One of the most saddening things about aging is that our ability to eat whatever we want, as much as we want, begins to catch up with us. You might be thinking: ‘I’ve been eating like this all my life, why is this just now starting to affect me?’ Unfortunately, it’s a metabolism slowing down. The reason your metabolism slows as you age actually occurs because as you get older, your muscle mass decreases and your amount of fat tends to increase, decreasing your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and the number of calories your body burns. This in turn decreases the number of calories you need to take in through your diet. The age your metabolism begins dwindling differs for everyone; most often women start noticing in their mid to late 20’s, while men start noticing in there mid to late 30’s. You might be wondering ‘How can I help combat this?’
Here are a few ways to give that metabolism a boost:
- Portion Control: Eat what makes you happy, just portion it out better. Also remember to eat plenty of healthy carbohydrates like fruits and veggies to help limit unnatural sugars and fatty foods.
- More Protein: You burn a few extra calories when you eat protein because your body must work harder to chew and digest the food. Not only that, it helps keep you full longer.
- Drink Lots of Water: A dehydrated body will slow its metabolism and increase hunger and sluggishness.
- Get a Good Night’s Sleep: Sleep is intimately associated with our endocrine system, the collection of glands that produces hormones responsible for metabolism. Lack of sleep causes levels of leptin to decrease. Leptin is a hormone that curbs hunger and signals to your body that it’s satiated. Essentially when you haven’t slept enough, you’ll feel hungrier.
- Exercise More: When you walk, run, or lift weights, you increase the energy demands being made on your body, which raises your metabolism for hours afterwards. Lifting weights also prevents age related muscle depletion and can increase the number of calories being burnt towards the repair and creation of new muscles.
- Stress Less: Stressing out has been known to decrease the strength of the immune system. It can also decrease how fast your metabolism works. When stressed, your energy levels deplete and with less energy there are less calories burnt.
There are numerous ways to help increase and maintain your metabolism and in the process help increase your overall health. It’s recommended that you speak with your doctor prior to making any huge diet changes to ensure the safety of your own health.
