Bella Adams
Note: The following article mentions topics such as dieting behavior and counting calories. For some readers, these topics could trigger negative reactions. Please be careful if this is the case for you and, if necessary, contact an advisory help center, such as the offer of the Federal Center for Health Education. The secret to a lean, fit, and healthy body as you age? A well-functioning metabolism. Here you will find practical tips on how to boost your metabolism naturally!
Before we look at how you can boost your metabolism, we should first (roughly) understand how human metabolism works in the first place. So that no unpleasant memories of the biology class come up here, here is really only a rough overview of what metabolism is.
What is metabolism and what influences it?
Metabolism is a (quite complex) process in which your body uses oxygen to convert what you eat and drink into energy. Even at rest, your body needs energy (conventionally measured in calories) for all “automatic” (and life-sustaining!) functions like breathing, blood circulation, hormone balance, and cell growth and repair. The number of calories your body uses to perform these basic functions is called your basal metabolic rate.
Your individual basal metabolic rate is determined by several factors, including your body size and composition. This means that people who are taller or have more muscle burn more calories, even at rest.
Your gender is another important influencer. Men tend to have less body fat and more muscle than women of the same age and weight, which means men tend to be able to burn more calories. Your age also plays a role in metabolism (more on that later). As we age, muscle tends to decrease and fat tends to increase, which slows calorie burning.
The energy requirements for the basic functions of the body remain relatively constant and cannot be changed so easily.
About 10% of the calories from carbohydrates and protein that you eat every day are used just during the digestion and absorption of food and nutrients!
In addition to the basal metabolic rate, two other factors determine how many calories your body burns per day: First, food processing, also known as thermogenesis. Digestion, absorption, transport, and storage of the food consumed also consume calories. About 10% of the calories from carbohydrates and protein that you eat every day are used just during the digestion and absorption of food and nutrients!
Physical activity is also a factor. Any form of exercise accounts for the remainder of the calories your body burns on a daily basis. Physical activity is by far the most variable of the factors that can affect how many calories you burn per day.
By the way, here you can find out why you shouldn’t count calories – and how you can build a healthy lifestyle and a healthy relationship with food in the long term!
Slow Metabolism: Myth or Fact? A nutritionist explains
You’ve probably heard some complaints about a “slow metabolism”. I wanted to know if this is physiologically correct and asked our certified holistic nutritionist Anne Hustig:
“Yes, that is right. Energy consumption decreases only slightly up to the age of 60. From the 1960s, however, consumption can already drop by around 0.7% per year. That’s why many people wonder as they get older why, even though they eat the same food and exercise the same amount, they still gain weight. And yes, the body masses are redistributed. Fat accumulates more quickly in the middle. In men anyway, but also in women, where the “fat” is more on the hips. Lifelong exercise and light full-body training (yoga is enough for that) can actually counteract this. If you are active a lot, you keep your circulation in momentum and the changes are kept in check and you also maintain the muscle mass and its function in the long term.”
10 tips on how to boost your metabolism
- Strength training
One reason metabolism slows with age is less muscle mass. In your 30’s you can lose between 3 and 5% of your muscle mass per decade (1)! Muscle burns more calories and thus speeds up metabolism, which is why strength training in particular helps the body keep its metabolism high. Apart from that, targeted, functional strength training helps to remain agile and flexible in old age. It is important to do full-body exercises, such as squats or push-ups. These are low-impact, so they don’t put any strain on the joints, but build or maintain muscle mass.
- High protein diet
This tip goes hand in hand with the aspect of strength training and muscle mass. In old age, the body burns less energy or requires less “quickly available” energy (i.e. carbohydrates). Rather, you can specifically support your muscles with a protein-rich diet. The body generally needs the proteins to maintain tissue anyway. So this not only refers to the muscles but also, for example, to the skin tissue. And who doesn’t want to glow with firm, plump skin for as long as possible?
- B vitamins and magnesium
Vitamins and minerals, especially B vitamins and magnesium, support metabolism by helping to speed up the chemical reactions involved in converting food into energy. B vitamins are found in whole grain products, e.g. whole grain rice or oatmeal. try e.g. B. this porridge, which contains extra magnesium thanks to the cocoa powder!
- Eat breakfast
Maybe you used to experiment with intermittent fasting – simply because you’re not hungry in the morning or as a diet. In order to do something good for your metabolism and your blood sugar level, however, you should not skip breakfast when you are old. It is best to strengthen your body in the morning with a balanced and plant-based breakfast. If you’re hardly hungry in the morning, a light smoothie or bliss balls will suffice.
- Drinking water
Water is essential for all bodily functions – after all, our body consists of 70% water! By drinking enough water throughout the day (and preferring to avoid high-sugar soft drinks), you also support your metabolism. This is reflected, for example, in well-functioning digestion and clear skin. But you also support the elimination of toxins via the liver by drinking enough. Are you bored with water? Then try this fruity spa water recipe!
- Each bean…
…accelerates your metabolism! Not only are beans a fantastic source of vegan protein, but they’re also packed with fiber, which feeds the good bacteria in your gut and keeps you full because your body doesn’t break them down as quickly. This tip will not only help you to boost your metabolism, but also support your intestines, which are important for your well-being.
- Fats
You’ve probably heard by now that fats don’t necessarily make you fat – it just depends on the fats or fatty acids that you eat. Monounsaturated fatty acids, for example, can boost metabolism by increasing calorie consumption. In addition, a balanced amount of vegetable fats (preferably from whole foods such as nuts, seeds, or avocados) ensures that blood sugar remains stable. This means fewer ravenous hunger attacks and higher energy consumption for hours after the meal. Apart from the fact that nuts taste delicious and are practical for snacking on the go, they are full of vitamins and are what is known as brain food!
- Snacking
As you may have already noticed, the right way to a healthy and fit body in old age is not through numerous diets, but on the contrary: high-quality, wholesome sources of nutrients. In other words: No starvation, no low-fat stories, and rather introduce a few healthy snacks into the day. If you provide your body with food regularly, you signal it that it can also burn energy regularly, so your metabolism remains active. However, when you starve or starve, your body goes into energy-saving mode. You can compare that to a mobile phone. When the battery drops below 20%, it goes into power-saving mode, shutting down all background updates so you can still do the basics. For the body, this means: All processes run more slowly and savings are made wherever possible. It is not uncommon for this to affect the brain as well, perhaps you then suffer from concentration difficulties, headaches, or “brain fog”. Your body doesn’t know when there will be enough nutrients to burn again! So show him that you love him and want to nurture him by feeding him regularly.
Try these delicious and healthy snacks that are even allowed during a detox!
- Avoid stress
Being stressed doesn’t feel so great and maybe you also suffer from stress pimples or notice other symptoms in your body that show you that you’ve overdone it again. But did you know that stress can negatively affect your metabolism? This is due to the stress hormone cortisol, which is triggered when you are in danger – whether for a long or short time. Thanks to cortisol, you might notice a brief burst of energy (which you might need to run from the tiger, for example). At the same time, this means that cortisol increases blood sugar levels, which makes your body feel like you’re eating sweets all the time! And this is where a second hormone comes into play: insulin, the so-called fat-storage hormone. Its job is to transport the excess sugar (i.e. if you eat too many carbohydrates that the body does not need directly for energy) from the bloodstream into the cells and store it there as fat. Yoga teacher Nina Chin gives you her best relaxation tips with which you can calm down right away!
- Regular exercise
We had already clarified that with the strength training. However, it’s not enough if you just torture yourself in the gym 3-4 times a week and otherwise lounge around on the couch. Instead, try to exercise regularly in everyday life. And by that, I don’t mean hardcore workouts, but simple walks, gentle yoga, climbing stairs, or something similar. This keeps your energy consumption high and at the same time, you train the muscles that you need to stay agile even in old age.
