Health Myths For Men Over 40: The TRUTH About Common Nutrition and Exercise Misconceptions

Written by: Dr. Anthony Balduzzi,

NMD
Men's Health Doctor & Founder
The Fit Father Project & Fit Mother Project

Written by: Dr. Anthony Balduzzi,

NMD
Men's Health Doctor & Founder
The Fit Father Project & Fit Mother Project

health myths for men over 40

Unfortunately, there are a lot of health myths for men over 40 out there. That's why we put this guide together to bust some of the most common ones!

If you are a man, I have an essential little health quiz for you …

TRUE or FALSE?

    • Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
    • Cardio is the best way to lose fat.
    • Organic food is (always) healthier.

Despite common misconceptions, ALL 3 statements are FALSE.

And I'm going to prove it (and more) to you in this short guide.

In this blog, you’ll find simple facts and research-based solutions to the top health myths for men over 40 that will help you burn fat, eat healthier, and feel stronger – all without wasting your time on myths and false information that is keeping you frustrated and confused.

Ready to bust some myths?

Welcome To The Fit Father Project – Your New Nutrition and Workout Resource!

At the Fit Father Project, we specifically help busy men over 40 get back in shape by offering free information and resources on our website, backed up with our Fit Father 30X (FF30X) Program.

This article will teach you everything you need to know about the truth about the top health myths for men over 40, but we're here to help you make a whole slew of healthy and sustainable lifestyle changes that will last.

Everything we do here at the Fit Father Project aims to simplify eating and exercise for you, so you can get in great shape and stay strong and healthy for your family — without any unnecessary complications.

Sound good? Good. Let's dive in!

Myth 1: Cardio Is The Best Way To Lose Belly Fat

When many of us think of weight loss, treadmills and running shoes immediately come to mind. Before you let out a groan, let me tell you the surprising truth:

Exercise is not the most effective way to lose belly fat.

In fact, following a healthy diet is the No. 1 factor to losing weight As we preach in all of our articles here at the Fit Father Project: You can't out-exercise a bad diet!

top health myths for men over 40sLet me prove this to you visually.

Let's say you decide to reward yourself for a good week of hard work by going to McDonald's and having a medium fry.

Here's the simple math: That medium fry from McDonald's contains 600 excess calories. To burn off those 600 calories, you would have to RUN at a hard pace for a full 60 minutes.

Do you have the time or sanity for a full hour of hard cardio every day to offset junk calories that are sneaking into your diet? I know I don't. Personally, I’d rather skip the fries … and the run.

Key Point: Listen, I'm NOT saying that exercise is useless (it's actually very important for overall health), and I'm also not saying that you need to “exercise off” all the calories you eat.

The critical point I'm trying to make is that calories matter for weight loss.

You do need to eat fewer calories than you burn each day to lose weight, and it's a heck of a lot easier to cut back on excess calories by skipping junk foods than it is to exercise for additional hours to “burn off” calories from junk foods you may be eating.

 

Now because there is so much misinformation about what guys over 40 should be eating, I put together a full meal plan, which is a part of our Fit Father 30X (FF30X) program. It removes ALL the guesswork out of figuring out the right healthy diet you should follow.

In our FF30X, I show you exactly what to eat for breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner so that you can lose some weight, feel energized 24/7, and build ageless strength. It has already helped thousands of guys just like you.

Here’s a FREE Meal Plan & Workout For Busy Men 40+

We’ll show you exactly what to eat & how to exercise to reignite your metabolism in your 40’s, 50’s & 60’s.

Myth 2: Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal Of The Day

Skipping breakfast top health myths for men over 40sWe’ve all been told that eating a high-carb breakfast within an hour of waking up is ideal. Common “healthy” breakfast foods like cereal, fruit, juice, wheat bread, and granola are marketed as essential ways to start your day.

This couldn't be farther from the truth.

Most of those so-called “healthy” breakfast foods are packed with sugar and excess carbs that will bring your morning fat burning to a screeching halt.

top health myths for men over 40sGet this: If we have a breakfast like a bowl of granola with almond milk and a side of orange juice, we've just pounded over 80 grams of carbs (mainly sugar) that your metabolism has to burn off for hours before it can tap into your body's fat stores.

Yet, these are the breakfast foods marketed as being HEALTHY! If you're concerned with your health, energy, and body fat, steer clear at all costs.

top health myths for men over 40s
Here's the Actual Truth: There are fat-burning, energy-boosting, and even brain-focus-enhancing benefits to pushing back breakfast a few hours AND also prioritizing low-carb, high-protein breakfast foods.

The idea that you should never skip breakfast is based on the old myth that not eating first thing in the morning or not eating every few hours will slow your metabolism, crash your blood sugar levels, and tank your energy.

This myth has been disproven by countless new studies.

 

Please know that skipping (or postponing) breakfast is NOT a must to lose weight. You can absolutely lose weight and live very healthily eating breakfast first thing in the morning.

Yet, for weight loss purposes, waiting a few hours after waking up before you have a high protein, lower carb meal may be one of the best things you ever do for fat burning and energy.

Breakfast Meal Timing + Food Quality Matter!

Above all, it's essential that you eat the right kinds of high protein, lower carb breakfast foods that energize your body and metabolism, AND that you follow a sustainable morning meal timing setup.

That's why inside FF30X, we provide several different meal timing setups, including pushing back breakfast until 10:30 am. The big key is to find a meal timing setup that fits YOUR work/life schedule.

top health myths for men over 40s

Again, if you'd like to discover the exact foods you should be eating for better fat burning and energy AND the different meal timing setups that will work best for your schedule, I highly recommend you join FF30X.

Inside that program, I'll walk you through the exact meals and recipes covering what you should eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to reignite your metabolism and feel more energetic all day long.

 

Now, let's move on to our next myth about a very important form of EXERCISE …

Myth 3: Weightlifting Is Just For Younger Guys Who Want To Build Muscle

sarcopenia men top health myths for men over 40sYoung guys and bodybuilders are not the only ones who should take weightlifting seriously.

Muscle loss due to aging is the No. 1 reason our fat-burning metabolism slows for guys over 40. The combination of a lower metabolism and less muscle mass means more fat. But this doesn’t have to happen to you!

Weightlifting is the fountain of youth for men over 40.

Proper, safe strength training helps to:

  • increases testosterone
  • builds lean muscle
  • accelerates your metabolism (far more than regular cardio)

Weightlifting and building muscle is your metabolic engine that drives your body as a man over 40. As we age, we absolutely need to maintain our muscle mass with regular, time-efficient workouts.

Now, if you're a busy guy like me who is looking for fast, safe, and incredibly effective metabolism-boosting workouts that you can do at home with a pair of dumbbells and 5 feet of floor space, check out these workouts.

Myth 4: Organic (Always) Means Healthier

does organic = healthy top health myths for men over 40sNow that organic foods are sold in mainstream grocery stores, the choice between healthy and unhealthy foods is more confusing.

Food marketers want you to believe that as long as a product is labeled “organic,” it’s automatically healthy.

Just because something is labeled “organic” doesn’t mean it’s actually healthy for you.

A bag of chips is a bag of chips — organic or not. Snacks like organic cookies and organic ice cream are still bad for your diet and could even be called scams.

Here's the Hard Truth: It doesn't matter if the 50 grams of sugar and fat in an organic snack food came from organic cane sugar or cane sugar that was not farmed with strict organic guidelines. Those 50 grams of sugar will still wreak havoc on your metabolism and energy levels.

 

top health myths for men over 40sGood, natural, unprocessed organic foods are amazing and should make up the bulk of your diet. I'm talking about foods like:

  • Organic fruits
  • Organic veggies
  • Grass-fed and free-range meats
  • Wild-caught seafood

Eating healthy, unprocessed foods should be the main focus of your diet.

There are some fruits, veggies, and meats we absolutely prefer you buy organically (if possible), but eating healthy doesn't have to break the bank.

There are plenty of foods that you don't necessarily have to buy organically, and there are a few very smart tricks you can use while shopping to save money on organic produce.

But don’t worry; we’ve included exactly what you should eat for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner in our FF30X Program.

Myth 5: Getting Old and Fat Is Inevitable

top health myths for men over 40sFALSE! I want to debunk this final myth once and for all.

You can be incredibly healthy well into your 40s, 50s, and 60s. All you need is a proper eating and exercise plan for you as a guy over 40 and the coaching and guidance to keep you motivated and accountable.

Take a look at some of our most successful Fit Fathers we've helped transform with our FF30X and imagine how YOU can transform your life too, like these guys. We can help you.

Say goodbye to the top health myths for men over 40, and say hello to progress!

Now that you've mastered the top health myths for men over 40, you can drop the misinformation and get support from our expert team.

Our team of men's health experts here at the Fit Father Project has helped nearly 50,000 fathers lose fat, build muscle, and get healthy for their families. We’re ready to help you too.

Learn more about the most common myths about health that are keeping you from reaching your weight loss and health goals.

Dr. Anthony Balduzzi, NMD
Men's Health Doctor & Founder
The Fit Father Project & Fit Mother Project

Founder Fit Father Project, Founder Fit Mother Project

After watching his own Dad lose his health and pass away at the young age of 42, Dr. Balduzzi founded The Fit Father Project and Fit Mother Project to help busy dads and moms get and stay healthy for their families.

Dr. Anthony Balduzzi holds dual degrees in Psychology & Nutrition from the University of Pennsylvania, a Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine, and is also a former national champion bodybuilder. He’s is most proud of the fact that he’s helped over 40,000 families in over 100 countries lose weight and get healthy for life.

Here’s How Busy Fathers Over 40 Are Finally Burning Stubborn Belly Fat & Getting Healthy Without Restrictive Diets or Time-Consuming Workouts

This proven "Fit Father Program" has helped 38,000 busy men 40+ lose weight, rebuild muscle, and finally keep the weight off.

If you're frustrated with stubborn belly fat, failed diets, and time-consuming workouts, this is the answer you’ve been looking for…

Join 38,000 guys in over 108 countries that are using Fit Father Project to lose weight. You get everything you need to succeed – including:
  • The Fit Father Meal Plan – with simple & delicious recipes
  • Safe & Effective Workouts Program – only 90 min/week
  • VIP Accountability Coaching – our Fit Father Team will personally walk you to success, step-by-step.
GET STARTED TODAY FOR FREE
 

*Please know that weight loss results and health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on health myths for men over 40.

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for Busy Women 40+
Trusted by over 50,972 Busy Dads 40+

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Written by: Dr. Anthony Balduzzi,

NMD
Men's Health Doctor & Founder
The Fit Father Project & Fit Mother Project

GET STARTED FOR FREE

Join the #1 Health & Fitness Program
for Busy Women 40+
Trusted by over 50,972 Busy Dads 40+

Lose weight. Keep it off.

See & feel results before you buy.

Limited Time Offer

Fit Father Project Fact-Checking Standards

Our Fit Father Project Team’s deepest commitment is to helping you live healthier for both yourself and your family. And when it comes to online content, integrity and trust is everything. That’s why our Fit Father Project staff-writers are all trained professionals in the field of health and wellness (registered dieticians, licensed personal trainers, and licensed physicians) – see the full team here. We rigorously run all of our articles through a rigorous editorial process to ensure the accuracy, simplicity, and utility of the information. And we aren’t just a team of “academics” sitting in an ivory tower. We are real people – with jobs, responsibilities, and families – working hard in the trenches and testing our tips & methods out to make sure you can stay healthy for family.

Here is what you can expect from us on our Fit Father Blog and YouTube channel:

  1. All of our content is written and reviewed by licensed health professionals (dieticians, personal trainers, doctors).
  2. In nearly all of our articles, we link to published research studies from the most respected peer-reviewed medical & health journals.
  3. We include research-based videos to accompany our articles to make it easier for you to consume our content, put it into action, and see results.
  4. Inside our articles & videos, we do promote our free meal plans, workouts, and/or paid programs, because we know they have the potential to change your life.
  5. We openly take feedback here on our contact page. We welcome your content suggestions… and even feedback on grammar (we’d like to thing that we’re pretty OK at spelling and “stuff”).
  6. Above all, we are a community of likeminded men and women committed to living healthier. We do not advocate any health advice that we wouldn’t personally implement with our families. Because as far as we’re concerned, you’re our family too.

Thanks for checking out the blog. We can’t wait to support you toward greater health, energy, and vitality. – The Fit Father Project Team

 

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