Having control over your metabolism would be a key factor in losing weight, and if someone could unlock that key, they would probably be the most popular person in the world. Unfortunately it is not that easy. Most people who are young take an increase in metabolic rate for granted, but as we get older we wonder where it suddenly went. Factors that affect a person’s metabolism are the amount of muscle tissue, genetics, stress levels, personal diet, and activity levels. The things that will lower metabolism are loss of muscle mass and less physical activity that occurs naturally as we age.
So we have an idea of how to control our metabolic rate, and we emphasize exercise and diet all the time on our website. But it gets harder as we get older. So here are several ways we can activate our metabolism:
1. Build lean muscle. The amount of lean muscle a person has will determine the ability to burn calories. Building lean muscle will be invaluable in keeping your metabolism up, and that means strength training plus a protein-based diet.
2. Get more sleep. Studies have shown that lack of sleep can contribute to weight gain. The problem is that as we age, sleep becomes more difficult to achieve. Exercise, and especially cardiovascular exercise, has been shown to help with sleep in important ways, in addition to having sensible diet patterns.
3. Increase your water intake. Stress occurs in the system when there is a lack of water. Most bodily functions involve water, and dehydration can cause the body’s systems to slow down, lowering metabolism. Also, water is an excellent flush of toxins and waste from the system.
4. Eat breakfast. If breakfast is skipped, the metabolism will slow down to compensate for the lack of fuel that breakfast provides. The energy from a proper breakfast that gives the body its wake-up call is vital in kick-starting the body’s metabolism early on.
5. Eat smaller meals. It has been established that four to six smaller meals spaced at shorter intervals keep the body’s metabolism at its peak. Look at the way skinny teens eat—it seems like they’re always eating, but never too much at one time.
6. Don’t stress. Stress releases the steroid cortisol, which slows metabolism. Also, most people tend to eat for the sake of eating when they are stressed.
7. Avoid sugar. One goal of any diet is to maintain a consistent blood sugar level. Insulin spikes will cause the body to store fat, and sugar is one of the main contributors to insulin spikes.
8. Eat spicy foods. Studies have shown that spicy foods actually increase metabolic rate.
9. Drink a lot of green tea. Green tea is another food that has the ability to stimulate metabolism.
10. Eat energy foods. Fruits and vegetables are considered energy foods and should be an important part of every diet.
So it’s not impossible to raise your metabolism, but as you get older it becomes much more challenging. Diet and exercise on a regular and prolonged basis will provide what we are all looking for, as long as we have the motivation to carry it out.