How To Lose Belly Fat After 65?

Belly fat, especially lower belly fat, is a common problem for aging men and women. The aging issue gets in the way of feeling good – both in respect of overall health and self-pride.

You might already be aware – the older someone gets, the more challenging it becomes to reduce belly fat. The main cause is that muscle mass starts diminishing as we age. If we don’t work out to replenish muscle loss, we gain fat all over our body, mainly in our midsection.

You also might have heard, that it’s not easy to “spot-reduce” fat in a particular area of the body, including around the waist.

How To Reduce Belly Fat Over 65 Age?

So how to reduce belly fat after 65? Whether you are 50, 60, 65, or 70; it’s not too late to get a flatter stomach and uplift your confidence. We recommend the following steps to achieve this:

Cardio

Do at least 160 minutes of moderate cardio activity per week. For people above 65, recommended activities include brisk walking, cycling on level ground, swimming, or joining a water aerobics class. It will not only help to reduce inches around your midsection, but also strengthen your heart, and lungs and reduce symptoms of anxiety and stress.

Tip: If you feel tired after 30 minutes of daily cardio activity, do it in mini-sessions. For example, go for a brisk walk in the morning for 15 minutes and take another walk in the evening for 15 minutes. Depending upon your physical condition you can increase the duration.

Useful Related Post: Cardio For Seniors

Increase Cardio Intensity

For faster loss of belly fat, doing moderate-level cardio is not enough. You will need to increase the intensity of the cardio. Even with vigorous routine activity, women after the age of 65 years should still do at least 150 minutes of higher-intensity cardio per week in order to lose stomach fat at a faster pace. Recommended cardio activities are: walking or biking on hills, jogging or dancing class are some higher intensity cardio options.

HIIT

HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) is a better option to shed belly fat faster, and at the same time increase your strength and stamina. In interval training workouts, you have to alternate moderate and high-intensity activity so as to burn more calories, and that too at a quicker pace. Start out with a moderate activity such as brisk walking and then after a few minutes increase the intensity by jogging or running. Continue to alternate between the two intensity levels for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Useful Related Post: HIIT For Seniors

Core Exercises

Work on your core muscles at least two times a week. A simple exercise to tone up your midsection is to sit on the edge of a sturdy chair. Hold the edge of the chair firmly with your hands. Raise your feet about two inches above the ground and hold the contraction for 5-6 seconds. Release the contraction and repeat for 1 minute.

Visit this link for a few more core exercises for seniors

Calories In – Calories Out

Diet is an effective way for older adults to shed fat around the midsection. You may not probably get 6-pack abs, but you can definitely reduce considerable weight and improve your overall health with the right diet and nutritional plan.

There are several diet and weight loss programs out there, but they all are based on one fundamental rule – fewer calories in and more calories out.

As you age, your body requires lesser calories. If your physical activities are reduced, you can’t eat like you used to and your diet should be modified to match.

Eat fewer calories. As you age, your body needs fewer calories. As a broad thumb -rule, women require at least 1,200 calories and men should get at least 1,500.

Tip: You may talk to your doctor asking for a safe calorie intake for you.

[Read here the best ways to lose fat and retain muscle mass]

Nutrients

Make sure that the calorie amount in your diet matches your situation, and also important is that you get the right amount and kind of nutrients in your diet.

Useful Related Post: Nutrient Needs For Seniors

Tips To Control Calories Intake: Choose foods that make you feel fuller with lesser calories. High-fiber foods are a great option. As your body digests fiber slowly, you will feel full longer. A few healthy choices are oatmeal, whole-wheat pasta, and brown rice.

If you are above 60 and/or suffering from any medical condition, you need to talk to your doctor before you start a fat-loss program.

About Author: Renu Bakshi, AKA Fitness Buffhq, is ISSA Certified Elite Trainer. He passed Personal Fitness Trainer Course, Nutrition Health Coach course & Specialist Exercise Therapy course from ISSA, the USA, obtaining + 97% marks. He shares his experience and knowledge about nutrition and effective workouts to get you in the best shape of your life, no matter how old you may be. The author says: “For me, age is just a number!”