We have all been lead to believe that at a “certain age” you cross some invisible, silent line that all of sudden makes it soooo much harder to lose body fat and get in shape. But, sorry to say, the data does not suggest this. Your metabolism doesn't slow down all that much as you age. In fact, data suggests that our metabolisms don't really start to decline again until after age 60. The slowdown is gradual, only about 0.7% a year. So, did your metabolism slow down or did YOU slow down (while losing muscle, drinking a few more glasses of wine, consuming less protein and generally eating more calories)? Be honest!
YES, age affects weight and body composition but not as directly as you may think. Many adults think they are doomed to fat - gain across the lifespan due to hormonal changes like menopause in females or the consistent decline of testosterone in males. The truth is, these hormonal changes make weight loss a little harder BUT not impossible. Herman Pontzer and his research team at Duke University studies just how much metabolism changes as we age and the answer is, surprisingly less than you think. Pontzer and an international team of scientists analyzed the average calories burned by more than 6,600 people ranging from one week old to age 95 as they went about their daily lives, in 29 countries worldwide.
In a 2021 paper titled "Daily energy expenditure through the human life course” Pontzer and his team found that decreases begin around age 60 and average out to a decline of around 0.7% per year. It's also true that as we age we experience large scale changes in how we live. Ask the person you know who plugs in each night for a myriad of news shows, reality TV and Netflix. More sitting, less walking, more eating. Yep, it is true.
This is ALL good news though. You can still make awesome progress with your body and body composition, strength and fitness well into your senior years! It is never too early to start OR to continue. The idea of fat loss and weight loss as you age is much worse that actually losing the weight.
We think it’s:
Grueling cardio
Starving ourselves
Eating boring and bland food
Being hungry all the time
But in reality it’s:
More protein/whole foods
Less mindless snacking/drinking your calories
Lifting weights with consistency
See it’s really NOT that bad!
You got this!
Coach C