Over 40 want to lose that 5 lbs? Think the best way to lose it is endless hours of cardio. Nope!

Over 40 want to lose that 5 lbs? Think the best way to lose it is endless hours of cardio.

You might want to rethink that plan…

“I’m Over 40… I only eat 1200 calories a day and just can’t seem to lose the 5 pounds I’ve put on. I don’t want to lift weights because I don’t want all that muscle and look bulky or manly. I know I need to go do high intensity hour cardio and circuit classes to burn it off!”

Recently, a friend of mine asked me about the 5 pounds she put on and this was pretty much her thought process as I knew it would be. Also, I knew I would not be able to change her mind about the importance of resistance training at any age but especially after 40. Don’t make the same mistake she did. Have an open mind to the logic and science.

We have all been taught in the past keep eating less and do endless hours of fat burning cardio exercise and you will have the physique you dream of.

“IT DOESN'T WORK!” Again… “IT DOESN’T WORK!”

As we age our BMR, Basal Metabolic Rate, declines. (BMR is the amount of calories our bodies require to keep it functioning at rest.) Also, as we age, our muscle mass declines. Couple that with endless high amounts of cardio and what you end up with continuum of muscle mass loss and metabolic adaptations. A hamster on a wheel notion.

We all know a calorie deficit equates to weight loss. And yes, as we cut calories our bodies will lose weight in the interim. However, at a point, our bodies begin to learn to function on that caloric deficit. Human body is made to adapt and learn to function on less in order to survive. This same concept is applied to cardiovascular exercise. As we adapt to running that 3 miles a day our bodies beginning to learn to function very efficiently and weight loss is stalled. So then we have to run 4 miles or run faster. Again, as our bodies adapt we will have to run 5 miles or increase our speed again. When caloric intake is 1200 per day you do not have much room to decrease calories to fight through plateaus. So you keep increasing cardio til you're so low on energy and muscle mass is starting to become a fuel source. You're stuck! Progress stalls. Motivation is nonexistent and most give up.

Retaining and gaining muscle mass is very important as we age. Muscle improves our BMR. Muscle helps with joint and bone health. It helps us to be able to eat a healthy amount of calories everyday ensuring we get proper micronutrients. It helps us to keep being active.

As muscle mass increases our bodies will need more energy (FOOD) to function. As you increase muscle mass you will increase your caloric maintenance level. Do you stop cardio all together? No. You should perform a reasonable amount each week. Steady state or small bouts of HIIT is very good to ensure cardiovascular health.

Be open to weight training as there are many benefits beyond physique changes. Keep in mind, it takes specific training and strict dieting to even remotely look like women on the bodybuilding stage. These women get their body fat well below 10% during competition season. When they are not competing they have a higher healthier body fat percentage to regulate hormones. They train for this! The average woman will never get their body fat that low nor gain the muscle that these ladies train for.

Adding muscle will transforms your physique to that shapely hourglass. Massive Cardio never will. Endless cardio sessions will eventually result in muscle loss and adaptations that dig deeper into the rabbit hole.

Too many times over the years, I’ve seen so many women be slaves to the cardio machines. Day after day they are on those machines for an hour and yet their body composition never changes. You want to change? Next trip to gym walk right by those cardio machine and grab a dumbbell!

Consistency + Resistance Training + Reasonable Amount of Cardio + Healthy Diet = Positive Change!

Not only do you change your physique you also decrease your risk for many diseases improving your overall health. A Win Win!

Christina Brooks

NASM Certified Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach

**Keep in mind healthy peeps and those with medical condition may see different results. Always consult your physician and a registered dietitian if you have preexisting conditions for the best exercise and diet program for your condition(s).