Atlanta's personal trainers see the dual challenge of losing weight in your 30s every day. They're the first to note that while your metabolism is slowing down after your 30th birthday, you may also have less time to exercise.
"By the time you are in your 30s, most are settling into careers and families, which means less time for you," said Jenny Askew, owner of Balance Fitness. "Oftentimes healthy eating and exercise are the first to go as life gets more and more hectic."
But this is a challenge to be overcome, not something you accept, according to Askew and Trina Potts, who is principal owner and the self-described "heart and soul" behind Giddy Up Personal Training in Roswell.
Both women have tips for those attempting to lose weight in their 30s:
Focus on eating healthy food.
According to Potts, nutrition is 80 percent, maybe even 90 percent, of successful weight loss in your 30s. "You should try to eat four or five times per day, three regular meals and two snacks," she said. "This will help you increase your metabolism, which starts to slow down quite a bit in your 30s."
Keep a log.
"It's never a bad idea no matter what decade of life you are in to write down your food intake and exercise for a week or two to see how many calories you are taking in and how many you are burning throughout the day," Askew said. "Oftentimes that will motivate you to move more and reassess how much food you are putting on your plate."
Find the time.
"You have to find a way to make healthy eating and exercise work for you," Askew said. "For some that might mean they need a weeknight dinner subscription to be able to get healthy meals on the table, for others it might mean waking up early to get their workouts in before the day gets started."
Get started.
Potts said a lot of people in their 30s may for the first time have gone without exercising for a number of months or even years. "If you're trying to get back in the habit of training, don't overthink it," she said. "It's more important to get started, maybe by walking 30 minutes a day five days a week."
Those walks can be just in the neighborhood, by the way. "Don't go and join a gym until you really want to do it and know what goals you're hoping to reach there," Potts said.
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