Your metabolism slows as you get older no matter what you do.
There is some cellular aging that we can’t yet do anything about. But, if you keep your weight in check and exercise REGULARLY with a focus on STRENGTH TRAINING, your metabolic rate can outperform a 20-something couch potato’s through your sixties and beyond.
Myth 2
Any kind of regular exercise – running, cycling, walking- can keep metabolism cranking.
For a healthy metabolic rate, strength training is NONNEGOTIABLE. The more muscle you have, the more sugar you burn and that is an essential safeguard against insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes…. as well as fat gain.
Myth 3
Thin people have faster metabolisms.
You can be a normal weight and have a slower metabolism than a heavier guy who is your same height. That’s because weight doesn’t determine metabolism – the amount of muscle is what’s key. And if you are thin without strength, your metabolic rate is likely slow.
Myth 4
Physical activity burns the most fuel.
Most of the calories we use throughout the day are spent on the basic processes of life (breathing, digesting, keeping our organs running). However, exercise is where we have the most choice about how many ADDITIONAL calories we burn – a few or many.
Remember this…. It is better to start sooner rather than later, but it is never too late. The expression “use it or lose it” is true. The more muscle you have the faster your metabolism will be – end of story. Without strength training, muscle fibers begin to whither and then disappear for good. You can still get stronger using the fibers you have left – but you will never be as strong as you could have been if you’d been strength training all along!
