Poor metabolism post-40 often becomes a cause of weight gain and chronic fatigue. Not consuming enough of the right calories and putting exercise on the backburner are common reasons why metabolic issues surface. Delhi-based dietician Ruchika Mittal shares some ways to reverse this.
The gut is a great place to start: Consume a high-fibre diet rich in enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and antioxidants, while limiting junk food, so that digestion and elimination are smooth. Once that is taken care of, the metabolic activity becomes better. Instead of a heavy breakfast, begin your day with a nutritionally dense smoothie with spinach, a seasonal fruit, a probiotic such as milk or yoghurt, and some nuts.
Make water your best friend: Carry a bottle everywhere you go. Keep sipping it throughout the day.
It increases metabolic activity by up to 25 per cent for close to an hour after drinking it.
Move as much as you can. Exercise is a must at any age, but it becomes even more important for those above 40 since you begin to lose muscle mass rapidly. A high-intensity workout for 30 minutes, five days a week, is ideal, but if you cannot manage that, a moderate-intensity workout is a must.
Go Sleep: People tend to get less sleep as they age, but this proves to be a deterrent to good metabolism. During the Rapid Eye Movement sleep stage, which starts about 90 minutes after you’ve fallen asleep, the heart rate increases and the brain becomes ‘active’. This requires more glucose, leading to increased metabolic function.