Metabolism is the rate at which your body utilizes calories to maintain all the functions that go on through the course of a day. This includes voluntary actions and involuntary actions such as breathing, sleeping and digesting food. As you age, the mitochondria responsible for breaking down nutrients do not work as efficiently, which leads to a slower metabolism. If you are over 55 and you are looking to increase your metabolism, there are ways to make it happen.
Step 1
Consume breakfast. After coming out of a night's sleep and a long fast, your body needs some nourishment to kick-start your metabolism. Some examples of foods to eat are cereal and milk, oatmeal, a banana with peanut butter, a granola bar or a hard boiled egg with toast.
Step 2
Eat throughout the day. Going long time periods without eating will cause your body to go into starvation mode, which will slow down your metabolism. To stop this from happening, eat a balanced meal every two to three hours throughout the day. Eat foods that are nutrient-dense like lean meats, low-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, whole grains and legumes.
Step 3
Drink water. Water serves many purposes in the body. It keeps you hydrated, it helps lubricate joints, it flushes toxins from the system and it also aids in metabolism and digestion. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women consume 2.7 liters of total fluids a day and men consume 3.7 liters of total fluids a day. This includes all types of beverages and foods.
Step 4
Build some muscle. Muscle is metabolically active, meaning it can burn a lot of calories during activities and while at rest. To build some muscle, perform exercises that target all the major muscle groups. Some examples include bench presses, military presses, back rows, tricep extensions, bicep curls and lunges.
Step 5
Do some high intensity cardio training. Performing high intensity cardio can increase metabolism for hours after you are done. This is called EPOC, which stands for excess postexercise oxygen consumption. An example of this can be seen in sprint intervals. After doing a ten-minute warmup, perform ten 30-second sprints with 60-second rest intervals in between. Finish with a ten-minute cool down.
Tips and Warnings
- Eat meals that have a balance of protein, carbs and fat. An example of a meal would be a chicken breast salad with olive oil dressing and a piece of fruit.
- If you have never exercised before or have not exercised in a while, get clearance from your physician before engaging in any high intensity activities.
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