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How to Increase Metabolism in Spite of Age

To stop gaining weight as a natural result of the aging process, it is imperative for a person to increase metabolism. It is a well known fact that people's metabolism slows as they age. Calories are used far less efficiently than in the younger years.

It becomes necessary to either eat less, exercise more or do both in order to stay the same weight. There really is no need to fret, though. There are plenty of other ways to increasing metabolism and staying healthy.

A person's metabolism is the speed at which their body burns calories to make energy. There are different metabolism calculators that can tell you how many calories you should be eating in order to gain or lose weight.

This number decreases with age because the body becomes slower at burning calories. Metabolism starts to slow down at age 30. So a person needs less calories in their 50's than they did to maintain the same weight in their 20's. To keep from gaining weight, it helps to speed up metabolism.

There are many factors that influence the rate of metabolism. How much lean muscle a person has, how their thyroid gland functions and their resting metabolic rate are all extremely important.

Many people become less active as they age and lose their lean muscle. Lean muscle burns about 5 times as many calories as fat does. Muscle building is a good way to increase metabolic rate.

Thyroid functions naturally slow for many people as they age, which can be a health hazard. This is why unexplained weight gain should be reported to a physician, who will probably order a thyroid blood test.

How to Increase Your Metabolism

• Weight train to build more lean muscle. Strength training should happen 2-3 times per week and will increase your metabolism.
• Do aerobic exercises 5-6 days a week. Frequently switch the type or speed of your workout. Muscles have memory and begin to burn less calories if they do the same exercise too much. Metabolism increases for up to 15 hours after the workout.
• Eating a good breakfast is another good way of boosting metabolism. Your metabolism will be more sluggish throughout the day without it. Meals should be bigger at the beginning of the day than at the end.
• Eating smaller, more frequent meals is another way to speed up your metabolism. It causes your body to use more energy digesting the same amount of food. A diet high in protein but low in fat helps build lean muscle mass.

Having a faster metabolism is far from impossible. Exercising is a good way of speeding up metabolism. Eating the right things at the right times is also a natural metabolism booster. If you just follow these few tips, it is quite easy to increase metabolism and make sure you don't gain weight as you age.

See a list of articles on avoiding Midlife Weight Gain.

Other wiki resources: increase metabolism; losing weight; black cohosh