Do You Know Your Metabolic Age? Here's How Find Out + Improve It - mindbodygreen.com

At its foundation, metabolic age is all about how many calories your body burns at rest (or the energy your body needs to maintain its everyday functions) and how that compares to other people your age.

It’s tough to define metabolic age without first defining basal metabolic rate (or BMR).

“Your basal metabolic rate is how much caloric energy or energy from calories you need to keep your body functioning, including the organs, digestion, muscles, and everything else working over a period of rest,” explains functional medicine doctor Heather Moday, M.D.

Markers of metabolic health include things like waist circumference, blood sugar, triglyceride and cholesterol levels, and blood pressure (you can read more about that here.).

There is a downside to looking at BMR and metabolic age when it comes to your health, though—mainly, it’s nearly impossible to compare your personal BMR to others in your age group, because so many factors play a role in how many calories you burn at rest, Moday says.

Robin Forouton, RDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also says things like thyroid health, mitochondrial health, nutrient status, and metabolic flexibility (or how well your body transitions from a carbohydrate-burning metabolism to a fat/ketone burning metabolism) can also play a role in BMR.

Outside of your workouts, the activity you do at baseline each day can contribute to how many calories you burn at rest, Moday says.

One small study suggested that about four weeks of sprint interval training may increase resting metabolic rate (which is another term for basal metabolic rate) in healthy adults.

It might sound like you want to cut back on calories in order for your BMR to stay steady or rise, but you actually want to make sure you’re eating appropriately for your body, Moday says.

To support this health goal, Moday suggests eating a nutritious diet, filled with protein and fats, without going overboard on carbs (especially simple ones)!

“Vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other nutrients are critical to mitochondrial health, and mitochondrial health is instrumental in turning the food you eat into cellular energy,” she says

It is important to be proactive about avoiding a metabolic decline, though: Metabolic rates drop as we age, but if you work to counteract that change, you’ll likely be better off in terms of health, Moday says

In general, living an overall healthy lifestyle will help you reduce your metabolic age and support metabolism