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Just when you thought you were doing so well, exercising 30 minutes a day on most days of the week, a study comes out that says women actually need at least 60 minutes of exercise per day to avoid gaining weight, especially once they hit their 50s. What? That’s double the current federal guideline of 30 minutes!
If this news from researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital has you feeling like you should just throw up your arms and surrender to the Ho Hos—don’t! Getting 60 minutes a day of exercise may be easier than you think.
Why Exercise Matters
Exercise actually becomes more, not less, important as we age. Younger bodies burn calories adeptly, but as you age it gets harder to fight off an expanding waistline.
“There's no amount of exercise you can do at 50 that will help you burn 12,000 calories a day like Michael Phelps,” says Eric Braverman, M.D., author of The Younger (Thinner) You Diet. “People eat fewer calories as they age and still gain weight. It’s because as they get older, their metabolism deteriorates.”
The reason? Muscle mass. The more you have, the better job your body does at using energy, which burns calories. Even though muscle loss is a natural part of the aging process, you can fight against a dwindling metabolism.
“If you increase your lean muscle mass you increase your strength, your metabolism, and your overall energy level,” says Pete McCall, exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise.
You’re More Active than You Realize
If 60 minutes of physical activity sounds daunting, it’s likely because you’re not accounting for those random moments of activity through the day. Have a dog? Take two 10-minute walks and you’re a third of the way to your goal. Opting for the stairs at work, scrubbing the grout in your bathroom, crawling around on the floor with your kids or grandkids—it all factors in to your 60 minute target.
Now add on to that by incorporating routine exercise into your day.
Start Slowly
Dr. Braverman compares becoming physically fit to building a house. “You have to do it step by step,” he says. “You have to change what you drink, what you eat. You need to hire trainers to teach you to exercise again, and teach techniques specific to older bodies. You have to retrain your whole body and lifestyle.”
Joining a gym is a great idea, but McCall says you should not walk in there at age 40 and expect to be at the same fitness level as when you were 25.
“People have this, ‘all or none,’ mentality,” McCall says. They go to the gym, overexert, and then lose momentum. “The reality is that the most important thing is consistency before intensity.”
Don’t start off by spending 60 minutes a day at the gym. You’ll burn out. Instead, commit to 20 minutes, three times a week, and then move up from there. Your pants might not instantly feel loser, and the scale might not move much, but McCall guarantees you’ll start to feel better. And that will give you the incentive you need to up your game.
Exercise Isn’t Everything
If you leave your workout and then “reward” yourself with a double chocolate iced coffee with extra whip, you just erased all that hard work you just did. Watching your calorie intake is just as import as increasing your activity level.
“The honest thing about losing weight is it’s all about pure numbers,” McCall says. In a nutshell, you either need to cut 500 calories from you diet every day or burn it off through exercise.
Also, consider the impact stress has on weight gain. Stress increases cortisol production, which triggers the release of fatty acids in the body. If there are no active muscles grabbing those acids and burning them off, then the fats get reabsorbed—often in the gut, McCall says. What’s a good way to reduce stress? Exercise.
So start slowly, and work your way up to 60 minutes a day. You might not get there quickly, but if you remain consistent, you will get there.
