Boosting Your Metabolism As You Age
Many of us find it harder to keep off the pounds as we age and our metabolism slows. We can help ourselves with a little education about metabolism. First, know that 65-75 percent of the calories you burn daily is a result of your resting metabolism. Another 15-30 percent comes from activity level and another 5-10 percent from the processing of food. In a review of recent research by Johns Hopkins Medicine, the following is a brief summary of recommendations to boost all three ways we burn calories:
1. Add Muscle. Replacing 5 pounds of fat with 5 pounds of muscle decreases your weight by 2 pounds yearly.
2. Get Moving. Moderate exercise for 30 minutes, 5 times per week, decreases your weight by 15 pounds yearly.
3. Eat More Often. Eating more frequently than 3 meals and 2 snacks per day will increase metabolism, just don't increase overall calories.
4. Eat Breakfast. Your metabolism remains sluggish until the first meal and you are also more likely to grab an unhealthy snack.
5. Eat Enough Protein. Your body uses extra calories to digest
protein. Sufficient protein ensures that weight loss comes from fat and not muscle. Recommended intake is 46 grams for the average adult female and 56 for the average adult male.
6. Drink Plenty of Water. Digesting two cups of water can speed up your metabolism by 30 percent for the next 30 minutes. A good portion of this energy is used to warm the water to body temperature.
7. Get Your Sleep. Sleep deprivation increases hormone ghrelin which makes you hungry, slows metabolism and promotes fat retention. Dieters lost twice as much weight with 8.5 hours of sleep when compared to dieters who slept 5.5 hours nightly.
8. Stay Cool. Maintaining body temperature in cooler temperatures burns calories.
9. Don't Crash Diet. Not eating enough puts body into starvation mode and slows metabolism. They recommend a reduction of 500 calories per day. More if you were previously eating excessively.
Many of us find it harder to keep off the pounds as we age and our metabolism slows. We can help ourselves with a little education about metabolism. First, know that 65-75 percent of the calories you burn daily is a result of your resting metabolism. Another 15-30 percent comes from activity level and another 5-10 percent from the processing of food. In a review of recent research by Johns Hopkins Medicine, the following is a brief summary of recommendations to boost all three ways we burn calories:
1. Add Muscle. Replacing 5 pounds of fat with 5 pounds of muscle decreases your weight by 2 pounds yearly.
2. Get Moving. Moderate exercise for 30 minutes, 5 times per week, decreases your weight by 15 pounds yearly.
3. Eat More Often. Eating more frequently than 3 meals and 2 snacks per day will increase metabolism, just don't increase overall calories.
4. Eat Breakfast. Your metabolism remains sluggish until the first meal and you are also more likely to grab an unhealthy snack.
5. Eat Enough Protein. Your body uses extra calories to digest
protein. Sufficient protein ensures that weight loss comes from fat and not muscle. Recommended intake is 46 grams for the average adult female and 56 for the average adult male.
6. Drink Plenty of Water. Digesting two cups of water can speed up your metabolism by 30 percent for the next 30 minutes. A good portion of this energy is used to warm the water to body temperature.
7. Get Your Sleep. Sleep deprivation increases hormone ghrelin which makes you hungry, slows metabolism and promotes fat retention. Dieters lost twice as much weight with 8.5 hours of sleep when compared to dieters who slept 5.5 hours nightly.
8. Stay Cool. Maintaining body temperature in cooler temperatures burns calories.
9. Don't Crash Diet. Not eating enough puts body into starvation mode and slows metabolism. They recommend a reduction of 500 calories per day. More if you were previously eating excessively.
10. Caffeine and Chili Peppers - Caffeine increases heart rate and peppers
contain capsaicin or capsinoid. Both temporarily boost metabolism.
John Hopkins Medicine, November 2011.
John Hopkins Medicine, November 2011.
