By the time you reach(ed) your 40’s, the differences between the fit and the unfit really start to show. The dips in bone and muscle mass that began in your 30’s really ramp up if you don’t exercise. Retaining fat burning muscle is critical to keeping your weight in check. It will not only prevent you from going up a few sizes but it will also help you fight off serious stuff like heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer.
You might think that your aging metabolism is too far out of your control. But recent studies suggest that, although genetics and your age both play a role, you have plenty of say over how well your metabolism functions. In fact, you can all but negate the metabolic slowdown (3% every decade!) that happens after 40 by tweaking your diet, exercise and sleep habits. By making adjustments to these three elements, you can actually make your engine rev higher.
Here are the keys:
- Eat early. Your basal metabolic rate- the number of calories your body burns at rest- is based on things like age, height and body type (which includes how much muscle you have). But there is a lot you can do to change the number of calories you burn above that, beginning with your diet. Of particular importance- eating breakfast. Here’s why: when your brain senses your stomach is empty, it sends a message to your cells to conserve energy in case another meal doesn’t arrive. In other words, your body holds onto fat stored in your cells instead of helping you burn it off. Breakfast triggers a process called thermogensis, where the body signals the brain to activate the metabolic process of turning food into energy.
- Eat often. To keep your metabolism humming, eat every three to four hours. Aim to make each of your meals and snacks one quarter protein. Protein stimulates the cells responsible for switching on the body’s calorie burning mechanism.
- Work off the weight. With exercise, that is. Not only does it affect your metabolism while you are doing it, but research shows you can keep burning calories up to 24 hours after you finish because your metabolism stays elevated. This is especially true if you really challenge yourself with intense bouts of exercise. In other words, intervals. Researchers have found that intervals have a higher activation rate of fat burning genes than moderate intensity exercise.
- And while cardio is great, you need to strength train. Muscle burns more calories than any other tissue in the body. But you are losing more than half a pound of it annually. Keep or increase that muscle and you could burn an extra 100 calories per 24 hours. Experts now know that it is possible for people aged 41 to 81- who continue to exercise vigorously 4 to 5 times a week and strength train 2 to 3 times a week as they get older- to have little change in their body composition. The real reason you lose muscle with age? You stop using it. If you use it, you won’t lose it!
- Sleep! Why? Because too little sleep can cause you to gain- and not just because you are spending those extra waking hours in front of the TV nursing a bag of snacks. Research suggests that people who sleep two thirds of their usual amount (five hours instead of eight, say) eat an average of 549 extra calories in the following day without realizing it! Experts believe this is because too few zzz’s upset the balance of important appetite regulating (such as leptin) and metabolism related hormones.
We all reach an age when aggressive prevention of weight gain is the way to focus our efforts. Are you there yet? If not, what do you need to change?
Fitness Matters Inc 