Table of Contents
Introduction
If you are over 40 and 50, you may have noticed that gaining a few pounds is much easier than losing it.
The foods you have enjoyed all your life suddenly start clinging to your waistline like magnets.
Ever wondered why your best friend could drink a pint of Ben & Jerry without gaining a pound while a spoon hits your hips directly? The answer is in your metabolism, that little motor in your body that burns calories all day, every day.
Because of genetics, some people burn fat faster than others. But age, habits, exercise, weight, and diet also play a role.
As we grow older, it is normal for our metabolism to slow down.
Why?
The reduction in physical activity and the associated reduction in muscle mass means that our body simply does not burn as many calories, which often means weight gain.
You don’t have to accept this weight gain. At the age of 40 and 50, exercise may be the best way to increase your BMR (basal metabolic rate), but you can also increase your BMR with proper nourishment and a diet that increases your metabolism after 40 and 50.
According to the American Council on Exercise, after 20 years of age, your metabolism slows down, so every decade, your body burns 150 fewer calories per day. Add it to the list of joys of aging.
Your metabolism, or your basal metabolic rate (BMR), is the average number of calories your body burns per day. Although it is not possible to change your age, gender, or genetic composition, there are several ways to increase your metabolism after 40 and 50.
There are several tips on how to increase your metabolic potential.
Below are some expert tips on improving your metabolism after 40 and 50, so you too can binge on Ben & Jerry without feeling guilty.
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Tip #1 – Drink your morning coffee
It may come as a shock that caffeine speeds up your metabolism by up to 10%. The exciting thing is that it also promotes the release of fat into the bloodstream to be used as fuel and delays fatigue by preserving glycogen.
Coffee is a popular drink of choice after 50. And that’s good news for your metabolism if you like to drink a cup every morning.
WebMD explains that coffee may have the ability to increase your metabolic rate. However, make sure you don’t add cream or sugar to your coffee, as all these extra calories really add up.
Tip #2 – Eat Enough Protein
Proper nutrition is one of the most efficient methods of ensuring that your metabolism works quickly.
A registered dietitian by the name Susan Bowerman states that there’s evidence that older adults need more protein. Protein can help reduce age-related muscle degeneration. Muscles help maintain a healthy metabolic rate, so it’s important to ensure you have enough as you age.
Try to eat about 30 grams with each meal, and even more if you tend to love carbohydrate-rich foods.
Research shows that taking in enough protein can increase metabolism, causing an additional 150-200 calories to burn each day.
Proteins are made up of amino acids, which are more difficult for the body to break down (than fats and carbohydrates). Since they require more energy to be broken down, this causes more calories to burn.
The best sources of protein include skinless poultry, lean meats, egg whites, soy products, low-fat dairy products, quinoa, seitan, legumes, nuts, seeds, and seafood.
Tip #3 – Stay Hydrated
You burn more calories when your body is hydrated. Shoot for at least eight cups of water every day and drink more when you work out.
Are you used to drinking water at room temperature? Adding some ice cubes to the glass can be to your advantage.
A study by German researchers found that drinking 48 ounces of cold water a day can increase your metabolism enough to burn another 50 calories. It doesn’t sound like much, but you can definitely make a difference over time with minimal effort on your part.
Tip #4 – Go Organic
Buying organic products is definitely worth the effort.
Organic foods may contain more antioxidants and minerals. Organic meat and organic cow milk seem to contain more omega-3s than their non-organic counterparts.
The vast majority (94–100%) of organic foods are pesticide-free, and they contain significantly fewer nitrates.
The lack of pesticides is particularly significant since pesticides are stored in fat cells and block fat metabolism.
Tip #5 – Get adequate rest
It sounds simple enough, but most of us don’t sleep as much as we need.
Daily health reports that people over the age of 40 need to sleep between seven and nine hours a night. And if you’re over 50, you need between seven and eight hours a night.
Sleeping badly can lead to a variety of metabolic problems. “It can make you burn fewer calories, not control your appetite and experience increased levels of cortisol, which stores fat.”
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Tip #6 – Build Muscle
Since muscle mass loss is perhaps the most important contributing factor to slowing down your metabolism, it is clear that adding strength training exercises that build muscle is one of the best methods that people over 50 can do to increase their metabolism.
A clinical study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that strength training three days a week helped increase metabolism in people over the age of 40 and 50, and also improved their strength and body composition.
Strength training can occur at the gym or home and include lifting weights, using resistance bands, and doing body-resistance exercises.
You increase your strength most effectively when training such that you need help finishing your last rep.
A good weight training program should include strength training activities that work on all major muscle groups. Advice will vary significantly, but some experts suggest utilizing exercises that contain two to three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions per set.
Tip #7 – Skip Alcohol
Drinking alcohol reduces fat-burning by up to 73%. This may make you reconsider drinking it for dinner.
Why does alcohol do this? In a nutshell, our bodies convert alcohol into easily accessible energy, so alcohol is burned first, so food calories end up being stored as fat.
If you really want to have alcohol, red wine seems to be the preferred option by many, as it contains only 80 calories per glass and research shows that moderate consumption of red wine reduces cardiovascular mortality and the incidence of diabetes.
Other studies show that polyphenols in red wine, especially resveratrol, can act to protect our brain from deterioration.
Tip #8 – Chill Out
Studies have found that long-term stress can make you fat.
When you are chronically stressed, your body is inundated with stress hormones, which stimulate the growth of fat cells in the abdomen and stimulate the accumulation of fat.
It is called toxic weight because deep fat inside the abdomen is more likely to increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
In addition, stress hormones stimulate appetite, so you’re likely to overeat.
Tip #9 – Chew gum
Do you feel like you don’t have enough movement during your day?
It may sound crazy, but the simple act of chewing gum is an easy way to increase your metabolism without even thinking about it.
Researchers found that those who chewed sugar-free gum for three 20-minute intervals daily saw their metabolism increase by 5%.
This was a small study and probably won’t make much difference without the help of proper diet and exercise, but it seems that something so easy can make a difference in the long run.
Tip #10 – Try 15 minutes of yoga
Getting up and doing a few minutes of yoga every day is the perfect way to speed up your metabolism.
“You can double your metabolism first thing in the morning,” says Dr. Oz. And he particularly recommends sun salutations, as they are excellent for improving strength and flexibility through a series of movements that flow together.
You will exercise without even realizing it.
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Tip #11 – Switch to Heart-Healthy Fats
Substantial evidence indicates that diets that use non-hydrogenated unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, as their primary form of edible fat, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and increase metabolism.
The general rule is to choose liquid fats at room temperature.
To further reduce your risk of coronary heart disease, choose whole grains as your primary form of carbohydrates, eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and incorporate omega-3 fatty acids from foods or supplements.
These diets, together with regular physical activity, avoiding smoking, and maintaining healthy body weight, can prevent most cardiovascular diseases.
Tip #12 – Drink Green Tea
Green tea can be one of the healthiest drinks you can have.
The benefits of green tea for a wide range of implications includes different types of liver disease, cancer, heart disease, etc.
There is also a wide range of use for green tea in diabetes, exercise improvement, inflammatory bowel disease, skin ailments, hair loss, weight loss, and iron overload.
Research shows that caffeine and catechins in green tea increase metabolic function by 4-5 percent and improve fat oxidation by 10-16 percent.
Green tea also has strong antioxidant properties that fight free radicals in your body, providing anti-aging support and reducing the risk of disease. “
Tip #13 – Stay Consistent
Remember, it is your regular diet and exercise habits that influence your metabolism. What matters most, are the action steps that one performs on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis.
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References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3957721
https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-boost-your-metabolism
http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/195543
https://www.mauromd.com/det-articles-12-Alcohol-and-Fat-Metabolism.php
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13590840802518785