28 Expert-Approved Ways To Stay Fit & Trim As You Age
Age shouldn't stop you from being your healthiest self.
linear_design Images, Imagens de Ricardo Valadares | Canva One sure way to improve your body image is to improve your overall health. Getting in better shape, eating healthy foods, and generally practicing a healthy lifestyle is your best bet for feeling good about your body.
However, if you're like us, you're overwhelmed by the measures you can take to improve your health.
Here are expert-approved ways to stay fit and trim as you age:
1. Learn to love everything your body can do.
Adopt an attitude of gratitude for the body that is uniquely you. Learn to love the body that shows up when you consistently take action to get your body as healthy and fit as possible to suit your lifestyle. —Rico Caveglia
End the day with a gratitude journal listing three things you are grateful for. It is like a light switch to positive thinking. We create our realities based on what we focus on. —Lorina Shinsato
2. Breathe deep.
Every metabolic function in our bodies requires lots of oxygen. Nothing is more important for mental and physical health than supplying our bodies with enough oxygen. I recommend taking a yoga/breathing class to learn deep breathing exercises. —Rico Caveglia
3. Drink a lot more water.
Water ought to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Drink more of it and you'll reap all kinds of body benefits. Your skin will be softer, your complexion clearer, you'll eat less, your hair and nails will stay hydrated and you'll feel more energetic throughout the day. For women, this looks to be about 11 cups of water a day, and 15 for men, according to research. —Rico Caveglia
Experts say to drink your half-body weight in ounces. Others say to drink eight eight-ounce glasses of water. Well, when the thirst reflex kicks in, you are already dehydrated. Keep a stainless-steel water bottle with you, refill it often, and sip it throughout the day. It will keep your complexion clear, your mind sharp, and more energy to boot! —Lorina Shinsato
4. Eat real, whole food.
You are what you eat. For your body to look and feel its best, it requires the highest quality fuel. Real food is grown in nature; organic fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and healthy animal products raised naturally without hormones and chemical additives. —Rico Caveglia
There are many hidden artificial fillers in these foods and many may contain antibiotics, hormones, or pesticide residues that you don't want in your body. Whole, fresh foods give way to cleaner energy and a clearer mind. —Lorina Shinsato
5. Eat all your meals at home.
Avoid restaurants and highly processed packaged foods. Prepare most of your meals by yourself to be healthy. —Rico Caveglia
6. Move your body consistently.
Regular movement consisting of; aerobic, strength, and flexibility exercises will give you an energetic, fit, healthy-looking body you will be proud of. —Rico Caveglia
Pexels / Jorge Acre
You can be skinny and still be fat and unhealthy. If you just lose weight without exercise, your body has not changed to lean. And, this can lead to yo-yo weight loss and weight regain. —Mark Dilworth
7. Recharge your mental and physical battery.
Take time-outs daily to be still and let go of the thoughts of your daily activities. Be sure and get enough sleep every night; 7-8 hours. Learn to meditate and be grateful for all that you have in your life. —Rico Caveglia
8. Make gut health a priority.
Most bodies require one to three bowel movements per day to be healthy and fully eliminate all waste products from our daily metabolic functions. Distended stomachs quite often are due to a clogged-up colon. Consider consulting a holistic/integrated medicine or naturopathic doctor if this is a challenge for you. —Rico Caveglia
9. Ignore the quick fixes and stick to a consistent routine.
You want to get healthy, not skinny. Don’t fall for the gimmicky diet fads, instead, choose healthy fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lower-fat proteins. Try using smaller portions. —Brenda Deere
Healthy, managed nutrition is critical for a healthy body. You need a meal plan you can maintain over time. Fad diets and starvation diets cannot be maintained. You quickly regain the weight when you begin to eat regularly. —Mark Dilworth
10. Start with the basics and build a good foundation for exercise.
When beginning an exercise program to lose weight or re-shape your body — don't assume more is better. Find some activities you truly enjoy. For me, it's swimming, bicycling and walking. Then, start slowly. A five-minute walk is better than no walk at all. —Brenda Deere
11. Know you’re not alone in your journey.
Most people aren’t completely satisfied with their bodies — not even the top models, who usually feel they need to go to extremes to stay competitive in the modeling industry.
Make your goal a reasonable one. —Brenda Deere
12. Don't compare your body to anyone else’s.
Try not to compare your body with those of others around you. Heredity plays a role in our body shapes. Pay more attention to the things you like about your body and remind yourself daily of those positive things! —Brenda Deere
13. Get enough quality sleep.
Be sure to get eight hours of sleep every night. If weight loss is one of your goals, research has recently shown that the weight will come off more easily if you get enough sleep. —Brenda Deere
14. Pay attention to your posture.
This takes practice, but the straighter you stand, the better it is not only for your spine, but you look better and more confident, which leads you to feel that way too. —Brenda Deere
15. Be grateful for your body.
Remember that the function of your body is to move you through this world! When you are feeling low with poor body image, say to yourself, "I can walk. I can reach. I can hug. I can lean over."
In other words, be grateful for the good things your body does for you and try loving it for those things. Start a body gratitude journal, and add something to it every day. —Brenda Deere
16. Tell yourself you love your body - even if you don’t.
Behave as though you love your body just the way it is. Don't put off activities like going to the pool because you feel everyone will be staring at you. —Brenda Deere
17. Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day to keep your blood sugar in check.
Ever wondered why you may feel irritated or lightheaded? You may be dehydrated or have low blood sugar. Perhaps it's the lunch you skipped over to get extra work done ... —Lorina Shinsato
18. Eat enough protein.
Protein allows one to have sustained blood sugar levels, as opposed to a pastry that leaves you hungry in half an hour. —Lorina Shinsato
19. Cut the sugar.
Avoid refined sugars, high fructose corn syrups, and artificial sweeteners as they are made from chemicals and our bodies cannot process these adequately causing more inflammation in the body. —Lorina Shinsato
20. Avoid MSG.
Monosodium glutamate is a flavor enhancer in junk foods and some Asian dishes that causes headaches and interferes with your nervous system. —Lorina Shinsato
21. Eat wild-caught fish and avoid farmed fish.
Did you know that farmed fish are often injected with dyes to enhance the color of the meat? Farmed fish also do not have high omega fatty acid content (healthy anti-inflammatory fats) and may have other chemicals due to the nature of farm fishing.
Choose fish that are lower in mercury content. Mercury builds up in our bodies over time and then interferes with our nervous system functions including poor memory, decreased mental clarity, and increased perception of pain. —Lorina Shinsato
22. Eat organic and local food as much as possible.
Support your local farmers, decrease the fuel consumption it takes to get the food to your table and it tastes better too! With every bite, you are helping reduce the amount of pesticides and herbicides used in agriculture and creating healthier environments. —Lorina Shinsato
23. Focus on the positive.
It takes 12 positives to counter a negative. Wow, what hard work it is to reverse negative thinking. We should focus on what is going right in our lives and allow that to flow. —Lorina Shinsato
Negativity affects everything you do in life. Always look for the best in every situation and get rid of the "negative vampires" in your life. Hang around positive people. We all need all the help we can get.
As it relates to health, an attitude such as, "I will do whatever it takes to have the best health and body," will always lead to positive changes. —Mark Dilworth
24. Find ways to stay motivated.
What motivates you to get healthier? Having the right motivation will help keep your attitude positive. —Mark Dilworth
25. Stop self-sabotaging behaviors.
Do you have limiting behaviors? Are you sabotaging your health, fat loss, and weight loss efforts?
For example, if you’re trying to break bad eating habits, why keep junk food and sugary foods in your kitchen pantry? If it's there, you will eat it. You have to believe you can change and want to change. —Mark Dilworth
26. Don’t be afraid to build muscle.
Regular strength training and interval cardio sessions are a must if you want to change your body. When you build muscle mass, which helps you burn fat, your body will lean out and look more toned.
Building muscle also helps speed up your metabolism because your body has to work harder to maintain more muscle mass. A faster metabolism helps you burn more calories during the day, during workouts and at rest. This is the main key to help keep you from regaining weight. —Mark Dilworth
27. Understand that healthy lifestyle habits produce a healthier body.
This is a no-brainer. If you get adequate nightly sleep, limit excessive stress, don't smoke, limit excessive alcohol consumption, exercise regularly, and eat healthy you will have a healthier body. Practice these types of healthy habits on most days.
Being constantly stressed will slowly kill you. According to the American Psychological Association chronic stress can negatively impact your health and well-being. —Mark Dilworth
28. Seek professional help
You may need professional advice in certain areas of your life. A personal trainer can help you visualize success and individualize your fat loss and nutrition program.
It's hard to change your body all by yourself. You may also need help with things such as depression. And a full physical exam will show you where your health stands. You can start taking positive steps today to improve your health. Don't procrastinate! —Mark Dilworth
Rico Caveglia has been a personal trainer, nutritionist, workshop leader, life coach, and award-winning author of 15 books on wellness.
Brenda Deere is a certified life coach and weight loss coach, and author.
Mark Dilworth is a certified nutrition coach, dietary strategies specialist, specialist in nutrition for metabolic health, and lifestyle weight management specialist.
Lorina Shinsato is a wellness coach, acupuncturist, and the owner of Primavita Family Medicine.