Once you hit 40, your metabolism starts to slow down. Even if you haven’t changed your eating routine or exercises, you can start to notice changes in your body. But don’t let that get to you! This blog will go over how to fire up your metabolism at midlife to help keep it up and running!
Why Does Metabolism Slow Down with Age?
As we all know, as you age, you can no longer eat as you did in the past. This is because our metabolism tends to slow down with age. This makes it a lot easier to gain weight and a lot harder to lose it. Reasons for this include being less active, losing muscle, and natural aging metabolic processes. Luckily, there are natural ways of firing up your metabolic processes! Ways you can improve your metabolism at midlife includes the following:
Drink More Tea
People who drink tea on a regular basis have a better metabolism than people who don’t. Studies have shown that people who drink green tea burn up to an extra 70-100 calories per day due to its antioxidants. Drinking three cups of green tea per day will significantly help boost your metabolism. Rooibos tea with mint is another great tool in your metabolism-boosting toolkit. Rooibos tea’s high levels of antioxidants and flavonoids help rejuvenate your skin while the mint improves your metabolism.
Eat More Protein-Rich Foods
Eating more protein-rich foods can help fight a slowing metabolism. This is because your body burns more calories while digesting and absorbing protein-rich foods. This is also known as the thermic effect of food (TEF). Studies have shown that consuming 25–30% of your calories from protein can boost your metabolism by up to 80–100 calories per day, compared to lower protein diets. It’s a good idea to stay away from dairy, gluten, and refined sugars.
Drink Lots of Water
Studies have shown that drinking 48 ounces of water per day can aid with your metabolism. People who are fully hydrated have an accelerated calorie-burning rate. Keeping yourself hydrated may seem simple, but it makes all the difference.
Move Your Body
Another important thing you can do to increase your metabolism after 40 is stay physically active! It doesn’t have to be hardcore resistance training. Simple walks after dinner to ease digestion is a great habit. As we get older, we lose muscle mass, which delays our metabolism. Muscle cells need energy so they can burn calories. Staying active helps keep these muscle cells burning calories. Those 15-minute strolls are doing more than you think.
Start Your Day with Lemon Water
Drinking hot water with lemon first thing in the morning is another way to fire up your metabolism. But that’s not all it does, hot lemon water also:
- Keeps you hydrated
- Aids with digestion
- Is a good source of vitamin C
- Supports weight loss
- Improves skin quality
To make lemon water, squeeze half a lemon into 8 ounces of warm water. To make the drink as healthy as possible, use filtered water and organic lemons. To infuse more flavor or add a health boost, add:
- A slice of fresh ginger
- A dash of cinnamon
- A teaspoon of raw honey
- A few sprigs of mint
Once one reaches midlife, our metabolism slows down. Being less active and the loss of muscle mass contributes to a sluggish metabolism. We hope this blog helped you see the many natural ways of firing up your metabolism at midlife. If you would like to learn more about natural ways of staying healthy, contact Dr. Brandy McGill to make an appointment today.
