For many men and women over 40 fitness seems to be out of reach. They try different fitness plans only to be disappointed by failure. As you know, any plan needs to include diet and exercise. But, if it would be that easy, all of us over 40 would be lean and slim. The reality is different: Men and women over 40 build up more and more ugly body fat, threatening their health severely.

If you want to be fit over 40 you need a fitness plan that adjusts to your lifestyle. Over 40 typically your responsibilities increase- you just don't have that much time as a young student in his twenties. In addition, the lifestyles of men and women over 40 vary greatly. So you'll need a plan that adjusts to your special situation.

Equally important is commitment and motivation. You need a plan that keeps you on track, a plan where you learn to enjoy healthy eating and pleasurable physical activity. Especially for women over 40 going to a gym is often out of question. So you'll need an exercise routine that can be done at home easily.

What helps many of my clients over 40 is portion control. Over the last 50 years the serving sizes have increased remarkably- but our lifestyle got more and more sedentary. You see the results on every corner. And maybe in your mirror too. Am I right?

"Portion control" sounds more restricting at it is. All you have to do is to:

• Get smaller plates and bowls
• Get smaller silverware
• Eat approximately three quarter of your usual portion
• Wait 30 minutes before you take a second helping

The last step is crucial. Your natural emotional processes building up the "I feel satisfied" feeling takes time- eating fast food quickly is an attack on your healthy emotional state changes. In addition, have 5-6 small meals a day, so you won't feel hungry.

A food diary will help you greatly to assess how much you are really eating. Most of the nibbling between meals goes unnoticed, but the calories add up.

For your exercise program start small and stick to simple exercises you can do easily. The last Hollywood workout routines might be nice and fancy, but the most important thing is: You need to be able to actually follow through on your fitness plan and get your body moving. If you don't find the time to do 4-5 times a week for a 45 minute session, do 15 minutes twice a day on 6 days. Or squeeze in 10 minutes 3 times every day.

You need to make regular exercise a habit just like brushing your teeth. You parents might have trained you to brush your teeth, but you need to train yourself to exercise.  

For your fitness plan find a plan that takes your specific situation into account. What works great for somebody else will likely not work for you. Any fitness plan should include a component where you learn to build healthy habits- adjusted to your specific situation so you can lose weight permanently and be fit over 40. 

Are you a woman over 40? I've created a free, personalized program for women over 40 who want to lose weight permanently. Would you like to get excellent, lasting weight loss results- be attractive, healthy, energetic, youthful? This program will keep you motivated while you enjoy healthy eating and exercise. The program is customized to your specific needs and designed to help you to lose weight permanently.

Sign up for your free, personalized "Lose Weight Permanently" program at http://www.loseweightpermanently.com/Steps_To_Lose_Weight_Permanently/pages/WomenWeightLossOver40.jsf

Perry Permann

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