As you age, your metabolism naturally slows down. You burn calories slower than you did when you were younger. And if you’re not careful, this can lead to weight gain. But there are things you can do to boost your metabolism and avoid the dreaded middle-aged weight gain. Let’s look at some of the best ways to do just that.
Exercise Regularly
One of the best ways to boost your metabolism is to exercise regularly. Cardio exercises like running, biking, and swimming are great for increasing your heart rate and burning calories. Strength training exercises like lifting weights or doing bodyweight exercises are also great for boosting your metabolism. Not only will these exercises help you burn calories at the moment, but they’ll also help you build muscle, which will increase your resting metabolic rate.
Eat Plenty of Protein
Another great way to boost your metabolism is to ensure you eat plenty of protein. Protein takes more energy to digest than carbohydrates or fat, so it helps increase your metabolic rate. Plus, it helps you build muscle, which we already know can help boost your metabolism. Good protein sources include lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, and nuts.
Avoid Processed Foods
Processed foods are loaded with unhealthy ingredients like added sugars, unhealthy fats, and artificial ingredients. These ingredients can be highly palatable and addictive which cause us to overeat and form unhealthy habits. So it’s essential to avoid processed foods as much as possible and focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods instead. This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats.
Manage your stress and sleep
Stress and sleep have significant impact on hormones which can have a physiological impact in affecting how we utilize body fuel and store fat around our abdominal area. During high stress and insufficient sleep, we tend to feel less full when we eat and go for more unhealthy and processed food options which makes consume a lot more calories that lead weight gain.
Be more Active
One of the most important and underrated factor of boosting metabolism and avoid weight gain is to be more physically active every day. In fact, being more physically active everyday such as walking, taking the stairs, standing, even fidgeting help us burn calories on a daily basis more so than exercise. Small daily activity accumulates and significantly contribute to how much energy we burn everyday to help us keep the weight off.
Key takeaway on how to use diet to boost metabolism:
1. Exercise regularly: Do both cardio and strength exercise to burn calories and boost metabolism
2. Eat plenty of protein: Eating more protein requires our body to burn more and absorb less calories.
3. Avoid processed foods: Processed foods are high in unhealthy fats and sugars that can make us overeat and gain weight. Instead, focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods.
4. Manage your stress and sleep: Having enough sleep and managing stress helps us make better food choice.
5. Avoid overeating: Overeating can cause your metabolism to slow down, so be mindful of portion sizes.
Conclusion
If you want to boost your metabolism and avoid middle-age weight gain, exercise regularly, eat plenty of protein, and avoid processed foods. Following these simple tips, you can keep your metabolism high and stay healthy as you age.
If you’re looking to boost your metabolism and avoid middle-aged weight gain, Vigeo health and fitness can help. Our personal trainers in Singapore can create customised programs tailored to your specific needs and goals.
