how to increase metabolism after 50 :
As you age, your metabolism slows down, which can lead to weight gain and other health issues. But you don’t have to accept a lower metabolism as an inevitable part of aging. By making some simple lifestyle changes, you can boost your metabolism and stay healthy as you age. In this article, we’ll discuss some effective ways to boost your metabolism after 50.
Build Muscle Mass
As you age, you begin to lose muscle mass, a condition known as sarcopenia. This loss of muscle mass speeds up after you turn 50, and you can lose as much as 15% muscle mass each decade afterward. This decrease in muscle mass is one of the main reasons why your metabolism slows down as you age.
However, you can boost your metabolism by doing strength training exercises and lifting weights. Building muscle mass also helps your body burn more calories, which can prevent them from being converted into fat. Exercises like weights, resistance bands, and bodyweight exercises can all help build muscle.
Get Aerobic Exercise
Another effective way to boost your metabolism is through aerobic or cardio exercises. Aerobic exercises can offer many benefits like lower blood pressure, improved lung health, lower resting heart rate, help control weight and blood sugar, and lower the risk of heart disease.
Examples of aerobic exercises include walking, swimming, bike riding, jogging, dancing, tennis, and badminton. Doing aerobic exercises can help improve your metabolism and keep you healthy.
Stay Hydrated
Drinking water can also help boost your metabolism. When you drink water, your body undergoes thermogenesis, a process in which the body heats up the liquid and brings it to body temperature. This process requires burning calories, which can boost your metabolism by as much as 30%.
While the process only lasts for about an hour, it happens every time you drink water. Staying hydrated also helps when you exercise and lets your body dissolve important minerals and vitamins. Water helps keep your skin, hair, and brain healthy.
Eat Healthy
Eating a healthy diet is crucial for maintaining a healthy metabolism. To boost your metabolism, add more protein to your diet. Older adults have more protein needs to make up for muscle loss and to maintain bone health and other body functions. Most older adults need about 1.0 to 1.5 grams of dietary protein per kilogram of weight, while younger adults need about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of weight.
In addition to protein-rich foods, you should also eat more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and fiber. Eating whole foods can help you get more nutritional value, as your body becomes less efficient at absorbing nutrients over time. Nutrient-dense foods keep your body fueled longer.
Have Small Meals More Often
Eating smaller, more frequent meals can also help boost your metabolism. The longer you go between meals, the more your metabolism drops and the hungrier you feel.
When you eat small, balanced meals more often, or a healthy snack in between three healthy meals, your metabolism stays more consistent. Proteins should be a part of each meal, since they’re better at helping your body’s metabolism.
Get Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep is important for overall health, including your metabolism. As you get older, you may get less quality sleep, become more active and alert in the mornings, and get tired quicker at night.
Since your shut-eye and metabolism are connected, getting better sleep can help your body burn more calories and use nutrients more efficiently. To improve your sleep, keep the room dark, lower the temperature, avoid food or water at night, skip late-afternoon or evening naps, exercise during the day, and be active outdoors. Talk