In a previous article, we discussed reasons why your metabolism slows down after a certain age. If you haven’t read it yet (although we strongly suggest that you do), the basic gist of it is:
- You transition from learning all the time and playing sports as a kid to being sedentary and cognitively inactive
- This causes you to lose muscle and gain fat
- The more muscle you lose, the more fat you gain
- The more fat you gain, the more your metabolism slows down
- This creates a snowball effect where your body keeps losing muscle, keeps gaining fat, and keeps slowing down until you eventually succumb to old age
- So how do you counteract all of these things? You’ve got to do what all the kids are doing: spend more time being physically active and learning, and spend less time sitting around doing nothing while letting your brain go numb.
We know, we know, that’s much easier said than done. But we have some helpful, simple tips for you to get your brain and body more active and boost your metabolism back up – no matter how old you are!
Simple Tips for Boosting Your Activity Levels
When it comes to your muscles, you either use them or lose them. As we discussed above, the more muscle you lose, the more fat you gain, which is the opposite of what you want to do! So you need to find sneaky ways to squeak in a little extra physical activity during your day. Here are some simple ways you can get a little more movement into your life:
- Standing at your desk – You don’t have to waste thousands on a standing desk; standing up and even bending over to type engage more muscles and burn more calories than sitting.
- Don’t just sit down while watching TV – You can stand up and march in place, strap-on ankle weights and flex your quads, or scoot forward to the edge of the couch and do some tricep dips. You can enjoy your Netflix and get fit, too!
- Taking the stairs instead of the elevator – If you are physically healthy enough to climb stairs, why not? It’s good for you!
- Take a short walk during your breaks – If you have a few extra minutes during your lunch break or coffee break, take a quick lap around the office or around the building outside. Don’t worry about looking silly – it’s good for your health.
Easy Ways to Challenge Your Brain More Often
Did you know that your brain is responsible for 20% of your daily calorie burn? That’s one hungry organ! And you can make it burn even more calories – thus boosting your metabolism – by using it more. Take a look at these simple suggestions for making your brain and your metabolism work smarter and harder:
- Take a class – Whether it’s a cooking class, a fitness class, an art class, or something else, learning a new skill fires up your brain in more ways than one.
- Start a new hobby – As long as the hobby requires a demanding physical or mental task, like woodworking or bird watching, it’ll get your gears turning.
- Learn a new language – Not only is this one of the most energy-intensive tasks you can tax your brain with, but you’ll feel smarter, more accomplished, and expose yourself to interesting new cultures in the process.
- Read more – It’s a proven fact that you spend 27% more energy reading than you do watching TV or consuming any other type of entertainment.
- Challenge yourself with puzzle games – We know Sudoku is really popular, but we encourage you to explore and solve as many different puzzles as you can find!
Everything’s Better With Friends
Did you know that loneliness is one of the most unhealthy things for your body? Recent scientific studies suggest that it’s even worse for you than drinking, smoking, not exercising, or eating an unhealthy diet.
If you think about it, it makes sense that socialization would be good for your metabolism. Being around and responding to other people creates a greater energy demand from both your brain and your body. So pick up that phone, schedule a girl’s night out, sign up for a fitness class, or simply have a conversation with a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while.
All of these things – from moving more, to using your brain more, to interacting with people you care about most – will help boost your metabolism no matter how old you are.
