A Slow Metabolism? How To Increase It

3-46pm

Last week,  when I met clinical dietitian Sonja, she had me stand on her really technical machine that analysed more than I wanted to know. One of the things that came up in the results was that my metabolism was slightly on the slow side, so since then, I’ve been trying to rev it up a bit. I also have done a bit of digging into what’s up with my nearly 50, female metabolism. I learned: if you are female, you will have a slower metabolism than an equally aged male. You can inherit slow metabolism. The older you get the slower your metabolism gets. In women, it seems metabolism slows as oestrogen levels drop. If you have found that you are struggling to lose weight, motoring up your metabolism is one way to try and break through the plateau. So the next most obvious question is HOW?  This is what I discovered:

MAKE MUSCLE – To increase your metabolism, make muscle. Each kilogram of muscle burns about 12 calories per day. Compare that to each kilogram of fat which burns only about 4 calories per day. In order to increase your metabolism, increase muscle mass. Multi joint exercises are best for building muscle in over 50 year old women. The kind of exercises you want to familiarise yourself with are push-ups, pull-ups, bench press and shoulder press. If you prefer to walk, buy a couple of weights and walk with those for more of a power walk. Make sure you consult a doctor before getting on an exercise plan. Then seek out a trainer who can assess you and start you on a plan that will suit you.

MOVE MORE – the truth is as long as we are keeping active, we are increasing our metabolism. Get your heart rate up 4 or 5 times a week. Do mini workouts on slow days – run up and down steps 50 times a couple of times a day. Just rev up your heart rate a bit to jump start your metabolism. It’s a great thing to do first thing in the morning, even on a ‘gym’ day.

To increase your metabolism, GO FASTER. The older we get, the more inclined we are to walk instead of run, dawdle instead of power walk. To increase your resting metabolic rate, speed up your aerobic workout. Try intermittent running, or if you are jogging, include a short distant sprint. This will increase your heart rate and increase your metabolism once the workout is over and you are resting.

AIM FOR 8 ~HYDRATE! Here’s something you may not know. If you are at any stage slightly dehydrated, your metabolism slows down. According to Webmd, a study found that those who drank 8 or more glasses of water a day burned more calories than those who only drank 4. Unless it’s very hot or you are very active, I don’t believe you need to drink more than 8 glasses of water a day. Don’t overdo it otherwise you may become waterlogged.

SNACK or STARVE? In years gone by it has regularly been suggested that by having 5 or 6 small meals a day, your metabolism will be quicker than if you go too long between meals. The jury is still out as to whether this is accurate or not. In my reading, I found both schools of thought. Some eating is good for metabolism – while others said the food has to be eaten anyway and will do the same amount of work in digesting the day’s calories whether in comes in 5 small meals or less bigger ones. While those who follow a Banting lifestyle say protein is better for metabolism than carbs, those who are not carbohydrate intolerant say a combination of carbs and protein works for them. You’ll have to experiment with what works for you.

I am sure there is more to say on the topic, but that’s all I’ve got for you so far!

Sources:

• http://www.livestrong.com/article/169798-how-to-build-muscle-mass-after-50/
• http://www.marksdailyapple.com/meal-timing/#axzz3BlY7TLrp
• http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-boost-your-metabolism
• http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/metabolism-hacks?page=3

Philippians 3:12

  “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own…” 

Ha! Keep on keeping on!

God bless you!

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Gratitude Pic…a beautiful double rainbow this morning….from my balcony. Is it not amazing that God continues to put these in the sky as the forever reminder of  never again will there be a flood.