IS THE FACT THAT YOU ARE STRUGGLING TO LOSE WEIGHT & GET IN SHAPE DRIVING YOU MAD ?
.
Restricting your calories & exercising regularly but still not seeing the Results you want?
.
IF YOU'RE A MAN OVER 40 -
HERE ARE 10 THINGS THAT YOU PROBABLY AREN’T PAYING ATTENTION TO - BUT THAT DEFINITELY SHOULD BE YOUR PRIORITY
.
In my 4th and final article on this feature as to why so many men fail to get into the physical shape that they desire due to paying too much attention to cutting calories and worrying too much about seeing ‘ Weight Loss ‘ on the scales.
I will now discuss the 10 main areas that Men should be focusing on in order to get long lasting results and success 👏
I will warn you in advance that this is a long article 😴!!! ..
If you are just slightly interested then read the 10 Headlines and quickly skim read !!
However if you are truly struggling to get the physical results that you want then I urge you to miss your next hour in the gym and instead take the time to read this carefully as this might just help you make the CORRECT decisions going forward & getting the results that you want
You may get the feeling that with my Coaching strategies to Eat More & Exercise Less & Stay in bed rather than get up early & workout that I am a soft coach !!
TRUST ME I AM NOT !
I can kick my own and my clients AR** regularly !! ..
But only when it is appropriate to bring about positive results & not just for the sake of it
I have come to learn through my many years of Coaching experience with many hundreds of MaleOver40 clients and also my own malpractices that -
Exercise is a STRESS.
Calorie restriction is a STRESS.
Carbohydrate restriction is a STRESS.
Stress can cause the body to make necessary adaptations and force positive change.
However when you load these additional stresses onto the body of a busy Male Over 40 with already existing long days, poor sleep, hectic lifestyle and a body that has accumulated numerous additional physical, psychological, environmental and nutritional stresses -
these stresses are a stress too far and will damage your ability to burn fat & live optimally.
I truly hope that in my previous 3 articles you have now learnt that
👉 ‘ All calories are not equal ‘ and simply cutting calories will not bring about success.
You will also hopefully now understand that 👉 The scales simply showing that you have
‘ Lost Weight’ should not be your focus and is not necessarily a sign of success.
In fact it could be showing a detrimental result towards your Goals if you do not track it effectively & know what you are looking for.
I am now going to delve into exactly what you should be focusing on if you want to truly Transform your Body, Improve your Energy and your Health.
Trust me this is not what you will typically be paying your attention to & not what your Fitness magazines or local PT’s will be telling you to do but this is the reality of what a Man Over 40 now needs to make his main focus for maximum, life lasting results & success
👇
1) LOWERING YOUR CORTISOL ✅
Cortisol is a stress hormone released by the adrenal glands in your body whenever the body perceives a stress.
This stress can be emotional, psychological or physical.
It can be stress from toxic or processed food sources, from alcohol, caffeine, medications, poor sleep – the list is endless and the bottom line is that if you are a busy Man Over 40 then I challenge you not to have chronically elevated levels of Cortisol after the stresses that you will have accumulated !
With chronic and excessive spikes of cortisol our body will be in a state whereupon it stores fat easier and predominantly around the area of the lower stomach and lower chest area where the cortisol receptors lie.
We will also not digest and utilize calories as effectively and our Insulin levels will be elevated and our testosterone levels decreased. In turn this also results in increased appetite and a craving for sweet and high fat foods.
Frequent & constant cortisol spikes is enemy No1 to a Man Over 40 wishing to lose Fat.
Guess what – an over restrictive calorie diet & excessive exercise on a tired body is perceived as a Stress and this elevates Cortisol too !!
👇
2) LOWERING INFLAMMATION IN THE BODY ✅
As a Man Over 40 it is highly likely that you will have increased inflammation in your body.
Many recent studies have shown that the levels of a key inflammatory marker in the blood –
C – reactive protein (CRP) was elevated in line with Bodyweight increases.
In fact inflammation will not only lead to weight gain but it will also lead to all major degenerative diseases.
Chronic inflammation will destroy your Gut bacteria
Chronic inflammation will increase Insulin resistance
Chronic inflammation will increase Leptin resistance
I have discussed all of these in my Coaching articles and they are all HUGE reasons for increased fat deposition as we age
Inflammation occurs in the body as it is the body’s natural process of fighting against anything that it senses harm from and in an attempt to heal & protect itself, key proteins and antibodies are released.
These Inflammation responses are triggered in the body by a multitude of stresses –
Physical & emotional stress, Cortisol release, food additives, environmental pollution, skincare products, nutritional deficiencies, processed foods, acidic foods, coffee, sugar, dairy for many and being overweight too.
Lets face it once again as a busy Man Over 40 you are probably very liable to a number of these inflammatory inducing stresses.
Acute inflammation is fine & typically lasts a number of hours but chronic inflammation is when this response reaction lingers for a prolonged period of time and which will cause the negative effects by damaging the body’s cells and DNA
Both chronic cortisol spikes and increased inflammation in your body are two prime reasons why you can forget about the simple calories in & calorie expenditure as a method to achieve your Goals as nothing will help you maximize success until you manage these issues first & foremost
👇
3) IMPROVING YOUR SLEEP 💤 ✅
Sleep deprivation probably has more impact on your inability to burn fat that you can imagine.
I was typically of the nature years ago to set my alarm and be exercising at 5amwith only
6 hours sleep or less because it was the only option I had to squeeze it into my day.
I thought this would keep me in great shape.
I have learnt the errors of these ways and will be honest and now tell you that you will probably benefit with improved Fat Loss by staying in bed and increasing your sleep than you would getting up and putting yourself through a workout!!
Sleep deprivation will Lower your IGF1 Levels, lower your testosterone levels, increase your Cortisol levels and inflammatory responses in your body, increase your Insulin resistance and spike ghrelin levels whilst lowering leptin levels.
I have discussed all of these factors in my previous Coaching articles but just simply to say that every response listed has a huge detrimental effect on your ability to burn fat and also on your health
👇
4) EXERCISING WITH TOO MUCH INTENSITY OR VOLUME 😬 ❌
Exercise is a stress.
Exercise causes Cortisol release.
Exercise causes inflammation in the body.
All of this is acceptable and part of a very natural adaptation cycle necessary to make physical progress from your exercise.
However, if the body is a tired drained MaleOver40 body which is already suffering a number of stresses and if the stresses from your exercise are excessive and not managed correctly then the exercise will only have a negative effect and halt your physical progress.
Too much and too frequent High Intensity exercise should be a No-No
High Intensity exercise on an already calorie restricted or carbohydrate restricted tired body is a definite No-No
Frequent extreme chronic bouts of cardio such as the regular weekend 50-100 Mile Bike Rides are actually a No–No if you want to maximize your Fat Burning ability.
This once again becomes even more of a No-No if your tired Over 40 body is already suffering a number of stresses.
I have worked with so many clients that have come to me confused by how they spend hours cycling every week but do not seem to be able to lose their belly or gain the lean appearance that they expect and are seeking.
These LONG frequent bike rides actually train your body to store more fat !!
Your body being the clever machine that it is releases hormones to more readily increase your fat storage and prevent you expending fat for energy in an effort to store this energy for the impending stress of future long endurance events.
Your body will also attempt to rid you of muscle in order to conserve energy because muscle is more metabolically active.
So by believing you are benefiting your Fat Burning goals by performing increasingly long & frequent runs & cycles is actually causing your body to downregulate your male Anabolic Hormones, store fat and lose muscle and this once again is magnified and exasperated if you are not paying attention to the other factors I have listed and are a tired, over worked man Over 40 !
👇
5) CONSTANT EXERCISE VARIABILITY ✅
Exercise should be a stimulus to force the body to change.
The body adapts to these stimuluses & demands we place upon it.
This stimulus needs to therefore be constantly varied to elicit ongoing changes
If your exercise routine consists of the same weekly Bike Rides or the same weekly runs or the same Gym Circuits your body is soon going to adapt and will no longer feel the need to change from this repeated stimulus.
An effective Workout structure provides the correct elements to get the results required but is constructed in a manner that utilizes constant changes in time, mode, intensity & volume with a progressive overload
It is this variation that will cause your body to make ongoing physical changes to accommodate the varying stimulus and this will also prevent the overload of any single stressor to the body
👇
6) IMPROVING YOUR HORMONES ✅
Our male anabolic hormones responsible for driving our strength, lean muscle tissue growth,
Fat loss & sexual function in our 20’s & 30’s start to naturally decline beyond the age of 35.
If you combine this with the chronic accumulation of stresses that we have encountered over our life – physical stresses, psychological stresses, emotional stresses, environmental stresses and the additional stresses from alcohol, processed foods, medications, lack of sleep etc etc all of these combine to cause increased internal inflammation and further drive down your Male Anabolic Hormones and cause a hormonal flux and imbalance
When your Testosterone is declining – your estrogen naturally rises – when this happens you are predisposed to store more fat around the sites where estrogen receptors predominately lie – the lower chest and lower stomach area
Combine this with changes in other hormones such as your IGF 1 levels or your T3 & T4 hormones and you will have a body with a slower metabolism and increasingly resistant to Fat Loss.
If you want maximum fat loss results as a ManOver40, if you want to lose the Male belly, increase your muscle tone & live a better life with more energy then you should look to optimize your male hormones as a priority over fitting in gym workouts 5 days per week and cutting your calories
👇
7) STABILISING YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS ✅
Every time you consume a sugar and this can be in the form of simple processed carbs such as cereal and breads and white pasta or sweets & treats or fruit or honey and even alcohol will also have the same effect – your blood sugar levels will elevate and you will release Insulin.
If your blood sugar levels are elevated from consuming these items and your body is ineffective at utilizing these sugars for fuel and you also have increased Insulin resistance –
As most Men in their 40’s do –
Then the Insulin in your blood stream will shuttle these sugars to be stored as Fat.
Increased Insulin and blood sugars will also lead to a multitude of Health issues and also prevent you ever utilizing Fat as energy and therefore losing your stored bodyfat
Every strategy should be utilized to stabilize your blood sugar levels and minimize Insulin release
These would include consuming regular complex carbohydrate sources high in fibre, drinking more water, consuming cinnamon on your foods, Improving your Gut Health, taking specific supplements such as Apple Cider Vinegar, Probiotics, Vitamin D, Magnesium, berberine & chromium, incorporating some strategic Intermittent fasting and vitally important regularly performing Resistance Training
👇
8 ) 💪 PERFORMING REGULAR FULL BODY METABOLIC CONDITIONING RESISTANCE WORKOUTS 💪 ✅
I encounter so many clients that are exercising every week & cannot understand why they aren’t transforming their body, losing fat and looking lean as they had hoped and expected.
Their exercise time however is spent with hours of chronic cardio or possibly even sitting on Gym Machines and performing isolation exercises for body-parts as part of an unnecessary Split Routine system.
For the majority of men that I encounter who are basing a large amount of their exercise time with these forms of exercise it is both unnecessary & unbeneficial & provides little
‘Bang for Buck’
Resistance Training can utilize Bodyweight resistance – Kettlebells for resistance – Dumbells – Barbells or any object that provides a form of resistance.
Applying these ‘varying’ resistances with ‘Functional’ Whole Body Compound Movements will provide all of the benefits of Muscle stimulation, improved posture, improved movement, improved fitness & increased metabolism and fat loss that you need –
and in a shorter time frame and with more results.
Improving your lean muscle mass (that you cannot achieve with cardio) will provide a higher metabolic rate and more calories expended throughout the day.
Well-constructed metabolic conditioning resistance based workouts utilizing large muscle groups with large functional compound movements will provide a much higher Post-Exercise metabolic burn enabling you to expend increased calories for prolonged periods after the workout
👇
9) REGULAR EATING PATTERNS ✅
There is a lot of recent research that shows that those that maintain consistent & regular eating patterns improve their metabolic efficiency and therefore their Fat Loss success.
Many may enter a weight loss program daunted about eating the same similar foods each day.
This does not need to be boring trust me & there are many variations to your meals that can be made to provide a little variety but I can assure you that after reviewing literally hundreds of thousands of Food Diaries that those that maintain regular and consistent meals & eating patterns are the ones that achieve great success.
One or two ideal breakfast choices – three or four ideal lunch & dinner options with small variations decided the week in advance and consumed at similar times each day will not only improve metabolic efficiency and your results but it will also take away the time and effort and stress of daily food decision making and prevent unwanted poor food choices.
👇
10) THE CORRECT BALANCE OF MACRONUTRIENTS ✅
You will always hear me in articles stressing the importance of being aware that
NOT ALL CALORIES ARE EQUAL.
This is true and so I strongly recommend that when looking at restricting calories to lose weight that you pay large attention prioritizing the balance of where your daily calories come from before simply cutting them out
The daily balance of your macronutrients – your Carbohydrates – Proteins & Fats will have a massive effect on the success of your Fat Loss & Body-Transformation Plan.
The ideal balance of macronutrients for each individual depends on many variables and this is what I dial into assessing with clients that work with me, however to make some very basic points clear -
- You MUST NOT AVOID carbohydrates as a macronutrient in your daily calorie intake and at the very bare minimum they should be 30-40% of your daily intake
- You MUST pay attention to Protein intake and at the very minimum you must ensure that your diet is at least 30% Protein and that you consume a minimum of 1.6grams of Protein per KG of Body-weight
- You Must not avoid Fats in your diet and your diet should typically consist of 20-30% Essential fats and ideally predominately Omega 3 Fats
OK so I was going to save this for a whole article by itself .. which I will do -
But it would be wrong to omit this from this feature as it is possibly the most classic mistake and the one thing to definitely pay more attention to -
10) + 🤣👇
EATING MORE CALORIES AND BOOSTING YOUR METABOLISM ! ✅
The metabolism is a hugely complicated process but it governs how much energy (calories) our body expends in a day and how effectively we use and store the fuel that we input into our body and how effectively we can potentially release energy from our fat cells in our body etc.
The effectiveness of the Metabolism is governed by SO MANY factors within the human body but our hormonal system is the main control system.
The Adrenal glands, Pituitary gland and pancreas are all instrumental and the levels of thyroid production, testosterone, insulin and cortisol along with many other hormones are all intrinsically involved in our own individual metabolisms.
Myfitnesspal or any free App on your phone might tell you according to your height, weight, age & sex how many calories you can eat –
BUT THESE APPS DO NOT KNOW HOW YOUR INDIVIDUAL BODY IS FUNCTIONING
These are approximations and you cannot wholly rely upon them
By the time that we get to our 40’s it is no surprise that our body has encountered so many negative stresses that all of the internal systems in our body are under stress and not performing optimally.
The priority of our metabolism is to ensure that we provide enough energy to our internal systems to continue to operate – it is not going to prioritise our personal goals of losing fat, getting a six pack and building a lean muscular body.
In fact if our metabolism senses that it is under stress and not receiving sufficient quality fuel and nutrients to keep it operating and performing all of its necessary chemical processes effectively, it will :-
😫 - Massively slow down your Daily Energy (calorie) Expenditure
😩 - Release Fat storing hormones to ensure that you store more energy to supply its needs
😫 - CATABOLISE your muscle tissue because it realizes that muscle requires more energy to maintain than any of your other cells & tissue
Men that want to get into shape simply think about CUTTING CALORIES & Exercising more and more.
When they see they are not losing ‘ WEIGHT ‘ they cut yet more calories and here comes the viscous cycle as the body responds by defending itself and further preventing your weight loss.
Only focus on these tactics and your body will slow down your metabolism, store fat and rid you of your lean muscle.
You can keep cutting more and more calories and ultimately ridding yourself of energy, destroying your health, destroying your chances of losing the fat & gaining a lean toned body and you can live a miserable unsustainable life or you can employ the correct Metabolism boosting tactics.
I will focus on this in another article but when I witness a body with a slow and stubborn metabolism I instead utilize REVERSE DIETINGwith clients where together we slowly build the calories week by week and train the body to use them effectively before utilizing short sharp calorie deficits to stimulate the Fat loss
And in addition I focus on -
👌- Providing the correct balance of nutrients and regular eating patterns
👌- Lowering inflammation and cortisol in the body
👌- Improving their Hormonal system
👌- Providing the correct balance of varied exercise stress and incorporating resistance based metabolic conditioning workouts
And then I shift to some really advanced strategies such as Cold Thermogenesis Training but this is a whole additional article !!
There is another information here to help guide you in the right direction for maximum success
However if you want a Professional Coach to remove all of the thinking for you and provide you a very clear Plan and guide you daily through it with ‘ EXACTLY WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING ‘ then feel free to message me to discuss !