When I consult people, it is heartening to know that, many people take their decreasing metabolism with age as the biggest excuse which prevents them from achieving the desired results. What research has shown is that metabolism with age really slows down biologically but it does not have to be that way, which means it is totally in your hand to choose your lifestyle.

The best part is that there is no age to boost your metabolism, you can start at 30yrs or you can start at 90 yrs., you will see positive changes according to your age and physical condition. You can boost your metabolism with age.

What I find very sad is when a 35-45yr old person tells me that now he/she is too old to do anything worthwhile that too in today’s world where the medical world has advanced so much that living till 100 is very much a possibility. What is even worse is when a 30yr old person asks me as to what is the right activity for their age or how can they boost metabolism with age.

What has been observed is that most people start becoming sedentary as they age. But their energy consumption and food intake remain the same. So they start gaining weight even after maintaining some amount of physical activity as the calorie intake is more than consumed. Due to this, their metabolism with age slows down.

Also, physical activity decreases with age. Dr. John Berardi says that a person experiences a reduction of approx 20-25% in his/her metabolic rate by the time he/she turns 65. A person who does regular workouts consisting of resistance training and cardiovascular training can easily maintain his/her muscle mass and strength. As per Dr. Berardi, such a person experiences a reduction of only 0.36% in metabolic rate as compared to 5-7 percent per decade.

In various experiments held at the University of Western Ontario in Canada at the Canadian Centre for Activity and Ageing, showed some amazing results. These experiments were conducted on 70-90yr old people who underwent extensive programs in resistance training, cardiovascular training, stress management, functional fitness, etc.

What came out in the research was extremely motivating: –

• The subjects gained approx 1.5kg of lean muscle mass in 8 weeks. This was enough to counter almost a decade’s worth of neglect.
• They boosted their resting metabolic rate by 7% and total metabolism by 15%. This was enough to compensate for 2 decades of loss.
• They also reduced their fat percentage, strengthened their bones, reduced blood pressure, reduced back pain and found relief from pain due to a number of diseases.

So, all your oldies out there, don’t be stupid. As the legendary actor, Dharmendra once said: “It’s not the Age, It’s the mileage”.