The day comes when you realize that you can’t eat like you used to.  Growing up I had the metabolism of a Learjet.  I was skinny as a rail and could eat as much as I wanted.  Before you roll your eyes and curse my “good luck,” remember that everything has its dark side.  Although it was fun to not worry about counting calories, I also agonized over being so skinny.

Try as I might, I could not gain weight and I hated how I looked.  I wanted to be beefy and athletic looking, but I was skinny as a rail.  Of course, the day finally came when two things happened.  One: A terrific personal trainer taught me how to eat correctly, and I started to make more progress in the gym.  Then my metabolism slowed down as I got older.

Like this Lockharts cartoon, we one day realize that our body is not acting like it used to and it is time to reassess the situation.  Though we may be frustrated at the change in our metabolism, we need to make it our friend and learn to work with it.

WebMD defines it this way: “Your metabolism, experts say, involves a complex network of hormones and enzymes that not only convert food into fuel but also affect how efficiently you burn that fuel.”  So it determines the rate at which you burn calories, and thus the rate at which you gain or lose weight.

The best way to boost your metabolism is to exercise.  Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have on your body the faster your metabolism will be.  Every pound of muscle in our bodies is said to burn 35 calories a day, while each pound of fat is said to burn only 2.  So the more muscle you have on your body, the more you can eat!

The other way to boost your metabolism is to eat more often.  Having more frequent, smaller meals all throughout the day keeps your metabolism even and running.  Long delays between meals will slow this engine down, plus usually will lead us to make less smart choices with our meals.  Eat a healthy snack or meal every few hours all throughout the day instead of two or three very large meals.  I try to eat every 2 to 3 hours all day long, but these meals are smaller and healthier.  Always include some protein in each “feeding” to keep your metabolism humming.  This requires some planning and diligence, but it’s worth the trouble.

Learn to work with your metabolism and you’ll make more progress toward that lean, more muscular physique you desire.