Obesity is associated with heart attacks, diabetes, strokes, and a variety of other health conditions, so it’s important for seniors to maintain a healthy weight. However, losing weight can be challenging during the golden years because the number of calories a person burns each day naturally slows with age. Here are a few tips that may make it a little easier to lose weight past the age of 65.
Use Apps to Track Calories
The key to weight loss is simply burning more calories than one consumes each day, but this can be a little difficult to implement. Apps that track weight loss and calorie consumption make this process a lot simpler. With modern technology, all seniors have to do is input their weight, height, age, and weight loss goals to get a recommended calorie intake. They can then add information about food they eat to the app to calculate how many calories they’re eating.
Build Muscles with Weight Lifting
Weight lifting is an ideal method for weight loss because its main goal is to build muscles. In addition to burning calories during workouts, seniors who lift weights end up increasing the overall number of calories they burn each day, which happens because the body naturally has to use more calories to maintain a higher muscle mass.
If your loved one has health conditions or mobility issues that pose challenges to exercising alone, a trained caregiver can provide support so your loved one can work out safely. When considering home care, families should make sure their senior loved ones have the resources they need to maintain their independence and remain healthy. Trusted in-home care professionals can assist seniors with daily tasks like cooking, bathing, and exercise, and they can also encourage them to focus on healthier lifestyle habits.
Fill Up on Low-Calorie Foods
Staying full on a lower-calorie diet can be challenging when seniors continue to eat foods loaded with fats, starches, and meats. These types of foods typically contain a lot of calories in a small volume of food, so it can be difficult to stay full. It’s better to switch to meals that contain plenty of fruits and vegetables. These items provide a lot of bulk while being relatively low in calories, giving seniors large meals and plenty of snacks without using up all their calories for the day.
Busy family caregivers who find it challenging to carve out time to shop for the most nutritious foods should think about enlisting the support of professional caregivers, whether it’s for a few days every month or an hour or two every day. Some seniors need occasional assistance at home, and oftentimes the family members who take care of them need time away to run errands, take a nap, go to work, or take a vacation. Auburn respite care experts from Home Care Assistance are available on an as-needed basis, giving your family peace of mind that your loved one will remain safe and comfortable while you relax or focus on other important responsibilities.
Be Cautious of Artificial Sweeteners & Low-Fat Items
A lot of foods are marketed as diet foods, but seniors need to take the time to look at the nutritional content. Many low-fat items compensate for the lack of flavor by adding sugar, so they may actually contain more calories than their higher-fat counterparts. Another thing to consider is that artificial sweeteners can cause weight gain because they don’t properly satisfy the body’s craving and satisfaction processes that regulate hunger.
Hydrate Regularly with Water
Due to diminished senses, it can be challenging for seniors to tell if they’re hydrated. Oftentimes, they may think they’re hungry when they simply need more liquid. Seniors should skip fruit juices and other sugary drinks that contain calories and instead make sure to drink plenty of water. If they don’t like the taste of water, they can flavor it with a squeeze of fresh fruit juice or drink herbal tea.
If you have a senior loved one who finds it challenging to lose weight, consider hiring a professional caregiver who can help with exercise and provide encouragement to keep your loved one motivated. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of in-home care. Auburn families can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide individualized care plans to meet their elderly loved ones’ unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can boost cognitive health and delay the onset of dementia. For more information about our flexible, customizable home care plans, call one of our compassionate Care Managers today at (334) 744-7100.