When did you notice that your metabolism went from 100mph to a screeching halt? Was it in your late 20’s, early 30’s? As we all age the weight gets easier to put on and harder to remove.
Most experience in their 20’s the unique ability to stay out and party all night, finish the evening off with a large pizza, and still wake up in the morning with six pack abs. Nowadays it seems that snacking after 6:00 pm means that tomorrow morning the obligation to run a few miles is necessary.
Reverse the Slowing Metabolism
The common practice we all get into is: Eating light in the morning, hitting the vending machine in the break room, stopping by the convenience store on the way home, and eating a big meal at night. We all get stuck in this routine. In fact this routine is the cause of our weight gain.
Try doing this instead. Have your larger meal of the day be breakfast. Eat clean foods throughout the day. Snack by bringing several small Tupperware pieces to work. Portion your food into cup sized servings. Fill the portions with fruit, vegetables, chicken, and tuna. You should eat every couple of hours, but only one small cup sized portion at a time.
In the evenings, eat foods that are high in antioxidants such as blueberries. This will satisfy your nighttime sweet tooth. Before bed, eat three to four egg whites, this will continue to boost your metabolism when you are asleep.
Supplement your diet with a multi-vitamin, and fish oil. Nutritionists recommend taking anywhere from 4000mg to 6000mg of fish oil a day. Reducing the amount of red meat from your diet is also recommended. It takes your body longer to process red meat as opposed to chicken or fish.
One of the harder habits to break is when you go out to eat. Restaurants portion their servings too large. Do not be afraid to ask for the to-go-bag, you do not have to eat your moneys worth in one sitting. This task is even harder if you have small children. We as fathers tend to get frustrated at the $7.99 kids meal purchase, when the little ones only eat about half of it. The left over food can be taken home and eaten later.
Exercise for a Thirty Year Old
Routine and progression is a key phrase to remember. Trick your mind into believing that you have an obligation to exercise at a specific time. If you tell yourself you will do this no matter what, you will be successful. Start small, and when the exercises becomes easy, add a little more.
For example, try this routine. Every morning when you wake up do twenty pushups, and fifty jumping jacks. Having just timed doing this, the median time to perform these exercises takes around three minutes. Now, after one week, add five more pushups, twenty more jumping jacks, and twenty squats. Continue to progress, and you will soon realize that you have now incorporated a full morning routine at the beginning of the day.
Guys, we have lived a life of serious impact on our bodies. Playing sports, performing manual labor, and generally beating our bodies have taken its toll on us. This doesn’t mean we should dwell on what we can not do. We can still routinely perform low impact cardio exercises in our evening workouts. Instead of running every day, you can supplement your exercise by switching to biking, or swimming. The rule of routine and progression still applies. Make some goals to attain by adding more distance, and aim for faster times. Log your progress in a journal.
The Weight Loss Challenge
Generally, most men are competitive. You can capitalize off of this. Start a friendly bet amongst friends by conducting a weight loss contest. Have a group of guys who are inspiring to get in better shape agree on the terms and conditions. For instance, you can say sixty days. Have each guy weigh in on day one. After sixty days, whoever lost the most weight is declared the winner. No one is promoting illegal betting here, but you can be creative when it comes to the prize.
Stay Motivated
There are plenty of guys out there who have rejuvenated their twenty year old fitness. Some may have found themselves in better shape in their thirties than in their twenties. It can happen! Breaking the convenience lifestyle is how we should start. Too many guys out there often use too many excuses. These excuses often sound like this: I am getting too old for that, work is eating up my time, it is hard to diet because my family eats differently. Well, we can all come up with a reason not to do something. Instead, try to come up with ways on how to reach your goals.
Darrell Pacansky - A MBA student from Trident University, who currently works in Marketing for one of the largest Chiropractic offices in the state of ...
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