The speed of your metabolism determines how many calories your body burns each day. Although aging causes metabolism to slow down, this does not mean that losing weight is a lost cause. By taking simple steps, your metabolism can be just as spry at age 35 as it was at age 20.
Eat Breakfast
Make sure you eat a good breakfast each morning. According to Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., professor of nutrition at Penn State University and an author of "The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan," your metabolism slows while you are sleeping and starts back up when you start to eat again. Eating breakfast ensures that your body burns calories from the get-go rather than starting at noontime lunch. Have a morning meal full of protein and high-fiber carbohydrates, such as whole-grain toast with an egg-white omelet, to ensure that your blood sugar does not spike and plummet.
Snack Often
Instead of eating two or three big meals a day, try to have five or six small meals. This will keep your metabolism going and prevent you from getting so hungry between meals that you overeat. If you are eating a daily diet of about 1,800 calories, break it up into meals of 300 to 400 calories. Also, make sure that at least a fifth (360 to 630 calories) of your daily caloric intake is comprised of protein. Protein has been shown to help speed up metabolism because the body uses more energy when burning it off.
Exercise
Your metabolism will speed up if your workout regimen includes both cardiovascular activity and weight training. Incorporating weight training to your daily swimming, walking or jogging workout helps build muscle, and muscle is able to burn up to nine times more calories than fat. Additionally, the metabolism speeds up during weight training and can stay that way for up to two hours afterward, which ends up burning more calories, according to a study published by "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise."
Lose Weight Gradually
Eating a diet that is very low in calories will not help speed up your metabolism. In fact, cutting a lot of calories from your diet likely will slow down your metabolism. This is because your body will begin to believe that it is being starved, so it will slow down its functions to protect itself. Multiply your weight by 11 to get the number of calories you should eat each day to safely lose between one and two pounds per week.
Rest
Getting plenty of sleep ensures that your metabolism is functioning properly. According to a study published by the University of Chicago's "The Lancet," chronic sleep loss can diminish even a young adult's ability to perform basic metabolic functions. Getting at least eight hours of sleep each night will help maintain a smooth-running metabolism.
Even if you eat, exercise and sleep well, your metabolism will not be at its peak if you are stressed. Because stress hormones are known to slow down metabolism, meditate, paint, do yoga or find another equally relaxing hobby to get the most out of your new routine.
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