Health
8 Ways To Boost Your Metabolism
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Health
8 Ways To Boost Your Metabolism
Even though it’s normal for your metabolism to change over the years, there are steps you can take to keep it healthy. Here’s how to recognize when your metabolism is slowing down and how to boost it back up.
First things first: what is the basal metabolism rate?
Also called our resting metabolism, this refers to the number of calories we burn while immobile (a.k.a. while laying on the couch!). More specifically, it's the amount of energy our bodies expend to ensure its vital functions—such as blood circulation, respiration, digestion, and temperature regulation—are operating properly. This number generally represents 60 to 70 percent of our daily energy expenditure.
8 signs your metabolism is slowing down
- Unexplained weight gain, especially around the stomach
- A lack of energy, fatigue and a feeling of lethargy
- Dry skin
- Mental fog or difficulty concentrating
- Hair loss
- Problems with intestinal transit, such as constipation
- Sensitivity or greater intolerance to cold
- Irregular periods
Why is my metabolism slowing down?
Many factors can cause your resting metabolism to slow down, starting with age. Children have a high basal metabolism—in fact, it’s double that of adults—but, over the years, we see a gradual decline in metabolic activity. By reaching adulthood, our basal metabolism has likely decreased by two to three percent per decade, predominantly due to hormonal changes and loss of muscle mass, which occur naturally with age.
Our height, weight, and muscle mass also influence our basic metabolism. Muscles, or our lean mass, consume far more energy than our fat mass. At rest, the body burns approximately 20 percent of calories from fat daily. The heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, and other tissues consume 15 to 20 percent, while other muscles burn 20 to 25 percent.
You also have to take sex and genetic inheritance into account. Caloric needs at rest are not the same in both sexes. For a 35-year-old woman, the basic energy requirement is approximately 1,400 calories per day. For a man of the same age, it’s around 1,700 calories daily. This difference is attributable, among other things, to the muscle mass of men, which is greater than that of women, as well as to male and female hormones.
If you've experienced repeated restrictive diets, your metabolism will often slow down further than someone who hasn't. When you don't consume enough calories, your body can become distressed and reduce its energy expenditure to compensate for the lack of calories ingested.
Menopause can also affect your metabolism. The significant drop in estrogen levels attributed to menopausal hormone changes can impact your resting metabolism. Additionally, menopause is often accompanied by a decrease in muscle mass, which can also contribute to a metabolic slowdown.
Finally, thyroid disorders, certain medications (such as corticosteroids, beta-blockers, antidepressants, and anxiolytics), lack of sleep, and stress levels affect your basic metabolism.
8 ways to boost your metabolism
Fortunately, there are strategies to help boost your metabolism and make weight management easier.
1. Eat Regularly
Eating often has been proven to activate the basal metabolism. We recommend adding two or three snacks—which combine carbohydrates and proteins—to your three meals a day. Above all, avoid restrictive diets that put your body on alert and slow down your metabolism.
2. Drink Green Tea
A study published in The Journal of Nutrition revealed that the catechin contained in green tea stimulates resting metabolism. Therefore, by enjoying a few cups of tea a day (without sugar), you may burn more calories.
3. Gain Muscle Mass
The more muscular your body is, the more calories you burn at rest. Doing resistance exercises, such as weight training, can help you develop and maintain muscle mass, activating your basic metabolism.
4. Do an Interval Workout
Interval training, also called high-intensity interval training (HIIT), has been proven to boost basal metabolism despite its short duration.
5. Stay hydrated
Dehydration makes you tired and slows down your metabolism. Make sure you drink enough water throughout the day.
6. Eat Enough Protein
Adding lean protein to your diet can help support muscle growth while increasing the rate of your metabolism by 15 to 30 percent. The body burns an average of six calories per day to maintain 450g of "lean muscle," compared to two calories per day for 450g of fat. Protein also has a satiating effect.
7. Control Your Stress
Stress influences the production of certain hormones—such as cortisol—which can affect metabolism. Practicing stress-control techniques, such as meditation and deep breathing, helps regulate metabolic activity.
8. Get A Good Night's Sleep
Since inadequate sleep can disrupt hormones linked to the metabolism, adopt a ritual that will help you fall and stay asleep.
8 metabolism-boosting foods
Choosing the right foods can activate the basic metabolism.
- LENTILS are rich in complex carbohydrates, fibre and protein. They also contain B vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc.
- OATS provide carbohydrates, plant proteins and B vitamins. They contain minerals, including iron, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, manganese and zinc.
- ALMONDS are full of protein and B vitamins. They also provide calcium, magnesium and copper, as well as iron, manganese and zinc.
- PEPPER doesn't just add flavour to our dishes, it stimulates metabolism thanks to the capsaicin it contains.
- TUNA contains minerals, such as iron, zinc, magnesium and iodine, proteins, B vitamins and fatty acids.
- GREEN TEA is effective in stimulating metabolism.
- BEEF (grass-fed) is rich in L-carnitine, an amino acid, and animal proteins. It also provides us with iron, zinc and B vitamins.
- SPINACH contains iron, zinc and magnesium, vitamin C and B vitamins, such as biotin.
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