Have you ever had a friend or relative who seems to eat whatever they want, while never gaining weight? You may have thought that person was just lucky.
Well, it’s a little more complicated than that…
Metabolism is a complex collection of processes that govern how your body converts food into energy. In short, metabolism keeps your body running.
Some people do indeed have a faster metabolism than others, which simply means they burn calories at a faster rate.
But what exactly affects a person’s metabolic rate?
It’s important to know that some factors influencing metabolism can be controlled, while others cannot. Let’s take a closer look at what causes variations in metabolism from one person to the next.
Genetics
Your family history plays a significant role in determining your metabolism. And since you can’t pick your biological parents, this factor is beyond your control.
If you come from a long line of naturally thin people, the odds are you will burn calories at a faster rate than someone who doesn’t.
In other words, some people are simply born with a naturally higher metabolic rate. This allows them to burn calories more quickly, and thus they can eat more than average without gaining weight.
On the other hand, if your genetics are such that you have a naturally slower metabolism, maintaining a healthy weight can be more challenging.
Age
Metabolism tends to slow down as people age. This is largely due to age-related hormone decline. We’ll talk more about hormones and hormone decline in a moment.
Body Composition
The ratio of muscle to fat in your body will have a lot to do with your metabolism.
This ratio makes a difference at any age because muscle will always burn more calories than fat…even when you’re sleeping. As a consequence, people with more muscle mass will typically have a faster metabolism.
So what does this mean for you and your lifestyle choices? In short, when planning exercise, don’t skip the strength training. Keeping your muscles strong will go a long way toward boosting your metabolism.
Diet
The composition of your food directly impacts your metabolism due to the calories burned during digestion.
Simple carbohydrates, for instance, burn fewer calories because they’re broken down quickly during digestion. Protein, healthy fats, and fiber, on the other hand, take comparatively more calories to digest.
Eating a diet that consists of lean protein, healthy fats, and low carbohydrate vegetables goes a long way toward speeding up metabolism. Meanwhile, it’s helpful to minimize carbohydrates (especial refined carbohydrates) and unhealthy fats.
When you eat your meals can also have an impact on the rate at which you burn calories. Specifically, many people find that intermittent fasting speeds up metabolism.
Exercise
If you want to keep your metabolism revved up, stay active.
Regular physical activity is one of the most effective ways to increase your metabolism. Exercise not only burns calories during the activity itself, but it also increases your metabolic rate in between workouts.
Aerobic exercise (such as running or cycling) and muscle-building exercise (like weight training) will both improve overall fitness and increase metabolism. And if you really want to kick your metabolism into high gear, try high intensity interval training (also known as HIIT).
Hormones
Hormones play a vital role in regulating metabolism, with age-related hormone decline often being a culprit when it comes to reduced metabolic output as people get older.
And your efforts relative to diet and exercise may have a limited impact if your hormones are out of whack.
The good news is that these imbalances can be addressed. Hormone replacement therapy can restore your hormones and your metabolism to what’s optimal.
Own Your Metabolism
You can’t do anything about your genetics or about your age. But that doesn’t mean you have to live with a sluggish metabolism.
A lot can be accomplished by being strategic with diet and exercise. And Renew Youth is here to help you with your hormones.
A healthier metabolism may be just 30 minutes away. To schedule a free consultation with us, call 800-859-7511 or use our easy contact form.