Why your metabolism slows down as you age – and how you can get it going again!
In our 20s, we think very little about our metabolism. We are young and our bodies still have the “get out of jail free” card (kind of like Monopoly!).
In short: We have not yet done enough damage to our bodies to cause our metabolism to slow down.
When we look at our bodies in our 30s, many of us start to notice a difference from our 20s. We can't get away with a lot of things as easily as we did before without feeling sluggish, losing energy, or gaining unwanted fat.
Our metabolism is a complex combination of functions which, among other things, determines how our body utilizes food and how we produce and use our energy.
As soon as our metabolism stops functioning optimally, we feel “old”.
These are four reasons why your metabolism slows down (and solutions on what you can do about it)
Highly processed foods (UPFs)
Food is actually the wrong term for this. UPFs are “edible substances” that have been produced industrially. Examples include many types of ice cream, meat products, cereals and soft drinks.
These foods disrupt many of our hormonal pathways, often resulting in dysfunction and causing diseases such as diabetes, obesity or fatty liver.
Here's what you can do: If you want to live a healthy lifestyle, be full of energy and have a fully functioning metabolism, keep these “foods” to a minimum. Focus on foods that “grow in the soil” or foods that “come directly from animals whose food grows in the soil.” Lastly, question foods with more than five ingredients.
Lost muscle mass
Our muscles use the most energy in our body. They regulate our blood sugar and fat levels so that they remain in balance.
Losing muscle mass, called sarcopenia, begins in our 30s and 40s and is unfortunately a normal part of getting older.
As some studies have shown, unexplained muscle loss can lead to the so-called metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome encompasses a variety of diseases that greatly reduce and slow down our metabolic function.
In short, when we lose muscle mass, it leads to a lower quality of life, an increased risk of injury and ultimately a loss of independence.
You can do this: The only proven way to minimize muscle loss is to do regular strength training. Bodyweight exercises are great, but to give your body the best of the best, you should lift weights and move weights two to three times a week.
Poor sleep
Adequate quality sleep is essential for a healthy metabolism and our general health. If we have had even one bad night of sleep or only one interrupted sleep, we feel like we have been hit by a truck, exhausted and sluggish.
For people with serious sleep disorders, the results of chronic poor sleep are catastrophic: diabetes, heart and kidney disease, and several serious mental illnesses.
Here's what you can do: “The Big Book of Sleep” by Dr. Matthew Walker provides you with comprehensive information on this very topic. It is a must to have sufficient knowledge about this extremely important aspect of your life.
Chronic stress
Unfortunately, stress has become something normal for us humans.
Our bodies are well equipped to deal with stressful situations. Stress for a short moment enables us to better deal with everyday challenges and can even improve our immune system.
However, our metabolism and our quality of life deteriorate as soon as stress becomes chronic.
We feel drained and without energy all the time. We gain weight and try to find an escape in alcohol or drugs.
Here's what you can do: Learning to meditate is one of the best and most common pieces of advice. Apps like Headspace have already helped millions of people around the world to regulate their stress effectively. Exercising more often has also proven to be an excellent solution to reduce chronic stress. Start with something easy like a 10-minute walk. You could try bouldering, yoga or jogging. Or you can save yourself time and energy and try Fit4TheGame. 🙂
Do you want to boost your metabolism and get fit? Try our 30-day fitness academy - including personal training and nutritional advice! CLICK HERE to learn more.
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