When talking about “metabolism”, we often think of the popular term nowadays, “BURN”, which medically conveys a similar feeling. This is because every organ’s function at each step involves metabolism, including breathing, heart pumping, thinking, as well as energy-consuming activities such as exercising.
Why? Easy to gain weight… hard to lose weight unlike when you were a teenager. Here is the answer!!
Because a body with good metabolism… weight control will be better, and fat accumulation in various parts will be less. A good metabolic process must support the efficient functioning of the body’s organs and avoid producing harmful free radicals in large amounts. It must include… balanced hormone levels and sufficient antioxidants. However, the concern is that both hormones and antioxidants decrease with increasing age, and metabolic efficiency gradually declines year by year!!
Look good… at any age, just by knowing how to adjust your lifestyle
- Get enough rest, especially going to bed by 10:00 PM. Deep sleep during this time promotes good secretion of Growth hormone, strengthens the immune system, builds healthy bone and muscle mass, and balances hormones.
- Exercise regularly, including
- Cardio exercise to strengthen heart and blood vessel function, increase metabolism. You can start with walking, which helps burn fat well. Even walking faster and taking longer strides in daily life helps increase metabolism.
- Muscle-building exercise Muscle mass is very important for metabolism. Building sufficient muscle mass through weight training helps increase basal metabolic rate more effectively.
- Relaxing and flexibility exercises such as yoga and Pilates
- Drink enough clean water, eat nutritious, varied food covering all 5 food groups
- Take dietary supplements Because nowadays… we spend more than 80% of our daily life outside the home, it is difficult to prepare or cook food with sufficient nutrients to address the body’s problems. Nutrients found to play roles in metabolism from various aspects include:
- Chromium is a mineral that helps enhance insulin function, which is an important hormone in metabolism and anti-aging processes.
- Garcinia or extract from tamarind provides Hydroxycitric acid which helps control appetite, increases the activity of carnitine acyl transferase that accelerates fat breakdown, and when taken with Chromium, Hydroxycitric acid helps convert sugar into glycogen energy reserves stored in the liver and muscles instead of turning into excess fat in hips, arms, or legs.
- Capsaicin or chili extract helps reduce the chance of fat sticking to blood vessel walls
- Vitamin B5 plays a role in controlling cholesterol and blood pressure levels, as well as stimulating hormones from the adrenal glands which are involved in metabolism and weight control.
We can see that a good metabolic system leads to efficient functioning of all organs, helps control fat levels, blood sugar, and blood pressure, manages weight and body shape well without producing free radicals that cause degeneration and aging. However, if we lose weight the wrong way!! Not only will it not last, but it may also cause degeneration, fatigue, aging, and a worn-out appearance. Therefore, holistic health care and lifestyle adjustments will help us achieve well-being, meaning having strong health, a good proportioned body without looking worn out, and happiness in life.
Dr. Thisara Weerasamai
Specialist in Anti-Aging Medicine
Anti-Aging Medicine Center, Phyathai 1 Hospital
