Chiropractic Care - Revive Your Aging Metabolism

Wrinkles and a little gray around the temples are not the only signs of aging. We all know that we slow down a bit as the years go by, but apparently, the body's metabolism follows suit, which leads to extra pounds. According to Johns Hopkins [1], an adult's metabolism begins to slow down after the age of30, at a rate of two percent per decade, the result of waning muscle mass. Without regular muscle strength training, an adult loses five to seven pounds of muscle mass every ten years.[2] We lose about half of our muscle mass between the ages of 20 and 90, with the most decrease between 50 & 70. Some people are frustrated by the fact that they have not changed their eating habits but are now gaining weight. With reduced muscle, the body burns fewer calories, which leads to weight gain. A 50 year-old woman burns about 300 to 500 fewer calories per day than she did 30 year earlier. Women tend to have a slower metabolism than men do - in part due to menopause and their naturally higher levels of body fat.

SO IS IT AGE-RELATED WEIGHT GAIN OR JUST THE SURRENDER TO THE PASSING YEARS? They seem to go hand in hand for many people. Getting sedentary with age contributes to lower vitality. When you allow yourself to slow down, your body is doing the same thing. Luckily, there are solutions.

1. STRENGTH TRAIN Exercising two to three times a week with weights and machines can rebuild muscle mass. The increased muscle jump-starts the metabolism to burn more calories.

2. DO AEROBIC EXERCISE Aerobic exercise is a great way to get your heart pumping - which helps to burn calories - and improve your health and vitality. A brisk, 20-minute daily walk, swimming, hiking, biking, or jogging are healthful additions to your routine.

3. EAT BREAKFAST A morning meal is essential to waken your metabolism from its resting state. When you skip a meal, your body naturally switches to 'starvation mode' and stores calories as fat rather than burning them.

4. EAT LIGHTER AND MORE OFTEN Forget about three meals a day. Instead, eat lighter snacks and meals every three to four hours so that you keep your metabolism awake and working as it processes your food intake more regularly, rather than stopping and starting.

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5. INCLUDE MORE LEAN PROTEIN IN YOUR DIET A study by the University of Maastricht in The Netherlands showed that consuming lean meats actually boosts the body's metabolism during sleep and satisfies hunger with fewer calories. Replacing carbohydrates with proteins is a good choice, but keep those proteins to 30 percent of your daily caloric intake and opt for leaner ones, like fish and skinless chicken.

6. GET BETTER SLEEP The lack of quality sleep can actually affect your weight. If you are tired from a sleepless night, you do not have the energy to exercise, as you should. In addition, studies by the University of Chicago in Illinois and Stanford University in California showed that restricted sleep increased levels of ghrelin and decreased leptin - hormones that trigger feelings of hunger and fullness, respectively. As a result, their appetites for high carbohydrate, calorie-dense foods increased 45 percent! In addition, those participants who clocked the fewest hours of sleep per night had the highest levels of body fat.

Aging and weight gain don't need to be a foregone conclusion. You can enjoy many years of health and vitality by reminding yourself that you are still in control of your weight!