Your metabolism, an indicator of how efficiently your body burns calories, is determined by a variety of factors, including age, lifestyle, diet and exercise routine. To rev up your metabolism, eat a diet that both fuels your body with necessary nutrients and cuts excess calories. Talk to your doctor before altering your eating habits and tell her if you believe you have an unusually slow metabolism.
Low-Calorie
As you age, you typically lose muscle mass and gain more body fat. Because fatty tissue uses fewer calories than muscle does, this can lead to a slower metabolism -- meaning you will need to lower your caloric intake to avoid gaining weight. Try reducing your diet by just 200 calories a day at first, which can be done by cutting out a snack or dessert. Do not eat less than 1,200 calories a day, unless your physician tells you to do so. Eating less than this may leave you feeling famished and potentially cause you to binge.
Include Breakfast
Eating breakfast helps you to avoid overeating later in the day and can jump-start your metabolism. Your morning meal gets your metabolism out of resting mode and prepares it to start burning calories. If you skip breakfast, your body may conserve calories as fat instead of burning them for energy. Even if breakfast does not appeal to you, try eating a small bowl of whole-grain cereal and a piece of fruit; this will give you some necessary nutrients and rev up your metabolism for the day.
Small, Frequent Meals
Three giant meals each day may be standard, but your metabolism and your waistline benefit more from several smaller meals instead. When you break up your big meals into five or six little ones, you give your body fuel every few hours -- keeping you feeling fuller for a longer amount of time and your metabolism working throughout the day. You can add a snack or two to ensure that you are eating about every three hours, provided that you do not go over your daily caloric limit.
Other Considerations
Diet is one half of the metabolism-boosting equation. You also need to get some physical activity to both prevent weight gain and replace muscle mass lost with age. Try to get about an hour's worth of exercise each day. Remember that your exercise can include household tasks and simple changes in routine, such as walking to the store or taking the stairs at work. Movement and activity burn calories and give you a more active metabolism.
Member Comments