Does Your Metabolism Really Slow Down As You Age?
Kevin Kohan, BS Exercise Physiology & Teaching Ed Co-Founder HIT Fitness Warehouse *Voted 2020 Best of Fort Lauderdale Gym’s • September 2, 2020

Maybe this has happened to you already … and if it hasn’t, there’s a good chance it will at some point!
One day, seemingly out of the blue, your pants don’t button up as easily, or you notice that the scale creeps up faster than it used to.
AND … it’s much harder than it used to be to get those pants to fit the way they once did (or return the scale to its former spot).
It’s not your imagination! The truth is your metabolism naturally slows down as you get older.
It happens at different paces and different times for each of us, but I do have some good news for you. There are things you can do to offset it.
And the sooner you start, the better!
Here are some of the top reasons your metabolism begins to slow:
You’re less active
You’ve lost muscle
Your body’s metabolic processes have slowed down because of age
I’m going to outline a few key things you can do to keep your metabolism revved up as you get older.
1) Your activity level. This is a sneaky one, because you might not actually notice you’re moving less each day!
How active you are each day (including your workouts and your normal activities of daily living) makes up about 10% to 30% of your daily calorie burn. Very active people can actually burn up to half their daily calories from activity!
BUT ... studies show that as we get older, we tend to move less, both in terms of exercise AND our general daily living.
More than 25% of people over 50 don’t exercise, and by the time we reach 75, that number jumps to more than 35%.
Plus, studies show we also move less in general, burning almost 30% fewer calories through non-exercise activity.
There is a way to avoid that slowdown!
A study comparing women aged 21-35 with women ages 50-72 showed that when the older women engaged in regular exercise, they avoided the dreaded age-related metabolic slowdown.
→ The takeaway: Start a regular exercise habit you enjoy NOW, and find active hobbies! Having these habits in place will set a strong foundation for continued movement as you get older.
2) Muscle loss. This next major cause of a slower metabolism is called sarcopenia – age-related muscle loss!
It’s tied in with your activity level, since being less active is one reason you can lose muscle.
On average, adults lose between 3% and 8% of their muscle mass each decade after the age of 30.
One reason this matters – beyond your general strength and ability to move easily – is because muscle burns slightly more calories (even at rest) than fat.
You can help maintain and build muscle as you age with consistent strength-training workouts: free weights, machines, and even water fitness classes can help!
The most important part is to create some resistance for your muscles to work against.
→ The takeaway: get in at least 2 strength-training workouts a week that work all of your body’s major muscle groups.
3) The aging process. As you get older, the actual process of metabolism in your cells slows down or becomes less efficient.
There isn’t a lot you can do about this – but here’s some good news. While these slowdowns do happen, studies show they have a minor impact compared with lower activity and muscle mass!
→ The takeaway: concentrate on living a healthy lifestyle and on more activities to offset the metabolic slowdown.
→ BONUS takeaway: Make sure you eat enough protein. As people get older, they often tend to eat less protein. Aim for 10% to 35% of your total daily intake.
Tip: to boost absorption, spread your protein intake out over the course of the day, since studies show that to be more effective.
Actions you take today can have a BIG impact on your life into the future. If you’d like some guidance about putting these takeaways into action, I can help …
If you’re health & fitness is a priority in your life and are looking for guidance from a true Fit Pro, I’ve got a few spots available for goal-mapping session this week. Just inbox me and we can set up a time to talk.
Make it a great day!
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6536a3.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17401138
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9329340
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3276215/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4394186/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15640517
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(19)30239-7/fulltext
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🚨 [SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS] BMI rate in kids is skyrocketing right now and here's why. According to a new CDC report, kids’ BMI has been increasing at nearly DOUBLE the rate than it did before the pandemic began. BMI (body mass index) is a measure of weight to height that’s an “easy screening method for weight category: underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obesity.” Alarmingly, the increase was especially high in preschool and school-aged children. This is DEFINITELY something we all need to be paying attention to. There were 432,302 kids aged 2 to 19 years old in the study. They found the rate of BMI increase jumped from 0.052 (pre-pandemic) to 0.100 kg/m 2 /month during the pandemic. In more understandable terms, in August 2019, the obesity rate in the group was 19.3% (already high) … and it reached 22.4% in August 2020 and close to 25% in August 2021. We already knew that kids were gaining weight during the pandemic because of all of the changes in their daily habits …But this study shows how significant this negative impact was in just A FEW SHORT YEARS. Here’s another key finding: The CDC found that children who were already obese gained about 1 to 1.2 pounds a month, putting them on track to gain 6.1 to 7.3 pounds in 6 months. This group is gaining weight at a faster rate compared to the 2.7 pounds in those with a healthy weight. Straight from the study: “Accelerated weight gain, especially among children, can cause long-lasting metabolic changes that put children at risk for serious and costly co-occurring conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and depression.” The US already has a high level of obesity among kids, affecting more than one in six children. This is serious stuff, folks! We need to be paying attention and making sure our kids are staying ACTIVE and putting HEALTHY FOOD into their bodies. The good news is that this is ALL stuff we have control over. More good news is that if you’ve noticed this happening in your family, we’ve got a solution to help! 🤸♀️🏃♀️Let your kids explore new and exciting activities and challenges with our trained PRO's Now! Whether your child is a veteran with us or coming for the very first time, we know they will be enriched with new fitness experiences that will inspire them to live an active healthy lifestyle. We launched our first HIT FIT KIDS CAMP in 2021 to help offset the findings in the study above and the outcome was beyond what we expected!

Get the body you want in 4 weeks! Our members have averaged 3.4% body fat decrease in this program all from eating whole foods and committing to attend 3+ fitness classes per week! The entire program offers meal plans, coaching, nutrition guidance, body composition measurements, before/after pictures, unlimited classes and much more!

The AdvoCare 10-Day Reset™ provides the tools you need to jumpstart healthy habits, which is a huge focus for many during the new year. If you’re curious about the Reset, but want to learn more before taking the leap, we’ve rounded up a few of the top things we love about this system. Keep on reading to learn more! https://my.advocare.com/advocare-10-day-reset/?D=120922584

A strong immune system is important, especially in today’s climate. During seasons when we are more prone to illness, we often look for ways to help support immunity.
Many studies show that a balanced diet combined with adequate sleep and exercise, effectively primes our body to fight infection and disease. Throughout the years, many foods have also helped contribute to living a healthy lifestyle. Incorporating some of these foods into the diet can help support our body’s immunity. So next time you’re headed to the grocery store, make a list, and power up your plate to include these nutritious foods.
POWER UP YOUR PLATE

Many of us want to be able to run, jog, or walk a 5K… but the goal can often seem overwhelming and intimidating.
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This month I’ve been talking a lot about next-level actions to get even better results from your fitness and health habits.
You’ve probably noticed a theme: it’s all about the fundamentals.
That’s because even the best ‘next-level’ actions won’t do much if you aren’t nailing your basics most of the time.
But what if you ARE covering your basics and want to ramp things up even more?
This is when you can turn into an exercise mad scientist to find your own “secret formula” for supercharged results.
Your top tip for becoming a successful biohacker?

🔥 The only hack you need for your goals
I’ve got some great info for you today that I wanted to share ASAP because it can make a huge difference in your results.
Every few days, someone will ask me what I think about some trendy fitness or wellness topic … things like fasting, supplements, a new fitness gadget …
Basically, something (anything!) that’s designed to speed up your results.
So, over the next few weeks, I’m going to focus on how to REALLY supercharge your results and break down specific actions you can take to elevate your results to the next level, fast.
Because YES: it IS possible to make small changes that yield BIG results.
In this email, I’ve got the #1 TIP to rocket you toward your goals.
This is the absolute most important thing you should do before you get fancy with any trendy “hacks.”
It’s to NAIL YOUR BASICS.

You asked for it, you’ve got it! We’ve got a list of 5 ways you can boost the results from your workouts … STARTING TODAY.
By “results,” I mean noticeable changes in your stamina, strength, energy, and overall fitness. In addition to this, this will also have a super HUGE impact on your overall health & wellness because it plays into your immune system, your sleep, heart health and so much more.
Before I get into the tips, I want you to remember one thing that will help drive all of those results:
YOU ARE AN ATHLETE in training, no matter how young or old you are, or your current fitness or activity level. You’re an athlete who ‘Trains For Life’!
You are training for your BEST LIFE. Having a fit, strong, and healthy body that can help you make the MOST of every single day is something worth fighting for!

🔥If you are serious about your goals… one of the BEST things you can do is focus on THE BASICS. Like Bodyweight Strength Training!
They give you the biggest bang for your buck over the long run! Here’s what I’m talking about …
One of my top personal basics – something I try to do every day – NON-NEGOTIABLE for my fitness is at least 15 minutes bodyweight strength training, 15 minutes flexibility/mobility, and 15 minutes hitting on my weak points to balance out any muscular deviations. Its all about making a plan, and working my plan.”