Keeping a healthy weight is a worthwhile goal at any age. As you get older, it can get trickier.

You might not be burning calories like you did when you were younger, but you can still take off extra pounds.

The golden rules of weight loss still apply:

• Burn more calories than you eat or drink.
• Eat more veggies, fruits, whole grains, fish, beans, and low-fat or fat-free dairy; and keep meat and poultry lean.
• Limit empty calories, like sugars and foods with little or no nutritional value.
• Avoid fad diets because the results don’t last.

There are some other things you need to do if you’re over 60 and want to lose weight.

1. Stay Strong

You lose muscle mass as you age. Offset that by doing strength training. You can use weight machines at a gym, lighter weights you hold in your hands, or your own body weight for resistance like in yoga or Pilates. Keeping your muscle mass is key to burning more calories, says Joanna Li, RD, a nutritionist at Foodtrainers in New York.

2. Eat More Protein

Because you’re at risk for losing muscle mass, make sure your diet includes about one gram of protein to every kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight. “Protein also keeps you full for longer, so that helps with weight loss efforts,” Li says. She recommends wild salmon, whole eggs, organic whey protein powder, and grass-fed beef.

3. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

Drink plenty of water. Sometimes, thirst masks itself as hunger. As you get older, you may not be as quick to notice when you’re thirsty, Li says. She says you should get 64 ounces of water a day. You can drink it or get part of it from foods that are naturally rich in water, such as cucumbers and tomatoes. If you’re not sure if you’re getting enough water, check your urine: It should be pale yellow.

4. Outsmart Your Metabolism

Eat more small meals and snacks, and don’t go much longer than 3 hours without eating. “Because your metabolism is already slow, if you’re starving yourself, it just gets slower,” Li says. You may need fewer calories than you did when you were younger. Ask your doctor or a registered dietitian about that. “If you’re eating the same way you did when you were 25, you’re definitely going to be gaining,” Li says.

You have been so great about your new exercise routine, rarely missing a day since you started up again. Then all of a sudden you are waylaid by a cold or flu.

What should you do? Should you skip the treadmill or forsake that Pilates class for a late afternoon nap? Will it be hard to get started again if you skip a day or two?

The answer depends on what ails you, experts tell WebMD. For example, exercising with a cold may be OK, but if you’ve got a fever, hitting the gym is a definite no-no.

Fever is the limiting factor, says Lewis G. Maharam, MD, a New York City-based sports medicine expert. “The danger is exercising and raising your body temperature internally if you already have a fever, because that can make you even sicker,” he tells WebMD. If you have a fever greater than 101 degrees Fahrenheit, sit this one out.

Maharam’s rule of thumb for exercising when sick? “Do what you can do, and if you can’t do it, then don’t,” he says. “Most people who are fit tend to feel worse if they stop their exercise, but if you have got a bad case of the flu and can’t lift your head off the pillow, then chances are you won’t want to go run around the block.”

Personal trainer and exercise physiotherapist Geralyn Coopersmith, senior manager of the Equinox Fitness Training Institute in New York, has this to add: “The general rule is that if it is just a little sniffle and you take some medications and don’t feel so sick, it’s OK to work out. But if you have any bronchial tightness, it’s not advisable to be working out.”

You really need to know your limits, she says. “If you are feeling kind of bad, you may want to consider a walk instead of a run. Take the intensity down or do a regenerative activity like yoga or Pilates because if you don’t feel great, it may not be the best day to do your sprints,” says Coopersmith, the author of Fit and Female: The Perfect Fitness and Nutrition Game Plan for Your Unique Body Type.

“A neck check is a way to determine your level of activity during a respiratory illness,” adds Neil Schachter, MD, medical director of respiratory care at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. “If your symptoms are above the neck, including a sore throat, nasal congestion, sneezing, and tearing eyes, then it’s OK to exercise,” he says. “If your symptoms are below the neck, such as coughing, body aches, fever, and fatigue, then it’s time to hang up the running shoes until these symptoms subside.”

An uncomplicated cold in an adult should be totally gone in about seven days, says Schachter, the author of The Good Doctor’s Guide to Colds and Flu.

A flu that develops complications such as bronchitis or sinusitis can last two weeks, he says. “The symptoms of cough and congestion can linger for weeks if not treated.” In general, the flu, even if uncomplicated, can make you feel pretty rotten for 10 days to two weeks.

The best way to avoid the problem is not to get sick in the first place.

Exercise in general can help boost your body’s natural defenses against illness and infection, Schachter says. “Thirty minutes of regular exercise three to four times a week has been shown to raise immunity by raising levels of T cells, which are one of the body’s first defenses against infection. However, intense 90-minute training sessions like those done by elite athletes can actually lower immunity.”

It’s one thing if you decide to exercise when sick, but how do you keep from spreading it to others in the gym? And what about you if they are the ones exercising with a cold?

Before going to a gym or your exercise class, check with your doctor. If there is any chance that you are contagious, skip the public workouts to help protect others. 

Don’t count on other poeple to have done the same.

“The value of hand washing cannot be overstated,” Schachter says. “I recommend washing hands before and after using the restroom, before meals, after using public transportation, and after returning home from school or work.”

Also carry alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel in your gym bag to use when you realize that you have come into contact with someone who is sneezing or coughing.

Monica Cantu and her husband were overjoyed to learn they were expecting twins, a boy and a girl. 

The couple couldn’t wait to meet their babies. At a doctor’s appointment, Cantu learned her baby boy was measuring small. At 23 weeks, doctors noticed something wrong with the baby’s umbilical cord. Blood wasn’t flowing properly through the cord. 

Doctors warned Cantu to expect the worst. But she held out hope for two healthy babies. 

A couple of weeks later, Cantu felt a strange tingling and numbness in her face. She and her husband rushed to the hospital. Tests showed her liver enzymes were elevated. Cantu’s blood pressure was high at first, but a second reading was normal, she says. 

When she didn’t improve after 2 days, doctors prepared Cantu for an emergency delivery. She was only 25 weeks along. 

“Panic set in,” says Cantu, who lives in Katy, TX.  “I thought, ‘These babies cannot come right now!’ My son was being estimated at just 12 ounces.” 

High blood pressure during pregnancy is a growing problem for expectant moms across the U.S. and especially for Latinas. 

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), which include preeclampsia and gestational hypertension, more than doubled from 2007 to 2019 in the U.S., according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Rates went up for all women, but Latina/Hispanic women experienced the sharpest rise, with more than 60 cases per 1,000 live births. 

Even more concerning, new data link heart irregularities in older Hispanic women to high blood pressure they had years earlier while pregnant. 

“There are significant changes in cardiac structure and function in Latina women who had high blood pressure during pregnancy, meaning their hearts have abnormalities,” says Odayme Quesada, MD, medical director for The Christ Hospital Women’s Heart Center in Cincinnati and lead author of the study, published in Hypertension.

The findings are important because such differences can predict cardiovascular events later in life, such as heart failure and even death, Quesada explains.     

For the study, researchers analyzed the hearts of 5,168 Hispanic/Latina women with past pregnancies whose average age was about 60. Results revealed that prior HDP was connected with changes in how the heart contracts and relaxes, increased thickness of the heart wall, and higher rates of abnormal geometry in the heart’s left ventricle. 

The study helps answer why women with hypertension during pregnancy often develop future heart problems, Quesada says. Up to 20% of women with HDP will develop high blood pressure 6 months after giving birth, and their lifetime risk of chronic hypertension rises tenfold, studies show. 

“Prior to our study, the question was: Do abnormalities in the structure and function of the heart develop because of the HDP itself or because many of the women who have HDP then go on to develop chronic high blood pressure?” she says. “Our study helps fill in the gaps.”

During her pregnancy, Cantu’s blood pressure was sometimes high at prenatal visits but then would drop. 

The fluctuation was explained away as “white coat syndrome,” she says. The term refers to anxiety or nervousness at doctor visits that can cause blood pressure to rise. Other symptoms she reported to doctors, such as extreme itching and headaches, were waved away as typical pregnancy signs. 

At the time, Cantu says she didn’t know much about preeclampsia. She’d heard the term before but didn’t know how serious it is. None of her family members had experienced the complication.   

Lack of awareness may be one reason HDP is rising faster in Latina women. Studies show Hispanic adults in the U.S. have the lowest rates of hypertension awareness and treatment compared with White, Black, and Asian adults. 

Latinos are also less likely to have their hypertension under control, says Adriana Maldonado, PhD, assistant professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona. 

Lowering your risk of developing hypertension while pregnant and taking action to control your blood pressure after pregnancy is key, Maldonado and Quesada say. Prevention tips include:

Adopt a heart-healthy diet. An eating style beneficial to your heart can decrease your hypertension risk, Maldonado says. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan is one option. DASH foods are rich in calcium, magnesium, and potassium. The plan also emphasizes vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. 

Make exercise a priority. Incorporating exercise into your lifestyle is important, Quesada says. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of  physical activity a week. 

Monitor your blood pressure. If you have a history of hypertension during pregnancy, keep a close eye on your blood pressure after delivery, Quesada advises. It’s a good idea to own your own blood pressure cuff and monitor your pressure at home, and use it at least monthly. 

See your doctor regularly. A history of HDP means you should be visiting your doctor at least once a year to assess your cardiovascular risk. HDP is considered a risk enhancer and is factored into your assessment, Quesada says. 

Despite her tragic experience, Cantu knew she wanted more children. But she made sure her next pregnancy was different. 

Cantu learned as much about preeclampsia as possible. She joined the nonprofit EndPreclampsia, a global support organization for patients with HDP. She read, researched, and networked with other women with similar experiences. 

When a second pregnancy was confirmed, Cantu’s sister sent her a blood pressure monitor. Cantu checked her blood pressure at home, twice daily. 

“This time around, I went into doctors’ appointments a lot more knowledgeable,” she said. “I was able to ask more questions. I had more confidence.”

Fortunately, Cantu’s preeclampsia didn’t return during her second pregnancy. In late 2023, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, now 5 months old. Big sister Amelia, 3, is now a bubbly preschooler. 

Cantu’s strongest advice for other Latinas is to become educated about HDP and to advocate for yourself at medical visits. 

“Inform yourself as much as you can,” she said. “Yes, you should trust your doctor, but it should not be a blind trust. Ask questions. Request tests if necessary. If something doesn’t feel right, advocate for yourself.”