Author: Maria Alfano
Are you looking for ways to speed up metabolism? You’re not alone. So many people in their 40s, 50s, and beyond struggle with weight issues once they hit midlife. I’m sure you heard the expression used before, “you are just big-boned dear!” This irks me to no end. It’s frustrating that people think you are overweight due to the fact that your bones are large. That couldn’t be further from the truth. As you age, you lose bone mass. Women especially lose more bone mass due to the lack of estrogen and progesterone production during and after menopause. So, there goes that theory.
If you are struggling with your weight, whether it is being blessed with a few extra pounds or you are trying to add back some of the weight you lost as you experienced your transition into midlife, your metabolism may be the culprit.
You’re looking for answers and can’t seem to get a straight response from anyone. You are tired of not being able to function properly. Perhaps, you reached your limit on your emotional health too. All this is because you cannot seem to get a handle on your weight and you are looking for ways to speed up the metabolism in your own body.
This post is all about ways for you to affect your metabolism in a positive way, 4 quick tips, and a suggested 3-day plan to kick start your metabolism.
4 Quick Ways To Speed Up Metabolism After Age 50
What the heck is metabolism anyway? This is the process the body goes through to turn the food you eat into the energy it can use to sustain itself. Metabolism varied from person to person and is impacted by many key factors. Age, gender, body size, and genetics all impact the speed with which metabolism functions. For example, men typically are more muscular than women so they tend to burn more calories and lose weight faster than women. As we age, the changes in hormones impact the muscles, which in turn impact the way we metabolize food. Did you know that larger, more heavyset individuals actually have a faster metabolism than the average human being because their body has to work harder to burn more calories than most people consume in a day?
ways to speed up metabolism
It is not scientifically proven that one can actually affect the speed of their metabolism, but let’s be honest. the reason anyone wants to is to get a handle on their weight. These suggestions will help temporarily change the speed of your metabolism while you use them. And, they will definitely aid in the weight loss process.
1 – Exercise
I know this is a nasty, dreaded word for so many of us but we need it in order to nudge our metabolism along. For those that are trying to gain some weight, you can slow down on the volume of exercise you do in a week.
Weight Training – do some kind of weight lifting or strength training. Combine this with your morning walk and you’re all set. Buy ankle weights and strap them on when you head out. Or, carry small weights in each hand and pump the arms with each step. As we age we lose muscles due to the hormone shifts. Hormones are what help keep our muscles big and strong. Without them, we need to help our muscles with exercises. Healthy, strong muscles make our metabolism work harder to keep us fit and in the process, we burn more calories. Order your weights online from www.gaiam.com
Get Up – if you are one of these that just sit at a desk all day long, get up for a few minutes once per hour. Take a quick walk around the office. work from home? No problem. Climb up and down the steps a few times a day to get the body moving.
2 – Food & Drink
Generally speaking, eat earlier in the day. Make lunch your big meal and then have something light for dinner. Have your dinner early enough so that your body can digest the food you ate before going to bed. Don’t let all that food sit in your belly with nowhere to go and nothing to do but get stored as fats.
Meals
Add More Protein – animal or plant-based proteins are essential for preventing muscle loss. The older we get, the more important protein in our diet becomes. Protein raises your TEF (thermic effect of food) which in turn raises your metabolism as it digests the protein-rich meal. It takes more work to break down protein into energy so you will not only feel fuller faster and for longer, you won’t need to eat as much during the meal. Less food = fewer calories. Few calories = weight loss.
Spicy Foods – hot peppers contain an ingredient called capsaicin. This can boost the metabolism and help burn more calories. Spicy foods can be hard to enjoy if you’re not used to having them in your diet so take care and add them in gradually.
No Processes Foods – human bodies were not designed to absorb all the chemicals that are found in frozen or fast foods. I mean who doesn’t love a good old cheeseburger from the local fast food joint? I know I do. Have one sparingly to avoid the saturated fats that are not good for you. Better yet, make your own fresh burger from organic ground beef instead.
Beverages
Stay Hydrated – sugary sodas are not good for you. Drinking them adds a lot of empty calories to your day. Switch out sweet drinks for water. Water has zero calories. Sodas can be very addictive so start by switching out one at a time until you are no longer craving the sugar. Thermogenesis is how your body heats the water you drink. This not only burns calories but is also one of the ways to speed up metabolism after age 50 up to 30% during the process.
Green Tea or Coffee – Drinking 2-4 cups of green tea per day will convert the fat stores into free fatty acids and increase the fat-burning process by up to 17%. Caffeine keeps you energized and allows you to be more active. Use that energy to exercise.
3 – Intermittent Fasting
This has become the new mainstream way of life. Getting started is the hardest part, take it from someone who practices intermittent fasting. You will become used to not eating for longer periods of time and will start to feel less and less hungry the more you do this. The key factor of fasting is to allow your body to use up the fat storage first as the energy it needs to survive. When you are constantly eating, you don’t give yourself the chance to use anything but the food for energy. Fasting forces the body to use fat for fuel first. Typical fasting windows are 16 – 8 (fast for 16 hours after your last meal, then feed yourself within the 8-hour window), 20 – 4 (fast for 20 hours and eat during the 4 hours), and 24 hours (wait a full 24 hours between meals). You can do longer fasts when you have experience with fasting.
While you eat, take your time. People overeat because they eat too fast. Slow eating allows your brain to register that you are full and you will eat less.
Learn more about fasting and metabolism with this book from Indigo/Chapters:
5 – Rest
The human body needs rest. This is how it recharges and gets ready for the day ahead. A solid 7-8 hours of restful sleep are required for adults. Believe it or not, rest is essential to weight loss and metabolism. It has been proven that lack of good rest can lead to obesity.
3 Day Plan to Speed UP Your Metabolism
Many thanks to healthline.com for this insightful 3-day plan. See the full article here. The article recommends you start this challenge on a Saturday. Feel free to start it any day that works best for you.
Day 1 – start with getting a full 8 hours of good quality sleep. Go to bed early the night before to ensure that you get your 8 hours in. Start your day with a protein-rich breakfast and a cup of Greek yogurt (for the probiotics). Complete a minimum 20-minute workout that combines both strength and cardio. Your metabolism will keep working for about 14 hours afterward.
Day 2 – wake up after another full 8 hours of restful sleep. Start your day with a caffeine boost or green tea for those who don’t drink coffee. Stay well hydrated throughout the day by drinking lots of water. Get things done around the house – gardening, laundry, cleaning, or other chores. Then prepare your meals for the week. Don’t forget the hot peppers!
Day 3 – another great morning after 8 hours of quality beauty sleep. Have protein with every meal. Introduce meditation to your daily routine. 10-15 minutes in the morning and 10-15 minutes in the evening to relieve the stress that could be buggering up your metabolism.
The rest of the week – continue with the 8 hours of sleep per night. drink plenty of fluids. Add more proteins to each meal. Keep meditating. Complete 3-4 more workouts.
In Summary
There are some quick and simple ways to speed up metabolism at various times and in different ways throughout the day even if your cannot permanently change your metabolic rate. This post was all about the 4 ways to speed up metabolism with 4 quick tips and a 3-day reboot plan.
We would love to hear from you. Let us know how this worked for you!