10 Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism After 40

We all want a fast metabolism that will provide us with a lean waist and perfect proportions, however, as we know, its speeds decrease as we grow older. You understand the first big change as soon as you turn 30-40, where you start to lose 3-5% of your muscle mass every year. What does this mean in practice? Your body will not be able to burn calories as efficiently as when you were 15 or 20 years old. However, the good news is that making small changes to your diet can speed up your metabolism a bit again.

1. Eat every 3 hours

"Snacks speed up your metabolism, as they keep your blood sugar levels stable. It also lowers levels of insulin, the hormone that is responsible for fat storage, and supports the release of glucagon, the hormone that is responsible for burning fat, ”says dietitian Cassie Bjork.

2. Stop counting calories

"It's the worst you can do. When you deprive your body of the energy it needs, it actually starts to save it, thus slowing down the metabolism. "You are more likely to feel hungry and have frequent headaches," says Cassie.

3. Never skip breakfast

"Metabolic function slows down during sleep, which is why it is so important to properly replenish your body with a nutritious breakfast so that they can be reactivated," says nutritionist Rachael DeVaux.

4. Drink more water

"If your body is hydrated, you will have more energy, which means you will burn more calories when you sleep," says Dr. Lauren Beardsley.

5. Make beans your best friend

"Beans are an excellent source of protein and fiber, two nutrients that end up burning a lot of calories during digestion," says DeVaux.

6. Do not forget the monounsaturated fats

We are talking about 'good' fats, which are found in foods such as olive oil, tahini, nuts and avocados. "They speed up metabolism by burning fat," says DeVaux.

7. Eat something before bed

And yet it is no longer considered prohibitive. Researchers at the University of Florida found that men who ate an evening snack containing 30 grams of protein had a higher metabolic rate than those who ate nothing.

8. Avoid artificial sweeteners as much as possible

According to research published in the journal Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, drinks that contain artificial sweeteners can "confuse" the body's normal metabolic functions, thus increasing appetite. Our advice? Drink water when you are thirsty (we said above) and prefer to enjoy your coffee plain.

9. Try to eat about the same foods every day

It's not as boring as it sounds. We did not even say that you should choose to eat the same meal for the rest of your life. Just make sure you do not eat foods high in carbohydrates on the one hand and on the other stay away from this nutrient completely. A 2012 study by Hebrew University found that mice fed sporadic high-fat foods gained more weight than those fed the same foods each day.

10. Eat more protein

Research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association has shown that low-protein diets cause greater loss of muscle mass in postmenopausal women, possibly slowing down their metabolism. Ηowever Τhis does not mean, that you should become a meat fanatic. Instead of meat, you can add broccoli, quinoa, tofu and, as we said above, beans to your diet.

See also:

7 super foods that burn fat and activate the metabolism

Do you want to wake up your metabolism? Take vitamin B.