If you come to Gym Slayer in Elk Grove, CA, you’ll get help that can put you on the road to fitness no matter what your age. We help people of all ages with workouts that a personalized, so even older individuals will be able to keep up and become fitter. We also provide meal plans that are personalized, no matter what your age. That makes healthy eating as you get older a lot easier. It’s not so different from healthy eating when you’re younger.
Many times seniors require fewer calories.
One of the biggest struggles older people often face is weight gain. Part of that comes from losing muscle mass. As people age, not only do they tend to become less mobile, they also lose muscle mass faster than their younger counterparts. Less physical exercise means fewer calories burned, but it also means less muscle mass. Muscle tissue requires more calories throughout the day than the same amount of fat tissue does. The more you have, the higher your metabolism, so if you’re losing it through aging and being sedentary, it makes it far harder to prevent weight gain or to lose weight.
Medical issues and medicine can interfere with your diet.
As people age, they are more prone to health conditions, such as high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes and high cholesterol. That means eating a special diet as a complementary prescription. It adds one more challenge to creating a healthy menu. Food sensitivity often occurs as people age, so dairy, wheat products, onions, peppers and other foods result in an allergy or an intolerance. Some medications even make it more challenging to eating healthy by interacting with medication. The body’s ability to metabolize warfarin, a blood thinner, is reduced by the consumption of grapefruit. Taking it may require increasing vitamin K in your diet from sources like spinach, leafy greens or kale.
Stick with the basics.
Include plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Dark green leafy vegetables like broccoli, kale or other leafy greens should hold a high position on your plate, just as other colorful vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes. Include other forms of protein besides red meat. Substitute fish, beans and peas periodically, preferably once a week. Include whole grains, yogurt or other dairy products and healthy fat, such as that from avocados.
- You never get too old to remember that a rainbow of colors on your plate will help keep you healthiest. Each color of vegetable or fruit contains a variety of different phytonutrients.
- No matter what your age, cutting out food with added sugar, processed food and junk food should be avoided. They often cost more, but provide far less nutrition.
- You don’t have to eat all fresh fruits and vegetables. Frozen fruits and vegetables are often even more nutritious than fresh, because they’re picked at peak ripeness and immediately frozen.
- If you want the easiest way to create a healthy diet, check our meal plans. Not only do we design them based on your needs, food preferences and special situations, we also provide grocery lists to make it even easier.
For more information, contact us today at Gym Slayer