While there are lots of reasons to love turning 40, this milestone age does bring a few grim realities like a slower metabolism which can result in seemingly inexplicable weight gain.
After 40, your metabolism starts to wind down approximately 5% every decade, which means you need to consume fewer calories and exercise more just to maintain your normal weight.
Often, a healthy diet alone isn’t enough to keep those extra pounds off – there are a multitude of factors that influence metabolism, including your age, sex, thyroid levels, your emotional state, genetics and the ratio of muscle to fat.
The very worst thing you can do is give up the effort.
While it may be a little more difficult than when you were younger, you can successfully lose, or even maintain a healthy weight after 40 by recharging your metabolism!
No matter how young or old you are, your body is a calorie-burning machine.
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Every little thing you do, from reading this post to breathing, sleeping and driving, uses energy. The number of calories it would require to lie in bed all day is known as your resting metabolic rate.
While you can’t turn back time, there are plenty of things you can do to get it revved up.
One of your first lines of defense is to increase your muscle mass.
As estrogen levels dip, you burn fewer calories, and regular weight-lifting (10 to 12 reps of 8 to 10 exercises three times per week) can add enough muscle mass to help burn more calories each day, negating the hit your metabolism takes.
A pound of muscle at rest sizzles three times as many calories as a pound of fat!
Another factor that many people don’t understand is that sleep is also a necessity when it comes to metabolism.
While you might think that the more hours you’re awake, the more calories you’ll burn, the truth is that you need sleep for a quicker metabolism.
Just one sleepless night can reduce your resting metabolic rate by as much as 5% several hours into the next day.
Plus, you’ll burn 20% fewer calories from diet-induced thermogenesis, which is the number of calories the body uses to break down and digest food.
Of course, food also plays a huge part in how fast or slow your metabolism is.
To keep your internal fat- blasting machine going at its optimal speed all day long, it’s important to avoid dramatic drops in blood sugar.
As blood sugar is the primary fuel for the brain, when it drops, the brain takes steps to sustain sugar delivery for normal functioning. This triggers the body to release the hormone known as cortisol to break down tissue, including muscle, turning it into glucose to feed the brain.
So what does that actually mean?
Low blood sugar will leave you with less muscle, which slows your metabolism to a crawl. You can help prevent this by consuming smaller, meals as well as small, healthy snacks in between.
The food you choose to eat is important too – embrace real, whole foods, including plenty of organic fruits and veggies that are free of toxins like pesticides and other chemicals.
Consume healthy fats in moderate amounts, things like wild-caught salmon, coconut oil, nuts and seeds as well as other high quality protein options, such as grass-fed beef and organic, free-range chicken.
The spices you cook with can help give your metabolism a boost and encourage your body to burn more fat, including spices like ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, and turmeric.
Remember, if it comes in a box or a bag, it most likely is processed and contains chemicals and preservatives which contribute to food addictions and a host of other problems.
The more you can eliminate those types of items, the more the cravings will disappear – and the better off your metabolism will be.
Yours in Health,
Danette