Combat a Slow Moving Metabolism

Combat a Slow Moving Metabolism
As you get older your metabolic rate generally goes into
decline and you require a reduced number of daily calories.
If you are affected by a slowing metabolism you need to
take preventative measures or you will gain weight. In
this article I discuss a number of preventative measures
you can take to stop your metabolism declining and some
additional measures you can implement to boost your
metabolic rate.

As I have stated above there are a number of things that
you can avoid to prevent your metabolic rate being reduced
further. These include:

1) ALCOHOL:- Alcoholic drinks are full of sugar and
calories. They can also lead to dehydration which reduces
the effectiveness of your metabolism. An occasional
alcoholic drink is OK but binge drinking and/or drinking
every day can lead to a reduced metabolism.

2) BIG MEALS:- Larger meals contain more calories than
smaller meals. Therefore, there is an increased likelihood
that additional calories will be stored as fat. To
maximise your metabolism you have to break these large
meals down into smaller meals that you eat more frequently.

3) SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE:- If you are not active your
metabolic rate will decline. You therefore need to be
doing some physical activity each day or every other day.
This is not as difficult as you think. You can walk or
cycle to work, take up an exercise class, join a sports
team and more. Just make sure the activity you choose is
fun, can be performed regularly and keeps you active.

4) SKIPPING MEALS:- Missing meals can be just as damaging
to your metabolism as eating large meals. You need to be
eating smaller meals more regularly to keep your metabolism
charged.

5) SUGARY FOODS:- Sugary foods have a low nutritional
value, are high in calories and digest easily. This means
that less calories are burned in the digestion process and
more calories are stored as fat. The occasional sugary
treat is OK but your overall diet needs to contain limited
levels of sugary foods.

If you make sure that you are following the advice on the
list above this will really help you combat the effects of
a slowing metabolism. From here you can then take
additional measures to increase your metabolic rate to its
maximum potential. I have outlined a few of these measures
below:

1) INCREASED EXERCISE:- As I have mentioned above remaining
active and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle will help to stop
your metabolism from slowing down. However, taking your
exercise more seriously can help increase your metabolic
rate. If you participate in regular cardiovascular
exercise and regular weight training exercise, you will be
on your way to maximising your metabolism. When performing
both forms of exercise always seek to improve and you will
notice your metabolism improve accordingly.

2) PLANNED MEALS:- As already stated, skipping meals or
eating meals that are too large can have negative impacts
upon your metabolism. You therefore need to carefully
prepare a daily meal plan which incorporates six smaller
meals (instead of the usual three large meals). Eating
smaller meals more regularly will reduce the number of
excess calories that are being stored and charge up your
metbaolism.

3) SMARTER FOOD CHOICES:- I have already mentioned that you
should avoid sugar and alcohol. However, these are just
two of the many foods that can have a damaging effect on
your metabolism. You need to look at your diet as a whole
and try to substitute the unhealthy foods for healthier
ones. Healthier foods generally have a higher nutritional
value and are harder to digest, meaning more calories are
burned during the digestion process. This has a positive
effect on your metabolic rate.

Battling against a slowing metabolism is a two stage
process. First, you need to take measures to stop your
metabolism being subdued any further. Following this, you
need to take some measures to improve your metabolic rate.
By doing this you can potentially speed up your metabolism
and increase the number of calories being burned.

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