If you’re a senior citizen that has a bit more weight on their body than might be healthy for them, you’ll be happy to know that there are plenty of ways that you can lose weight even if you struggle with things like intense workouts or motivation to make big changes in your diet. Especially if you have someone like a family member or nutritionist at your assisted living facility helping you, you may be surprised at just how quickly and easily you can start to develop some healthy habits that will result in your desired weight loss.
To help you with this, here are three tips for losing weight as a senior citizen.
Don’t Get Fooled By Fad Diets
When people are wanting to lose weight, they often want to try to find a solution that will work quickly and require very little effort. And while some of these things might appear to exist, these types of fad diets are things that should generally be avoided, especially by the older population.
As a good rule of thumb, the quicker you’re able to lose weight, the quicker it will come back once you stop the diet you were trying. So if you’re really wanting to get healthier, which often isn’t the aim of these fad diets anyway, you’ll want to do the basics like eating whole, healthy foods and reducing the amount of empty calories you consume.
Find Ways To Get More Physical Activity
For many seniors, the amount of mobility that you have can still make it possible for you to get some kind of physical activity in. And the more physical activity you’re able to get in, the more calories you’ll burn during the day.
If you’re new to the idea of moving your body through physical activity, seniors should usually get started with activities like stretching, pilates, yoga, or lifting light weights. As you become stronger and more comfortable, you can slowly increase the intensity of your activity so that you’re burning more calories and losing more weight.
Make Sure You’re Staying Hydrated
Something that a lot of seniors struggle with, and that can make it hard to achieve weight loss, is remaining hydrated. Because many older people don’t realize when they are thirsty, they often don’t drink enough water. And without proper hydration, your digestion and metabolism can be affected.
For those who know that they aren’t drinking as much water as they should be, consider getting a water bottle that you can keep with you and that encourages you to drink water at regular intervals throughout the day.
If you want to lose some weight as a senior citizen, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you figure out how you can make this happen.
