Health Mistakes
Men over 40 are making costly health mistakes that are causing them to age a lot faster than they would if they paid more attention to their nutrition and training.
We can’t reverse the aging process, but we can take steps to slow down the aging process and stay strong and lean well into our senior years.
Here are 6 health mistakes that you should avoid:
1. Eat less sugar
Sugar is everywhere and it’s not doing you any good. The problem with eating too much sugar is it contributes to fat gain. I guarantee if you did nothing but cut out sugary snacks you’d lose 10 pounds of fat in a few months.
All those extra empty calories spike insulin, cause tooth decay and contribute to weight gain. They also damage cells and cause you to age faster.
The problem with sugar is it sneaks its way into practically everything and it’s very addictive. The best advice I can give you is to stop eating un healthy snacks and eliminate fizzy drinks.
Start shopping for whole, natural foods, the fewer ingredients the better. Cut down on sugar in beverages and replace with a natural sweetener instead.
2. Not drinking enough water
You’re probably already aware that drinking enough water is crucial for health and for men over 40 it helps to maximize physical performance in the gym.
Staying hydrated has superior effects on brain function and energy levels, it even helps to prevent headaches.
Especially for men over 40 staying hydrated will help to prevent constipation which is especially important as we get older.
The best way to make sure you get enough water is to buy a water bottle and take it with you to the gym and work.
Then keep sipping on your water throughout the day. If you stick to drinking a few litres of water each day, you’ll stay hydrated and ensure your needs have been covered.
3. Not lifting weights
If you’re not lifting weights you’re going to end up looking like a skinny fat guy and that’s NOT what you want especially as you get older.
As we age we start to lose muscle and as we lose muscle we tend to replace it with un-wanted fat.
We go through a body re-composition where your scale weight can stay the same, but you’re left wondering why you look so fat.
The reason is because the scale doesn’t paint the whole picture, it’s NOT just scale weight you need to pay attention to as you get older but body fat percentage as well.
If you’re getting fatter you might be losing muscle which is the last thing you want!
Lifting weights is one of the best things you can do as you get older and sticking to compound movements that are safe and super productive is the best way forward.
Compound movements train 2-3 of the largest muscle groups in one movement, boost testosterone and are super safe for men over 40.
Quite frankly, when it comes to training for men over 40, compound movements are were 90% of your effort should be.
If you know anything about the Lean Over 40 for Men approach, you’ll understand that I don’t promote lifting weights more than 2-3 time per week for the maximum recovery and benefits.
Not only does this provide the best results in terms of strength and lean muscle for men over 40, but it’s also a sustainable way for us men over 40 to train with busy lives.
4. Not eating enough cruciferous vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables are very important for optimum health and above all keeping the body more alkaline.
A lot of men are living with very acidic bodies and the problem with this is disease thrives in an acidic environment.
The best way to keep the body alkaline is to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, drink plenty of water and keep everything in balance i.e. don’t go super high on protein, carbs or fats.
Keeping the body more alkaline is one of the best things you can do for your overall health.
5. Doing too much cardio
Cardio is great, and I recommend doing it but only once you have your strength training and nutrition in place first.
The problem with excessive cardio for men over 40 is its’s NOT the best use of your time for losing fat, kills testosterone levels and increases hunger.
Granted it can help speed up the fat loss process once you’re eating in a calorie deficit but going crazy with cardio isn’t the answer.
As a good rule of thumb do ONE high intensity training session in addition to your 3 strength training workouts per week or two steady state cardio sessions i.e. 40 minutes on the cross trainer keeping your heart rate elevated.
Another option and one I prefer is simply walking. Walking is super effective at burning extra calories whilst not having a huge impact on appetite.
Simply going out for a walk a few times per week is one of the most enjoyable ways to keep burning fat without cutting into your recovery from weight training and it’s also very enjoyable.
6. Cutting out fat
This is one of the worst mistakes that men over 40 can make, cutting out fat when trying to lose weight. Fat is super important for men over 40 and you should be getting at least 20-30% of total calories from it.
I’m not talking about chowing down on saturated and processed fats though, although some saturated fat is essential.
Most of your fat should come from healthy sources such as avocados, eggs, extra virgin olive oil, nuts and omega 3 fatty acids.
Fat is essential, without it testosterone will plummet, and you’ll have an even harder time getting lean.
Fat is needed to lubricate joints, protect organs in the body and help you to absorb a variety of vitamins and minerals.
Do not go too low on fats even if your goal is to lose belly fat and get lean.
I hope you found this article informative and if you’d like to learn how to get lean for men over 40 make sure you grab my free guide, 40 Laws of Lean for Men Over 40.
Here’s to your success in fitness and health!