As we age our metabolism slows down, a direct result of losing muscle mass. The latest science tells us there are clear ways to boost your metabolism naturally, through weight training and focusing on getting lean protein at every meal.
Firing up the engines in your body (such as your muscles) that burn fat and calories is not that surprising or complicated, but the latest research provides some easy “to-dos” if you have some extra pounds you want to lose.
If you think you are experiencing a “slow metabolism” then trying these fixes to boost your metabolism may help you lose weight and keep it off without the help of weight loss drugs. The good news is you can have a better, faster metabolism with five easy steps. Some of them you’re probably already doing.
The world may be going crazy for Ozempic, but for those of us who are determined to get lean and fit the old-fashioned way, by exercising and eating healthy, here are sound science-backed tips that will help boost your metabolism.
This science comes from the BBC magazine, Science Focus. The verified information is trusted and from expert sources. We are summarizing here, but if you want to read the long-playing (8 minute) version, check out this article on metabolism boosting made easy.
Five steps to jumpstart your metabolism Naturally
1. Strength Train to BUiLD MUSCLe
You may already know that you lose muscle mass every year after age of 30, (It’s called sarcopenia and it means that every decade we lose 3 to 8 percent of our muscle mass, which is a lot! It means we need to work harder to keep the lean muscle mass that we have. Weight training is the best way to do this.
What you may not know is that this loss of lean muscle over time slows down your metabolism. Why? Because muscle burns more calories than fat even when it’s just sitting there, so the more lean muscle mass you have, the more your metabolism is burning calories at rest.
Lean body composition is the key to boosting your metabolism. The body’s resting metabolism slows with age, but as you build your large muscle groups back up (assuming you have lost some muscle mass over the years) you can reignite the burning power of your resting metabolism and get leaner too.
Add three strength training sessions a week for best results when working to rev up your metabolism. Try every other day. Just starting out? We love the Daily 50 workout that is all over IG.
The Daily 50:
- 50 Pushups
- 50 Squats
- 50 Lunges (alternating sides)
- 50 Second Plank
- 50 Second Wall Sit
It may not sound like a lot, but it is! Doing 50 of anything is hard at first. Everyone has trouble with one or more or the above moves. For me it’s the pushups. When I started out I had to do them on my knees. Here are some ways to make it easier.
Make Pushups Easier to Start Out
If you can do pushups on the floor that’s impressive, but don’t feel shy about using your knees instead of holding the full plank position to protect your wrists or lower back if you are not used to doing push ups. Work up to 50.
For anyone who wants to try an easier version you can do a push up against the wall or by placing hands on the edge of your kitchen or bathroom counter, to make it even more do-able at first. Not getting to 50 yet? Try 10, then two sets of 12, etc. Work up to 50 and keep lowering your hands to make it harder as you get stronger.
Check out these two examples, one with Beginner Moves and the other with the full monte.
Boost Your Metabolism With These Moves
The Daily 50 for beginners with wall pushups and plank on a low chair cusion:
Once you feel ready, try the more advanced version:
2. Burn Brown Fat By Working Out in Cold Temps
Brown fat sounds gross but it’s actually life saving for when we are freezing or caught in unfortunate circumstances. It’s some of the hardest fat to burn. Essentially this is the fat between the regular surface fat you can pinch and the fat that protects our internal organs, muscles, and the important areas of the body such as the neck, heart, kidneys and other vital areas). It was once believed that only babies had brown fat but now researchers have discovered all of us have it.
Best way to burn brown fat? Ice, Ice, baby. Think: cold lake swims, skiing in the high mountains, running or walking the dog on ice cold mornings. Brown fat’s sole function is to insulate us and increase body heat. The more heat your body needs to keep its vital functions humming along, the more brown fat you burn.
3. Train on an Empty Stomach
The technical term for this is “exercie fasted.” Since you want your body to get used to burning fat the best way to do that is to go for your morning run before you eat much of anything, so the body is forced to burn fat for fuel. Need a little something before heading out? Try a bit of almond butter on half a banana, or a handful of blueberries with your coffee with cream.
The more your body gets used to burning fat for fuel, the better it does it. So you not only get the “afterburn” effects of cardio training, where the body continues to burn extra calories long after you’ve stopped, until your muscles are replenished, but your fuel system is acclimated to burning fat and will continue to do so without having to follow some kind of strict keto diet.
4. Eat More LEAN Protein
You know that protein is the building block of muscle, but there’s another important way that protein helps you burn more calories than the other macro groups. When you eat food, your body has to break it down to use it, and that actually burns some of the calories you just ingested. This is called the thermic effect. Protein has a higher thermic effect than carbs or fat, by a lot.
“The thermic effect of fats is less than 3 per cent, carbohydrates up to 10 per cent, and protein 20 to 30 per cent. So if you consume 1,000 calories of protein, you’ll expend 200 to 300 calories simply digesting it,” says Javier Gonzalez, Professor of Nutrition and Metabolism at the University of Bath in the UK. “That’s why protein is so powerful if you’re looking to cut weight, but maintain muscle mass.”
Try to eat protein at every meal, and make sure your snacks also contain protein. Great plant-based sources are nuts (almonds and peanuts), seeds (such as chia seeds and hemp), legumes (beans and chick peas) and spirulina, quinoa and tofu.
5. The more you lose, the less your body needs
As you see the fruits of your labor, and your jeans start to feel loose or you lose a few pounds (though rememver lean muscle weighs more than fat so your clothes may fit differently before the scale shows any real movement), your body will also regulate how much it burns. Don’t be discouraged. This is your amazing body’s way of trying to save you from some unforseen famine.
Larger bodies need more calories than smaller ones, even if you are now built of lean muscles. That means a body that is 145 pounds needs more calories to maintain its size than a body that is 10 percent smaller, or about 130 pounds. Researchers have found that as someone succeeds to lose weight, they can become frustrated at the fact that they now need to eat less.
There is one positive way to look at this: If you eat just 10 percent less, eventually you will weigh 10 percent less. And if you add more muscle tone, that muscle will burn more calories, even at rest. So play the long game, the researchers tell us. Allow your body to regulate and find its new set point.
6. Bedtime Snacks Are Allowed
A glass of milk or other protein snack before bed can be helpful in building muscle, since over the 7 or 8 hours while you are slumbering, the body will lose some of its muscle mass. So if you are eager to maintain or grow lean muscle, a glass of milk or small protein snack before bed is one way to do it.
Bottom Line:
Building more muscle is the number one way to boost your metabolism, especially as you age. We appreciate the solid science assembled by the author Jim Witt in the story in the BBC’s Science Focus Magazine. Keep up the great work.
For more helpful advice on Wellbeing, Health and Fitness, check out The Advice Pages Wellbeing content. Have a question? DM us on Instagram @advicepages.
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