I could write a whole book on this topic. Gen-x(ish) women are the generation who along with their mothers, were brainwashed by Weight Watchers, The Grapefruit Diet, The F-Plan Diets, The Atkins Diet and other popularised diets that made women's bodies a commodity of the weight-loss industry.
I was born in the early '70s and watched the women of my mother's and grandmother's generation jump from one diet to another in amongst overeating and often over drinking too. There was no such thing as 'balance', just one extreme or the other. I was very fortunate that my mother wasn't one of these women because this is what sets girls up for a lifetime of yoyo dieting supported by businesses like Atkins, Weight Watchers, Kelloggs, Slimfast, etc.
So many gen-x (ish) women say, "I know what to do, I am a lifetime member of XYZ weight loss program". Yet these same women are carrying more weight than they want and are quite willing to go to extremes to shift the additional kilos they no longer wish to carry around.
At this time of life, women need to train smarter, eat smarter and sleep smarter if they want to remain lean, fit and strong into their later years.
I am not trying to put myself on a pedestal here either you know. Back in the early 2000s, I got caught up in the whole 'low-carb' movement. Did I lose weight? Yes, that was the plan, did I understand why? Like most women, I believed in the magic of a 'low-carb' diet, without realising how severely this diet was also restricting my total calorie intake. I was a convert and a believer for a really long time, until this same way of eating left me exhausted, burned out, and struggling with digestion issues.
What Is Going ON?
By the time a woman reaches middle age, she has been bombarded by a lot of misinformation when it comes to weight loss and looking & feeling her best. Many women go running when they want to lose weight, without realising it can work against them. At this time of life, women need to train smarter, eat smarter and sleep smarter if they want to remain lean, fit and strong into their later years.
WHAT IS GETTING IN THE WAY OF YOUR LONG-TERM SUCCESS?
1. Eating too little.
2. The wrong kind of exercise.
3. Not getting enough sleep.
EATING TOO LITTLE
Rather than dieting, find a way of eating that sustains you over the long term. Dieting extremes lead to gains in fat mass and losses in muscle mass. Your weight may not have changed much on the scale, but your clothes no longer fit and you feel squishy around the tummy. This is the result of years of extremes, now is the time to find the right balance so that you can get off the diet treadmill and feel the best you have in your entire life.
THE WRONG EXERCISE
A lot of women still believe that running and other types of cardio is what's going to help them lose weight. Yes, it is right that you need to move more, but exercise alone is a poor strategy when it comes to weight loss. You can learn more about this HERE. Running fails to build sufficient muscle mass to keep your metabolism burning and your body strong as you age. Keep running if you love running, but stop running for weight loss. Instead, take up weight training and short bouts of HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training). Both have been shown to boost metabolism as a result of supporting muscle mass gains. Stop banging your head against the wall and join other women at my Group Fitness Sessions in North Lambton.
NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP
It doesn't matter how much exercise you perform and how well you eat if you aren't sleeping. Sleep is where recovery happens and where you build the muscle mass that you need. Poor sleep or insufficient sleep also interferes with your hunger and satiety hormones. What this means for you is increased hunger and feeling less satisfied after eating. Add dieting into the mix and you have the recipe for a miserable life. When you train with me, you become part of my private community where you learn more about sleep, mindset, diet and lifestyle changes suited to your needs.
I would love to hear from you! Tell me about your experience. I love hearing your perspective.
#womensfitness #strongwomen #fitover40 #fitover50 #fitover60 #strengthtraining #buildmuscle #metabolichealth #stopdieting #growstrong #strongbody
Hi, my name is Melanie Briony and I am a fitness and lifestyle coach with over 10 years experience in the fitness and wellness field. As a woman in my late 40s, I began to notice how women my age and older were missing from the conversation when it came to their fitness needs. I was also noticing changes in my own body that I couldn't find answers to which was really frustrating considering all the study I have undertaken over the last decade. Learning about menopause has been really enlightening, how did I not know this about my own body? That is why I am making it my business to bring this information to you from the best research available. Have any questions? Send me a message.
Mel x