Five Ways To Boost Your Metabolism After Age 50
I know you’re reading this now, and saying What? Doctors tell us that as we age; our metabolism decreases, and our hormones plummet as well, slowing down our system. A slower metabolism can cause weight gain, low energy, lack of focus and mood swings. This is the No. 1 complaint post-menopausal women share with each other. While this is a valid complaint and very true, it tends to prohibit us from finding a better way, as we settle into that outdated belief. Aging equals weight gain, is a universal belief given to both women and men for decades. A visit to the doctor and you complain about your weight, you’re most likely be met with, “It’s Menopause,” or “It’s Your Age.” The missing link to this scenario is not investigating ways to help increase your metabolism as you age. Wouldn’t you rather feel alive and sexy, have mental clarity, and get back the energy you once had? I’m not referring to going back to your 20’s again, but most women, as they age, desire to look and feel sexy regardless of age.
While there are various factors that contribute to increased weight gain over a long period, a decrease in metabolism is the main culprit. Even if your diet remains the same, you’ll most likely gain a few pounds per year, and more if you’re not paying attention to your diet, or you’re eating problematic foods that cause chronic inflammation, such as gluten, dairy, soy, corn, sugar, flour, processed foods, and industrial seed oils.
My Personal Struggle With Hormones
This past year, I have been through many hormonal issues, causing my metabolism to slow down, therefore I lost the energy I once had. Although I continued with a healthy diet, I noticed the pounds creeping back in. I realized now, more than ever, I need to pay attention to not only my diet, but the timeframe I was eating, and anything extra I added back in to my diet that could be contributing. I am guilty of having a glass of wine or two at night with my dinner. I know many women are doing the same. I also know that even though I have that healthy dinner, that wine (which turns to carbs and sugar) adds an overload to my daily caloric intake. When we are in our rest and restore state, as we sleep, that’s when our metabolism burns fat. But, if we’re eating sugar and carbs at night, and maybe during the day as well, our body stays in “sugar burning” mode as opposed to “fat burning” and we’re not able to lose those extra pounds.
I also realized that doing my regular Pilates and yoga classes, although very beneficial to my mind and body, were not enough to help me lose those excess pounds. I needed to mix things up, try a new regimen that will get things moving again.
Below is what I have found to be the most impactful and easiest to implement exercise regimen along with diet hacks and the importance of sleep. I am seeing my waistline shrink, and I feel great. I am challenging myself every day and feel so much more empowered as a result.
Strength Training – Gaining muscle burns fat, a simple science we all know. You know how much I advocate for resistance training to keep our body strong. Our bones need this, our body stays strong, and it guarantees you’re going to boost your mood, and your metabolism.
HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) - Cardio bursts are one of the quickest ways to rev up your metabolism and lose weight. When you start to incorporate HIIT, you’ll understand why it is so important to stay fit and healthy as you age. The good news is, doing as little as 20 minutes of HIIT is enough to give you an effective workout. And remember, nothing makes you feel less sexy than sitting on your butt all day, not moving. A sedentary lifestyle puts years on your age. It’s a prescription to live a long, drawn out, unhealthy and unhappy life. It is my hope that you don’t go there!
Start Where You Are - If you are new to any form of exercise, it’s time to figure out your starting point. Starting, no matter how small, is the key. Your starting point may be going for a ½-mile walk at lunchtime, then increase as you incorporate this into your daily routine. Small steps lead to major improvements in your health.
Intermittent Fasting – This is probably one of the most under-utilized weight loss techniques. Keep a short window 8-12 hours a day for your meals and snacks, then fast as long as you can go. An example is two to three days a week, my last meal which will consist of protein, fat, complex carbs, fiber, will end around 6:00 or 7:00 p.m., and I won’t have my next meal until 12:00 p.m. the following day (a 17-18 hour fast). Eating a healthy meal, will move me into fat burning, not sugar burning, so be careful to pay attention to what you are eating. Some days I have a harder time with this, so I pull out my homemade bone broth and sip on that to keep me satisfied. I get the benefits of the collagen and gelatin, both anti-aging powerhouse’s that help my body stay and feel young. Herbal tea works as well. When it comes to intermittent fasting, play around with this and fast as long as it feels right for you. You may want to go without dinner instead, and your eight to twelve-hour food window would including breakfast and lunch, and a healthy snack, and skip dinner. Use whatever works for your schedule. And when you’re eating a healthy diet, and eliminate those extra things that contribute to weight gain, you’ll notice the pounds melt away faster using this method.
Get your healthy 7-8 hours of sleep - Don’t underestimate sleep. It controls your sugar cravings, salt cravings, and your hormones. If we don’t sleep, we are more apt to reach for that late-night bowl of ice cream to satisfy our mood, sabotaging all of our efforts.
If all of this resonates with you and you’re ready to make a change in 2019 to include ways to get your sexy back, get your body back, and feel alive again, I’ll be rolling out a program that will be educational, fun, supportive, energetic and full of information to help you reap the benefits of aging in health, not aging in dis-ease.
I'm looking for like-minded people who want to challenge their status quo, step out of their comfort zone (although you won't be alone and will have my full support) and start intentionally living the life you deserve, I would love to hear from you! You can direct message me at info@FindingYourHealth.com.
To Your Health and Happiness!