Fight Your Slowing Metabolism as You Age

Many women face the unfortunate fact that, as they age, their metabolism slows down. If you are starting to notice you are steadily gaining weight but your diet and exercise level has not changed, you may already be experiencing a slowing metabolism. Fortunately, you do not have to be complacent and simply accept weight gain as you age. There are a number of ways you can help rev up your waning metabolism and lose excess weight or keep your weight under control. This article will explain what metabolism is and offer some excellent ideas for improving your metabolism to help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Understanding Metabolism

Before you can improve your metabolism, you must understand the definition of metabolism. The most basic definition of metabolism is all of the chemical and physical processes that occur within the body and that are necessary to sustain life. This may leave you wondering how this can relate to weight loss. The link between weight loss and metabolism is that these chemical and physical processes require energy; calories are units of energy. As these systematic actions take place, the body burns energy in the form of calories. These actions may include the functions of the brain, liver, digestive tract, muscles, lungs, and all of the other organs in the body.

The basal metabolic rate is essentially the amount of calories your body would require if all you did was lie still and breathe. Additional calories are required for activities such as eating, walking, digesting, sitting upright or participating in any physical activities. Obviously the number of additional calories required is higher for those who live active lives than it is for those who live sedentary lives.

Two women may both ride a stationary bike for 45 minutes each day, but if one woman crunches numbers at a computer all day and the other woman walks a neighborhood route delivering mail, the calories they both require will likely be quite different. Other factors such as weight and muscle mass also factor into each person's caloric needs. A larger woman would require more calories to sustain her weight than a smaller woman. Likewise, a woman who has more muscle mass will also require more calories than a woman who weighs the same but who does not have as much muscle mass.

Improving your Metabolism with Diet Changes
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If you are considering making some dietary changes to improve your metabolism, it is critical you first consult your doctor. This is important because your doctor can not only help you establish attainable goals but can also evaluate your current health and determine if is safe for you to make diet and exercise changes. We have already briefly touched on some of the ways metabolism can be affected, but we will discuss them in greater detail in this section.

One way to improve metabolism is to divide your total number of required calories into six mini meals spread throughout the day rather than the traditional three large meals. Since digestion requires calories, if you are only eating three meals a day, you are only able to enjoy the benefit of burning calories as a result of digestion three times a day. Dividing each of your three meals into two smaller meals allows you to burn the calories associated with beginning the digestive process six times a day. It also allows for better usage of your nutrients since your body can only absorb and utilize a small amount of nutrients at each meal. When you consume too many nutrients in one sitting, those nutrients are either converted to glucose and stored or excreted without providing benefits to the body.

One common misconception regarding weight loss is that there are foods that burn fat better than others; this is simply not true. According to the National Institutes of Health, "No foods can burn fat. Some foods with caffeine may speed up metabolism (the way your body uses energy) for a short time, but they do not cause weight loss." However, careful food selection can contribute to an increased daily caloric expenditure. Choosing whole grains and fiber-rich foods can cause you to require more energy for digestion. Refined foods such as white breads and pasta are fairly easy to digest and do not require as much energy as whole grain breads and vegetables.

Improving your Metabolism with Exercise Changes
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Exercise, including both cardiovascular exercise and resistance training, can also have a positive impact on metabolism. When performing high intensity cardiovascular exercises, you are burning calories. Regular exercise can keep your need for calories higher and will help to improve your metabolism. Not only do you burn calories while you are exercising, but you also enjoy an additional expenditure of calories as your body cools down from an exercise session.

Resistance training can help to boost your metabolism in a couple of ways. The movements performed in resistance training require calories for your body to move and lift the weights. Additionally, weight training can help increase muscle mass. Muscles require more calories than fat, so increasing the amount of muscle automatically increases the amount of calories your body requires, even at rest.

Improving Your Metabolism with Herbal Supplements

The use of herbal supplements can also have an impact on metabolism. Products such as Meltorin tout their ability to improve metabolism, suppress appetite and control cravings by regulating insulin levels. More information can be found on this subject at: www.Meltorin.com. The information provided on the web site can help you determine if this type of product is right for you.