Here is why your metabolism slows down

While you do not have much control over the speed of your metabolism, you can control how many calories you burn through your level of physical activity. The more active you are, the more calories you burn. Net photo

We all know that a healthy body is supposed to have at least, one bowel movement every day. But, how many times have you gone two or three days, without visiting the toilet for a ‘long call’?
“Sometimes, I spend a week without feeling the need to have a bowel movement,” Eunice Marunga, a 37-year-old mother of one, says. “During that week, when I eat, it feels like the food is not digested but gets stuck in the upper abdomen. I feel bloated in the upper part of my abdomen even when my stomach feels empty. It feels worse when I drink a glass of water before a meal,” she adds.
According to Marunga, sometimes, she only has about six bowel movements in a month. “I drink plenty of water, though, but this does not seem to help.”

Metabolism is the body’s process of converting what we eat and drink into energy. A slow digestive system, due to many reasons, such as constipation, will also slow down the metabolic rate of your body, meaning that the body cannot convert calories into energy.
“Slow metabolism means that the breakdown of food is not quick enough for the body to access the nutrients in the food,” Joshua Ssozi, a research assistant at the Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, Makerere University, says.
Because of slow metabolism, there is always a feeling of being full, even a few hours after eating a heavy meal. However, this fullness does not always translate into a feeling to visit the toilet.
Causes
As we age, particularly after 30 years, naturally our metabolic rate slows down. That is why most people find it hard to lose weight as they grow older because most of the food they eat is converted to fat.
“Stress is also a determining factor in how your metabolism will function,” Ssozi says, adding, “When you are stressed, a hormone called cortisol will rise in the body. This hormone is associated with food cravings. Most people who are stressed will take solace in comfort foods, which are not good for the body.”
In most cases, people who eat foods that are high in refined sugars and saturated fats or that have poor nutritional value tend to have a slower metabolic rate. These foods have fewer calories that are not enough to meet the resting metabolic rate. In this case, metabolism slows down and the body begins storing more fats.
“I have a sweet tooth and I drink a lot of soda,” Marunga confesses, continuing, “Many times, when I am too busy to eat lunch, I feast on fast foods at night. It is only over the weekend that I get time to cook a proper meal.”

Not drinking water
Fasting or going on crash diets also is a factor in causing a slow metabolism. In the same vein, skimping on drinking enough water during the day is not good because most of the body’s functions, such as digestion and metabolism, require water to function at their peak.
Women over 35 years of age should also look out for the functioning of their thyroid glands. This gland located at the base of the neck greatly affects the body’s metabolism. If the thyroid gland is underactive, it will not release the thyroid hormones that are important for metabolism.
These hormones stimulate the breakdown of fats and decrease cholesterol levels by increasing the secretion of cholesterol in bile.

Dangers
A slow metabolic rate means the body system is reacting at a slow rate. This sluggishness will make an individual feel weak and out of energy, as Marunga attests. “Most mornings, I wake up feeling tired, and the tiredness increases as the day progresses. I do not do menial work; I sit at my computer the whole day, but at the end of the day I feel as tired as someone who has been working in the garden.”
“Since the body is not converting calories into energy but is instead storing them as fats, most people with a slow metabolic rate have weight problems because it is easier for them to gain weight,” Ssozi says.