Many aspects can affect your weight, including your sleep, age, gender, culture, family habits, genes, lifestyle and even where you live and work. Some of these aspects make it hard to maintain or achieve a healthy weight. Nevertheless, by exercising regularly and following a nutritious eating pattern will help to keep your body healthy as you age.
As we age, metabolism- how the body gets energy from food- can change. This means that some older adults to maintain or achieve their ideal weight, should eat less calories or become more active.
Other older adults may lose weight unintentionally. This takes place when you forget to eat, pain when swallowing or chewing or less appetite.
An important part of healthy aging is to keep your weight in the normal range. As in other stages of life, high body mass index (BMI) in older adults can increase the possibility of developing health problems. This includes diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. These risks can be reduced by maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight.
Being underweight also increases the chances of developing health problems. You may be more likely to develop medical problems such as anemia and osteoporosis, if you have a low BMI. This may be harder to recover from an illness or infection.
Choosing healthy foods and being active can help to maintain a healthy weight, feel more energetic and reduce the chances of having other health problems. It’s better to aim for at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week and consume foods which are rich in nutrients.
The energy your body gets from foods and drinks which you consume is measured in calories. Each day your body needs a certain number of calories, depending on your activity level and other factors, to maintain your present weight. To gain weight, increase the number of calories you consume and maintain a moderate activity level. To lose weight, exercise more and consume less calories.
Whether you’re trying to lose or gain weight, consuming healthy food matters. Try to follow a healthy eating diet which is rich in vegetables, fruits, lean protein, low-fat dairy and whole grains. If you’re concerned about your weight and want to change it, talk to a health care professional about how to make changes in a healthy way which is best for you.
