Keeping your Metabolism up as you Age
It is no secret that our bodies change as we age. We get fine lines and wrinkles. Our hair goes gray. We even have a harder time staying fit as our metabolism slows down. Often we’ll find the things we loved eating and drinking need to be adjusted along with our physical activity in order to keep up. While not necessarily fun, a couple of adjustments can make a big difference to your metabolism as you age which will in turn keep you healthy and happy.
How to Keep Your Metabolism Charged as you Age
1. Sleep, sleep and more sleep. We are a society that has long prided ourselves on not sleeping and getting more done, however, it wreaks havoc on health—including our metabolism. Research shows a lack of sleep can slow your metabolism but getting an adequate night’s sleep can reverse this. Sleep is also an important component to preventing muscle loss which affects your metabolism too.
2. Make sure to eat enough and load up on protein. People make the mistake of believing that a low-calorie diet will keep them slim, when actually it can have the opposite effect. Your metabolism slows when it feels like it is in “starvation” mode and this becomes problematic as you age. In direct correlation eating a diet of protein rich food can help, partially because of the calorie intake and partially because of its ability to help build healthy muscle.
3. Get your workout on. More specifically focus on resistance training and high-intensity interval training. With resistance training you get the benefits of exercise while also building muscle mass—a major factor that affects your metabolism. HIIT is an effective method to combat a slowing metabolism because it continues to burn calories long after you are finished due to its periods of aerobic and rest.
4. Drink green tea. Because of the caffeine and plant compounds found in green tea your resting metabolic rate will increase. With a myriad of other health benefits besides, green tea is an easy, tasty and healthy add in to your daily rotation.