It s frustrating to see that though there is little change in diet, weight gain becomes normal as we get older.  Tyres  around the tummy and heavy hips are often seen as a sign of being middle aged. There are many reasons for this change in the rate of weight gain. Some of them are:


Lower metabolic rate: As children and teenagers, the body is constantly growing and changing and hence has a high metabolic rate. Metabolic rate refers to the speed with which fat is burned to produce energy. After the age of 30, this metabolic rate naturally slows down and fewer calories are burned. This leads to the accumulation of fat. The only way to boost your metabolic rate and burn fat is by exercising. 
Less muscle mass: With age, the muscles in the body also begin to shrink. Thus, instead of forming muscle, fat cells are formed as a result of digestion. When comparing muscles and fat cells, the former burn more calories and hence when they are unavailable, the rate of burning calories is lowered leading to weight gain. 
Weight gain in menopause: When it comes to women, menopause is another trigger for weight gain. This is because, this condition is marked by hormonal imbalances. This leads to a sudden drop in estrogen levels that triggers a response in the body to draw out more estrogen from the fat cells. Ultimately, this leads to the formation of more fat. Men too can suffer from hormonal imbalances as they age. This is seen by a drop in testosterone levels that leads to abdominal weight gain.
Sedentary lifestyle: As we get older, our lifestyle turns more sedentary. A sedentary lifestyle is very unhealthy and leads to not only weight gain, but a number of other problems as well. Without regular exercise, the body s existing metabolic rate further reduces leading to accumulation of fat cells. To combat this, take half an hour out of your schedule every day to go for a walk, cycle or practice any form of exercise. 
Stress: Stress not only affects your psychological health, but your physical well-being as well. Being under pressure or anxious can increase the cortisol levels in the body. This creates hunger pangs that lead to unhealthy snacking. When eating in a stressful condition, little or no attention is paid to the food being eaten or the messages your body is trying to give you. This often results in overeating that causes weight gain.

5 Reasons Why You Gain Weight As You Age

Some new studies have shown that eating while you are walking can cause weight gain. The findings have said that while walking you tend to consume more food than when you are stagnant. However, not only walking but also while conversing with others or watching television increases your urge to consume more food.

The reasons for which you may consume more food while walking are:

If you sometimes eat on the go then you can consume more food later in the day. Because while eating we did not concentrate how much of amount we consumed.
One more reason of consuming much food can be that walking is one powerful distraction. As you do not completely concentrate on your food it falls into mindless eating.
Concentrating on your food is a significant part of enjoying your food and managing weight gain.
When you sit down and eat, you tend to focus on how much food you are taking in one bite, and chew properly. Nevertheless, when walking and eating none of these happens.
When you walk and eat, you do not pay attention to what you are eating. While on the go you just grab whatever food satiates your hunger and this leads to weight gain later.
There are also some simple steps to avoid over eating. They are:

Sit on a table and eat slowly.
Chew your food properly.
You should stop eating when you first start feeling that you are full.
Try to eat as many vegetables as you can and try to avoid junk foods.
Weight gain and obesity is also associated with our mind. When we start consuming food, our brain takes at least 20 minutes to connect to our stomach. So, eating slowly is a much needed for avoiding weight gain.

Can Walking While Eating Can Lead to Weight Gain?

Doing everything right can still make you gain weight. Irrespective of your diligent efforts, that paunch comes in the way of your crunches. Reviewing your exercise routine, diet and overall lifestyle may have no effect on the extra kilos. The reaction to such stagnation could be as many as the conspiring causes. Backpedaling into an unhealthy way of life is what cowards choose to do. The ideal way of approaching the problem is to find out the specific factors leading to excess weight.


These few factors can make you gain weight


1. Sleep deprivation results in significant bloating: You may not be aware, but a full night s sleep is indeed necessary. When a person rests, the human body carries on with repair work. Sleep helps your body to get rid of excess adipose tissues. A person who has not slept for two to three days at a stretch or has only slept insufficiently is likely to look fatter or bloated.


2. Being perpetually depressed could be the curse: Depression can lead to extreme ends; you may either gain a lot of weight or may even lose weight drastically. If your depression is at an advanced stage a medical practitioner will prescribe you with antidepressants. Antidepressants tend to fatten you up.


3. An irritable or slow bowel syndrome can prove to be adverse: If you suffer from problems related to the bowel your tummy might show. A patient of irritable or slow bowel syndrome feels bloated throughout the day. Since they face digestive problems, their bellies protrude.


4. The gray streaks of hair could be a reason: Gaining weight could also be the result of your age. If you are above thirty-five your metabolism decreases; this results in slower breakdown of food. Exercising can help, but it usually shows meager results once you have attained forty.


5. Nutrient deficiency should not be taken lightly: Being deficient in certain nutrients can also make you overweight. Vitamin C, folic acid and potassium are some of the nutrients that actively contribute to a person s body weight. A lack of these nutrients can make you fat.


6. Edema could be the underlying cause: Edema refers to a condition where a person s body retains water. Certain parts and joints become swollen. There are medications that can help push excess water out of the body through frequent urination. If not taken care of, edema could be the reason behind weight gain.

6 Strange Reasons you are Gaining Weight

4 Simple ways to lose your baby weight naturally

Having a baby brings about a number of changes in your life, including a change in the way you look. The nine months see you putting on additional weight, which you try to shed off once you deliver. To help you get back into shape, here are some very effective and simple ways that you can follow:

Losing weight doesn't mean you need to get started on a vigorous exercise regimen; even a simple walk around your apartment block can help you to lose your baby weight. Whether it's going up and down the stairs for 15 minutes or pushing the stroller for about 30 minutes, such activities can bring your body's calorie-burning capacity back on track.

Breastfeed to burn about 600-800 calories everyday

Breastfeeding is not only good for your newborn but also for you. Breastfeeding your child can help you to lose weight considerably as it's a great way of burning off all the baby fat.

Lift weights to speed up your body's metabolism

Lifting weights can aid in improving your body's metabolism, thereby helping you to lose your baby weight effectively. By adding weight training to your fitness regimen, you're in fact helping yourself to build muscle mass and losing weight in the process. To do this, you don't need any gym equipment, for instance, you can do lunges while taking your baby around in a stroller. Or do them while holding your child close to your chest.

Always snack healthily

Having healthy snacks in place of high-calorie sugary foods can help you to get back your post-pregnancy shape. Studies show that yogurt and low-fat milk can help in weight loss as the calcium content present in these two foods block a hormone that assists the body in storing fat. Moreover, consuming foods high in fiber like raisins and figs can help in improving your digestion.

Get adequate sleep

Sleeping is another way in which you can shed off those extra kilos. Try to sleep whenever you get the time as it'll help to keep you from binging on junk foods as well as keep your energy levels in check.



4 Simple ways to lose your baby weight naturally

A weight loss program is a marathon. While making up the mind to go for a weight loss program is the first step, there are other things to consider before plunging into the diet and exercise regime. Here is a list of 10 things to consider before a weight loss program--

Not everything works for everyone- Just because a strict diet program helped someone to lose 5 pounds, doesn t necessarily mean that it will work out for every single person. It is important to figure whether diet, exercise, workout or a combination of everything is required to lose weight.
Make the environment conducive to match the goal- If the goal is to lose weight, it is essential to skip old habits. For instance, keeping a fruit bowl close by will refrain the thought of having a candy bar, skipping the idea of weekends parties for a while will help to stay away from few extra drinks, a leafy and salad rich lunch would help to stay away from the thought of fast food etc.
The combination of exercise and diet is necessary- It is necessary to have a healthy mix of diet and exercise. This helps the body to lose weight fast while ensuring that the health is maintained at the same time.
A plan comes handy- It is necessary to chalk out a plan to get into the weight loss program. For instance, 3 days of gym, 2 days of salad consumption for lunch, 3 days of walking after dinner etc. This will help to beat the monotony and keep the motivation going.
Set a realistic goal- Losing too much weight in a short span of time is neither healthy nor realistic. It is, therefore, necessary to keep patience and work steadily towards the weight loss goal. An ideal time-frame could range from 3-6 months to attain the desired weight.
Find the right reason- Since a lot will depend on the long-term discipline, it is, therefore, necessary to find the right reason to lose weight. Looking good or fitting into a skinny-jeans is not the right set of motivational factors to lose weight.
It is necessary to have coping strategies- There should be a backup plan ready when a craving for chocolate, fast food or ice cream crops up. Healthy alternative such as custard, icy fruit salad, cool drinks can help to cope up with the craving face.
A workout buddy can prove to be extremely beneficial- Since the process of losing weight is a lonely affair, it makes sense to find a workout buddy. This keeps the boredom of working out at bay and helps to get into a healthy competition.
A food diary comes handy- While it is practically impossible to keep track all calorie consumption, a food diary will give a rough estimate of the calorie count consumed in a day. This will further help to design a diet for the week.
Keeping many options open- It is not necessary to spend hours in the gym or only consume fruits to lose weight. Other alternatives such as cycling, swimming, adventure sport also help to lose weight.

Top 10 Things To Consider Before Weight Loss

Ayurveda is a renowned life science that has been credited with changing lives since ancient times. Not only can it prevent diseases and ailments, but it can also cure them with its combination of herbal medication, everyday routine and yogic poses. Weight management is a field that also enjoys various Ayurvedic remedies. Some of them are as follows.

Herbs: Herbs are a way of healing used by Ayurveda, and the use of various herbs can help in hastening the metabolism for healthy weight management.

Taste: Ayurveda recognizes six distinct tastes that should be incorporated into one's daily diet. These tastes include salty, pungent, sour, sweet, bitter and finally, astringent. Each of these tastes has several properties that balance the various hormones and health factors in one's body. These tastes form the various counterpoints to alleviate all kinds of health problems, which finally help in effective weight management. Also, one must eat all the seasonal fruits and vegetables to keep the body and hormones in good balance.
 
Exercise: While a daily routine of exercise is a must in any life science, Ayurveda too propagates the devotion of at least 45 minutes to one hour towards some form of exercise. Walking is said to be the most important and effective forms of exercise, followed by several yoga poses that can help in better weight management. Also, as per Ayurveda, it is important to move after each and every meal, so that a routine of eating and activity is built into the system. 

Sleep: Ayurveda recognizes sleep or rest as one of the most important aspects of a healthy lifestyle. While good eating habits and exercise form one side of it, sleep or rest completes the triangle. One can also practice the Savasana or resting pose for a period of rest. And at least six to seven hours of sleep is a must as per Ayurveda.

Meditation: This practice helps in focusing on awareness which can instil the desired function like weight management in the body. Being mindful of what your body needs can also help in eating and exercising right.

Weight management is a lifelong process in Ayurveda.

Weight Management and Ayurveda

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