Although the metabolism typically slows down with age, there are many things you can do fight this. Here are six ways you can combat the effects of aging on your metabolism.
1. Try Resistance Training
Resistance training, or weight lifting, is great for preventing a slowing metabolism.
It offers the benefits of exercise while preserving muscle mass — two factors that affect the speed of your metabolism.
One study with 13 healthy men aged 50–65 found that 16 weeks of resistance training three times weekly increased their RMR by 7.7% (23).
Another study with 15 people aged 61–77 found that half a year of resistance training three times weekly increased RMR by 6.8% (24).
2. Try High-Intensity Interval Training
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help prevent a slowing metabolism. It is a training technique that alternates between intense anaerobic exercise with short periods of rest.
HIIT also continues to burn calories long after you finish exercising. This is called the “afterburn effect.” It occurs because your muscles need to use more energy to recover after exercise (25, 26).
In fact, research has shown that HIIT can burn up to 190 calories over 14 hours after exercising (26).
Research also shows that HIIT can help your body build and preserve muscle mass with age (27).
3. Get Plenty of Sleep
Research shows a lack of sleep can slow down your metabolism. Fortunately, a good night’s rest can reverse this effect (28).
One study found that 4 hours of sleep reduced metabolism by 2.6% compared to 10 hours of sleep. Fortunately, a night of long sleep (12 hours) helped restore metabolism (29).
It also seems that poor sleep may increase muscle loss. Since muscle influences your RMR, losing muscle can slow down your metabolism (30).
If you struggle to fall asleep, try unplugging from technology at least one hour before bed. Alternatively, try a sleep supplement.
4. Eat More Protein-Rich Foods
Eating more protein-rich foods can help fight a slowing metabolism.
That’s because your body burns more calories while consuming, digesting and absorbing protein-rich foods. This is known as the thermic effect of food (TEF). Protein-rich foods have a higher TEF than carb- and fat-rich foods (31).
In fact, 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 (32).
Protein is also essential to fight sarcopenia. Thus, a protein-rich diet can fight an aging metabolism by preserving muscle (33).
A simple way to eat more protein daily is to have a source of protein at every meal.
5. Make Sure You Eat Enough Food
A low-calorie diet can slow down your metabolism by switching your body into “starvation mode” (34).
While dieting has its benefits when you’re younger, maintaining muscle mass is more important with age (35).
Older adults also tend to have a lower appetite, which may decrease calorie intake and slow metabolism (36).
If you struggle to eat enough calories, try eating smaller portions more frequently. It is also great to have high-calorie snacks like cheese and nuts handy.
6. Drink Green Tea
This is because green tea contains caffeine and plant compounds, which have been shown to increase your resting metabolism (38).
A study in 10 healthy men found that drinking green tea three times daily increased their metabolism by 4% over 24 hours (39).
SUMMARY:Although your metabolism slows down with age, there are many ways to combat this. This includes resistance training, high-intensity training, getting plenty of rest, eating enough protein and calories and drinking green tea.
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