How To Improve Metabolic Age?

Have you ever struggled with body weight or energy loss? Then, you are most likely familiar with the term metabolism. Metabolism is your body’s route of converting food into energy.

However, are you familiar with metabolic age?

Metabolic age refers to your body’s overall metabolic health and functions. It’s a calculation that reflects how many calories your body burns at rest compared to others your age.

Recently, several researchers have concluded that calculating metabolic age can help detect metabolic health issues. It can help get valuable insights into your metabolic functions and identify what might contribute to your high or low metabolism. The information will allow you to work on the areas where your body may need help and improve overall wellness.

But how do you calculate metabolic age? Is it truly possible to improve it?

To answer these questions, our team of medical professionals digs into all the critical details of metabolic age in today’s blog. We discuss how metabolism works, how to improve metabolic age and calculate it, how it’s related to your overall health and more.

So, if you are curious about the relevancy of metabolic age and how it affects your overall health, jump into the next section now!

How Does Your Metabolism Work?

Metabolism primarily refers to the chemical reactions in your body’s cells that change food into energy. Your body requires this energy to perform every function, from moving and breathing to growing and thinking. Even when your body is at rest, it uses metabolism to keep operating.

Furthermore, your body has specific proteins to control the reactions of metabolism.

With thousands of chemical reactions co-occurring, your body stays busy regulating them and keeping the cells healthy and functional.

Here are more details on how metabolism works.

The functions of metabolism

After eating, your digestive system utilizes enzymes to

• Break down protein into amino acids,
• Turn fat into fatty acid
• Create simple sugars, like glucose, from carbohydrates.

Then, your body uses the created amino acids, sugar, and fatty acids as energy sources when needed. Blood absorbs these compounds and serves as a carrier to deliver them to the cells.

Once the compounds enter the cells, other enzymes speed up the metabolizing process by regulating the chemical reactions. The body uses the energy gathered from the metabolizing process or stays inside body tissues, muscles, liver, and fat for future use.

Metabolism balances two types of activities here at the same time.

• Anabolism, which is the process of building body tissues and energy stores,
• Catabolism refers to breaking down body tissues and energy stores to get more energy for the body’s functions.

Anabolism, also known as constructive metabolism, supports the growth of new cells, stores energy for future use, and maintains body tissues. In this process, small molecules become more complex protein, fat, and carbohydrate molecules.

On the other hand, catabolism, aka destructive metabolism, produces the energy required for cell activities. It breaks down large molecules to release energy, fuel anabolism, enable muscle to contract, heats the body, and helps it move.

What controls metabolism?

Several different factors influence the metabolizing process. While some influential factors are manageable by a healthy routine and lifestyle, others might be out of your control.

Still, knowing what might be causing the fluctuations in your metabolism rate can help you make improvements and address concerns promptly.

So, let’s look at the top factors influencing your body’s metabolism.

• Endocrine system: Some of the hormones of the endocrine system assist with controlling the rate and direction of metabolism. For instance, the thyroxin hormone, made by the thyroid gland, plays a vital role in determining whether the chemical reactions of your body’s metabolism will be fast or slow.
• Pancreas: The pancreas conceals hormones that help determine whether the ongoing metabolic activity is anabolic or catabolic. Anabolic activities typically occur after consuming a meal since eating increases glucose levels in the blood. The pancreas senses this increase and releases another hormone, insulin. It signals the cells to increase their anabolic activities.
• Calories: The complexities of the metabolic process go way beyond influencing weight gain and loss. Calories are the ones that affect the majority of weight. A calorie is a unit referring to the energy provided by a food. Since your body stores calories primarily as fat, consuming high-power food can be harmful. The excess calories form unnecessary body fat.
• Exercise and BMR: Exercise can significantly affect the number of calories someone burns, their basal metabolic rate (BMR), and the amount of fat and muscle in their body.BMR refers to how your body burns calories while at rest. It plays a critical role in your tendency to gain weight. For instance, if someone has a low BMR, they burn fewer calories when resting.
  For instance, individuals with low BMR tend to gain more body fat over time compared to a similar-sized and aged person with an average BMR, even when both are eating similar food and exercising equally. Luckily, it’s possible to boost metabolism naturally. Exercising is one of the most effective ways to improve basal metabolic rate.
• Genes and muscle mass: Along with exercise, genes can also impact BMR. The genes inherited from your parents can influence the size of your muscles and your body’s ability to build muscle mass. Additionally, body composition can affect the BMRs. For instance, you likely have a higher BMR if you have more muscle and less fat.
• Age: Your body’s physical activities and muscle mass reduce as you age. Most people don’t tailor their diet to their age and body’s needs, which can significantly affect the metabolism. You need specific diet plan and exercises to speed up your metabolism after 40 and stay fit.
• Sex: Men tend to have an increased or faster metabolism than their counterparts. It is mainly due to their greater muscle mass, less body fat, and larger bones.
• Smoking: Nicotine increases your heart rate, which results in faster metabolism and more burned calories. It is one of the reasons why people often gain weight after quitting smoking.

However, the deadly consequences of smoking cigarettes, such as high blood pressure, cancer, and heart disease, outweigh the effects of gaining a few pounds by far. If you are looking for long-term solutions for weight management, nothing can beat the results of healthy eating and regular exercise.

Can You Change Your Metabolic Age?

As previously mentioned, several factors affect the metabolism of your body. By controlling some of those factors, you can improve your metabolism.

But can you change your metabolic age?

The short answer is yes. However, its details are much more complex.

To understand whether changing your metabolic age is possible, you must first understand how it relates to the body’s basal metabolic rate or BMR.

As mentioned before, BMR is the energy required for essential bodily functions. Even if you are binge-watching on the couch, your body needs energy to perform various functions, such as digesting food and circulating blood.

The BMR varies by individual, even if they share several commonalities, such as age, gender, or race. For instance, a general office worker with a desk job will not have the exact BMR as a full-time aerobics teacher.

Why? Mainly because their muscle mass and energy requirements are different.

Simply put, the more muscle mass you have, the higher your BMR. People with muscle mass burn more calories even if they don’t do anything because muscle requires more energy to maintain than fat.

Moreover, a higher BMR means a lower (improved) metabolic age.

So, if you want to decrease or improve your metabolic age, you must increase your BMR. Lowering your metabolic age will assist with weight loss and lessen the risk of metabolic syndrome. To speed up the process of getting healthy, people often do research to get Mounjaro for weight loss, and are happy with the results.

Tips For Improving Your Metabolic Age

Now that you know it’s possible to change your metabolic age, you may wonder, “How can I improve my metabolic age?”

Increase your BMR to improve or lower your metabolic age. The key is to build body mass and reduce unnecessary body fat.

Consuming sufficient protein, regularly performing muscle-building exercises, reducing calorie intake, and getting proper sleep is crucial to achieving a balanced metabolic age.

Here is a complete list of tips and tricks our qualified medical professionals approved to help improve your metabolic age and reach your health goals.
So, read on!

1. Focus on muscle-building workouts

Weight lifting and strength training work wonders when building muscle mass and improving body composition. These exercises also increase insulin sensitivity. Daily physical activities can help you decrease body fat and increase BMR.

Some popular muscle-building exercises to add to your routine are:

• Deadlifts
• Squats
• Push-ups and pull-ups
• Shoulder and chess press
• Lunges

2. More protein intake

Make sure your dietary routine includes an adequate amount of essential amino acids to help build muscle. With sufficient protein, gaining muscle mass will be more accessible, and you may lose some. Consequently, losing muscles will slow down your metabolic rate.

Consuming adequate protein is particularly important when doing strength training.

According to research, sedentary adults (under 65) without severe illnesses or injuries should consume at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of their body weight. In comparison, active adults of the same age should have 1 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of their body weight.

Furthermore, active or passive adults over 65 must have 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to maintain healthy body muscle.

Conversely, adults recovering from an illness or injury should consume 1.6 to 2.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

Some of the best protein sources to gain muscle mass include poultry, eggs, seafood, Greek yogurt, minimally processed red meat, tofu, and other whole foods.

However, protein requirements vary based on individual health needs and activity levels.

So, before researching how to improve your metabolic age and making generic decisions consult a professional and focus on getting personalized solutions.

3. Reduce stress

An often overlooked yet common culprit behind an increased metabolic age is stress. Excess stress can significantly influence your body’s fat storage activities. It can lead to weight gain and disrupt your efforts towards building muscles.
Several studies have indicated that the stress hormone cortisol can increase abdominal and body fat. Over time, stress can also lead to inflammation.

Although many believe acute inflammation can help build muscle, most agree it can prevent muscle growth if it becomes chronic.

Reducing chronic stress is essential for improving metabolism activities, reducing inflammation, lowering blood pressure, and improving insulin sensitivity.

Here are a few steps you can take to reduce stress:

• Create a daily routine
• Adopt the habit of journaling to release your emotions
• Work out to release pent-up stress
• Practice meditation and other activities for mindfulness

4. Increase insulin sensitivity

Insulin signals your cells to allow glucose so the metabolic process can turn it into energy. However, your glucose level can remain high when your body doesn’t respond to insulin. If this cycle persists and becomes a chronic issue, it can lead to hyperglycemia or high blood sugar, poor metabolic health, and even diabetes.

Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the risk of insulin resistance. One of those ways is optimizing your carbohydrate intake. Start by determining your body’s ideal carbohydrate consumption and managing your activity levels to complement it.

Besides that, here are a few more steps to increase your body’s insulin sensitivity and speed up your metabolism.

• Reduce inflammation: Include anti-oxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory foods to combat chronic inflammation and poor metabolic health. Additionally, stress can be reduced by getting enough sleep and practicing mindfulness and meditation. Also, if possible, limit your exposure to polluted areas and obesogens.
• Optimize your diet: Consume nutrients that boost insulin sensitivity, such as cruciferous vegetables, fiber, protein, and magnesium. You can find magnesium in leafy greens, seeds, and nuts. For amino acids like L-arginine, taurine, and L-carnitine, consume plenty of whole proteins, like meat and eggs.
• Get enough sunshine: A few studies have suggested that adequate bright sunshine can reduce insulin resistance.
• Stay active: One of the many benefits of getting regular exercise is improved insulin sensitivity. Along with decreasing insulin resistance, exercise can help lower metabolic age and improve cardiovascular health.

5. Focus on sleep health

The amount of sleep you get has a vital impact on your metabolic age and your body’s energy storage. Studies have also linked a lack of sleep to weight gain. Furthermore, poor sleep can lead to muscle loss since your body needs sufficient rest to recover muscle mass and increase your resting metabolic rate.

Therefore, get proper sleep if you don’t want to increase your metabolic age.

6. Reduce carbon and refine calorie intake

Consuming too many calories is one sure-shot way to increase metabolism age. Reducing calorie consumption can help if you wish to improve your metabolic age.

You can cut back on simple and processed carbs since they have been depleted of almost all essential nutrients, such as minerals, vitamins, and fiber.

Furthermore, the “empty calories” are simple to digest, which results in a surge in insulin levels and blood sugar after meals.

Hence, instead of consuming refined calories, focus on complex carbs like millet, oats, and whole grains. These ingredients are rich in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibers, which provides satiety with fewer calories. It can help decrease your overall calorie intake. In addition to that, your body spends more energy to metabolize the complex carbs, preventing the slowdown of metabolism

7. Cut down on food portions

Unnecessary increases in portion sizes lead to weight gain and overeating, which, in turn, worsens metabolic health.
You can reduce carb intake and decrease food consumption to lose weight and improve your metabolic age.

However, you must be conscious when reducing food intake. The reduction should maintain a balance between your calorie consumption and energy expenditure.

When you cut down on calories, your body starts preparing for starvation. It slows down your metabolism to save energy. The lost weight will return as you burn calories more slowly in this period.

Alternatively, losing weight will be slow if you don’t adjust your calorie intake and only add exercise. You might have to run or walk 5 miles daily to lose a pound in a week.

Hence, if you contemplate reducing calories, combine it with suitable workout routines. This way, you can prevent the metabolic slowdown, improve BMR, and avoid gaining back the lost weight.

8. Drink more cold water

If you have ever searched “how to improve your metabolism age,” you already know the significance of drinking water. Numerous studies have suggested drinking around 0.5 liters or 17 ounces of water can enhance your resting metabolism by 10 to 30% for an hour. Drinking cold water accelerates this calorie-burning effect since your body will use energy to heat the water to suit your body temperature.

9. Drink green tea or oolong tea

Studies have indicated that drinking green or oolong tea can increase metabolism by 4% to 5%. The compounds in these two drinks can help convert some of your body’s stored fat into free fatty acids. Consuming green and oolong tea can increase fat-burning activities by 10 to 17%. To top it all, both of these drinks are low in calories.

10. Walk after meals

If you are only sitting after having meals, glucose will surge in your bloodstream, and your body will need insulin to move it into cells. Since you are not moving around, your body will store the extra glucose as fat.

Therefore, if you are trying to improve your metabolism rate or lose weight, avoid being sedentary after a meal. Take a brisk walk so your body moves more glucose into the cells and less insulin. This way, more glucose will be metabolized, generating more energy and keeping up your metabolic rate.

How To Calculate Your Metabolic Age?

The primary metric used to calculate metabolic age is the BMR or basal metabolic rate (metabolic age = your BMR: BMR of population). So, if you wish to know and speed up your metabolism age, you first have to calculate your BMR.

Let’s revisit what BMR means.BMR refers to the number of calories your body needs to perform essential functions when resting, such as breathing, maintaining blood circulation, absorbing nutrients from food, and turning them into energy, aka metabolic functions.

Metabolic age, on the other hand, is the measure of your BMR that is contrary to that of different individuals in the same age group. Several factors influence your BMR, including age, gender, and body composition.

So, how can you calculate your basal metabolic rate?

Multiple equations and tools are available for calculating basal metabolic rate. However, the most popular one is the Harris-Benedict equation.

1. Harris-Benedict equation

The Harris-Benedict equation estimates BMR rates by calculating an individual’s age, weight, and height. The equation varies based on gender.

• Harris-Benedict equation for males: 66.5 + (13.75 x kg) + (5.003 x cm) – (6.775 x age)
• Harris-Benedict equation for females: 655.1 + (9.563 x kg) + (1.850 x cm) – (4.676 x age)

In addition to the Harris-Benedict equation, several other formulas can be used to calculate your BMR and metabolic age. Below are a few of them for you to try.

2. The Mifflin-St. Jeor equation

It was derived from the Harris-Benedict formula, the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation came out in February 1990.
Here’s the formula it recommends for calculating BMR:

• Mifflin-St. Jeor equation for males: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age in years) + 5
• Mifflin-St. Jeor equation for females: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age in years) – 161

3. The Katch-McArdle equation

Unlike the above two formulas, the Katch-McArdle equation uses lean body weight to calculate basal metabolic rate. So, if you want to use this formula, you must know your body fat percentage.

Here’s how the formula looks on paper.

• Total body weight (kg) – weight from body fat (kg) = Lean body mass
• Katch-McArdle equation: 370 + (21.6 x lean body mass in kg)

Remember that the higher your BMR, the lower your metabolic age.

How many calories do you need in a day?

Suppose you’ve successfully estimated your BMI using the Harris-Benedict formula. How can you calculate the number of calories your body burns during daily activities?

Here’s a chart of estimated burned calories to help you out.

• Sedentary: If your body gets minimal to no exercise, you shall multiply your BMR by 1.2.
• Lightly active: If you perform light exercises one to three days a week, multiply your BMR by 1.375.
• Moderately active: If your body goes through moderate exercise three to five days a week, multiply your BMR by 1.55.
• Very active: Doing challenging exercises six to seven days a week means multiplying the BMR by 1.725.
•  Extra active: Engaging in extremely challenging exercise six to seven days a week means your body is extra active, and you can multiply your BMR by 1.9.

The calculation’s outcome will indicate approximately how many calories you should consume daily to maintain a balanced weight. However, remember that this is only estimation, not a precise calculation.

Calculating metabolic age can be tricky!

Calculating metabolic age can be tricky, even with many online calculators and apps. The equations and tools mentioned above can only provide estimated values.

If you desire precise outcomes, nailing it down with the formulas can be difficult. Plus, metabolic age formulas calculate data from other people of the same age to give accurate results. It can be even more challenging since this data is inaccessible to the general public.

Additionally, there are several ways to calculate BMR and metabolic age. It’s not uncommon for different tools and equations to deliver distinct results, adding to the confusion.

Other ways to measure BMR besides the above formulas include direct and indirect calorimetry tests and bioimpedance analysis (BIA). Both of these techniques use tools to measure oxygen intake, carbon dioxide output, and muscle-to-fat ratio to assess a body’s efficiency in burning calories. However, to use this method, you need to visit a professional.

So, what does having a high metabolic age mean?

If your metabolic age is lower than your chronological age, it indicates good metabolic health. It implies an efficient metabolism, good energy levels, balanced body composition, and lower blood pressure.

On the other hand, if you have a high metabolic age, your body may not be as healthy as others. Luckily, by following our above tips on improving metabolism, you can change your metabolic age and improve overall health.

The Relationship Between Your Metabolic Age And Your Health

Metabolic age can help get details about your body’s ability to burn calories. Understanding your metabolic age can stimulate your efforts toward weight management, help identify metabolic syndromes, and combat age-related challenges.

Furthermore, you will have more control over your body’s composition, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and overall health. Multiple health-related factors, including hormones and gender, impact your health score.

For most people, basal metabolic rates are highest when young. As we develop, age, and grow, the BMR drops. This drop typically occurs in your 20s and continues to do so.

Furthermore, some studies have established a relationship between higher metabolic age and health outcomes, such as diabetes and age-related mortality. Additionally, metabolic age is closely tied to your metabolic health, a strong indicator of overall health.

Metabolic health indicators include blood sugar, waist circumference, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride.

However, there’s a drawback to the whole metabolic age calculation. As mentioned before, comparing your BMR to others of the same age is nearly impossible. Several factors influence your body’s calorie-burning rate, including genetics, body shape and frame, and ethnicity. It makes the comparison harder than many anticipate.

Mitochondrial health, thyroid health, metabolic flexibility, and nutrient status can also be vital in determining BMR and metabolic age.

Therefore, instead of comparing them, our experts suggest reviving your metabolic age and BMR by living an overall healthy lifestyle. In BMR, 70% is due to weight, genetics, and height. It leaves only 30% of variables that you can control.

Your body must get adequate sleep, exercise, nutrition, and relaxation to control that small percentage of variables.

How does metabolism or metabolic age relate to weight?

Most people believe their weight management issues are due to slow metabolism or high metabolic age. However, the relationship between weight and metabolic age is much more complicated than that. While knowing your metabolic age may help you manage your weight more effectively and boost your metabolism naturally, it’s not the only factor contributing to your weight.

Contrary to popular belief, a fast metabolism does not necessarily lead to thinness. Several studies have indicated that overweight people tend to have a fast metabolism because they need more energy to fuel essential body functions.

A lack of physical activity and lower energy often leads to a slower metabolism. A sluggish metabolism means your body needs fewer calories to energize its functions. When your body consumes too many calories for energy, the energy doesn’t get expended and turns into fat.

That is why experts always suggest consuming fewer calories than you burn. However, it would help if you did not starve yourself to lose weight, either, since you will mostly lose muscle mass, not fat, during dieting.

Another factor many often misunderstand is that their slow metabolism is due to a medical condition. Although some medical conditions can slow down metabolism (such as Cushing syndrome or underactive thyroid gland), they are rare.
However, conditions can contribute to weight gain. In addition to health issues, an imbalanced diet, hormones, genes, lifestyle, sleep, stress, and physical activities can significantly contribute to weight gain.

When to see a professional?

According to reports, one out of three adults in the United States has some metabolic syndrome. Therefore, if you believe there’s an underlying health issue or metabolic syndrome that is preventing your body from achieving the ideal metabolic age or managing weight, don’t hesitate to check in with a professional.

Here are the most common signs to check for metabolic syndrome.

• Excess abdominal weight
• Hypertriglyceridemia
• Low levels of HDL cholesterol
• Elevated blood sugar levels
• High blood pressure
• Acanthosis nigricans
• Polydipsia
• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Increased urination

Improve Your Metabolic Age With Get Skinny

While reversing your aging process is impossible, improving your metabolic age is feasible. Following our guide on improving metabolic age can help you better balance your body fat and muscle mass. In addition, you can improve how well your body utilizes glucose, decreasing the risk of insulin resistance.

Moreover, if you need assistance determining your ideal weight depending on age or creating a routine for better weight management, our experts at Get Skinny are here to assist. Our personalized weight loss management solutions can help you achieve healthy transformations that bring long-term benefits.