seems so easy and I’m always up for a challenge. With that said, I’m staring a whole new routine.  Back to Paleo and then back to my grind at the gym.  It worked before and it will work again!

Challenge accepted!

 

 

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