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It’s easy to attribute midlife weight gain to a slowing metabolism, but there’s more to it than that. The main culprits are reduced physical activity, spending more time sitting, and changes in diet. To help you stay fit after the age of 40, we’ve discovered five crucial daily movement habits to keep you leaner than someone half your age.
“Increasing your daily movement enhances what is known as non-exercise activity thermogenesis,” explains Rick Richey, NASM master instructor. “This refers to the calories you burn throughout the day through activities that aren’t planned exercise. The great thing is, individuals can burn significantly more calories through small, simple movements during the day than through a single exercise session.”
5 Daily Movement Habits That Keep You Leaner Than People Half Your Age
Plan Your Movement
Waiting for motivation might mean you never get to your workout. It’s often too easy to prioritize work, relaxing, and having fun, but it’s important not to neglect physical activity.
“If motivation drops, just decrease the intensity or amount of time for planned movement—but don’t blow it off,” Richey says. “Most people have an all-or-nothing view of exercise. They think if they cannot get the minimum recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week then they might as well do zero minutes. But this is a very important reminder that a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing.”
Choose Active Hobbies You Love
Real talk: Moving your body can be fun. Richey recommends doing what you genuinely enjoy, whether that be playing pickleball, basketball, walking, dancing, kayaking, etc.
Weave Movement Breaks Into Your Day
It’s all too easy to sit at your desk every workday without taking breaks. But Richey recommends standing up and walking for just 60 seconds for every 30 minutes.
Do Something Active the Second You Think of It
If you think of jogging to your car in the parking lot, go for it!
“If you think it’ll be fun to sit on that swing and get a few big swings in—do it! If you think it’s time to stand up—do it! We talk ourselves out of activities too often. It’s time to give your active mind a ‘yes day,’” Richey encourages.
Lift Weights
As you age, you naturally lose lean muscle—anywhere from 3% to 8% every decade after 30. Whether training with dumbbells or wearing a weighted vest while walking, lifting weights is crucial for building and maintaining muscle mass.
Looking for easy ways to lose fat? Here’s How Long Your Walking Workout Should Be To Shrink Belly Fat.
Alexa Mellardo