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I found this article..
It would have helped to know about it earlier
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Speed up your metabolism in your 20s, 30s, 40s


From the editors of Fitness magazine
Jun. 4, 2003 12:00 AM


Fitness magazine helps you become a calorie-burning machine at any age.

In your 20s

What's going on now:

Your metabolism is at its peak for most of this decade, largely because the two primary factors that determine it - muscle mass and hormone levels (especially estrogen and progesterone) - are also at their highest. Nonetheless, you may unknowingly be sabotaging your calorie-burning potential. You stay out late, then usually skip breakfast, and to make up for the previous night's indulgences you may not eat much for lunch either. You do cardio several times a week, but you consider the weight room a waste of time.

Take action:

- Modify that happy-hour habit. The combination of alcohol and high-fat foods (beer and wings, anyone?) can spell trouble. Studies show that people who indulge in the two simultaneously burn fewer calories and store more fat, so limit your brews to just one or two and avoid those fatty favorites.

- Eat breakfast. Any time you eat you'll get a slight bump in your calorie-burning rate, since it takes energy to digest food, but the morning meal is particularly important. And don't forget to nosh during the day.

- Add strength training to your regimen. Cardio's great for burning calories, but lifting weights boosts your metabolic rate for up to 16 hours post workout (the "afterburn effect"). And the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll work off, even at rest: Your body burns about 50 calories per day to maintain one pound of muscle - three to four times what it burns to maintain one pound of fat.

In your 30s

What's going on now:

The numbers may be creeping up on the scale as metabolism declines. Perhaps you've had a baby or are spending more hours at work and fewer at the gym. To compensate, you cut way back on calories. Strength training takes a back seat as you spend more time doing cardio to burn fat - if you can squeeze in a workout at all.

Take action:

- Don't follow a drastic diet. As a rule of thumb, never drop below 1,200 calories a day. (For a more individualized estimate, log on to our Web site at www.fitnessmagazine.com.)

- Get adequate protein. Your body uses more energy (about 20 percent to 30 percent) to digest protein than carbs or fat - plus protein keeps you feeling fuller. But don't overdo it: too much of the nutrient can be hard on the kidneys. Aim to get 15 percent to 20 percent of daily calories from protein-rich sources like lean meats, beans and low-fat dairy.

- Intensify your workout. In a moderately paced workout, your body uses a greater percentage of fat as fuel, so many women try to stick to this "fat-burning" zone. But up the intensity level and you'll burn a greater number of total calories, including more fat.

In your 40s

What's going on now:

Unfortunately, beginning at age 40, most women lose about one-third of a pound of muscle a year. Although hormonal changes play a role, you can help reduce this loss with regular workouts. However, as you enter the perimenopausal stage, changes in hormones also shift fat storage to the abdomen, so you may be developing a bit of a belly. Life can be more complicated now too, with family and work responsibilities contributing to weight gain via stress-induced cravings and missed workouts.

Take action:

- Watch for extra calories. The metabolism slide means you may be burning up to 120 fewer calories a day than you did in your twenties. But that doesn't have to translate to higher numbers on the scale.

- Reconfigure your cardio workouts. If high-impact activities like running are taking a toll on your joints, switch to kinder, gentler moves like swimming, walking or cycling four to five days a week. Just remember to keep the intensity up to at least 65 percent of your maximum heart rate, with one or two weekly workouts at around 80 percent, so you burn sufficient calories.

- Lift heavier weights. As you get older, protein synthesis slows, making it harder to build muscle. Don't be afraid to increase the intensity of your weight routine - choose one heavy enough to fatigue the muscle in eight to 10 reps.

aaarrrrggggghhhhhhh!!! : this is depressing! why can I be 18 again

Man I wish I saw this like 3 months ago. :

Oh well, I'm just going to work with the body I have.

__________________
"If u put a small price on ur value.. rest assure that the world wont raise ur price! Love U 2day!" ~ Rev. Run

"If you keep believing in yourself and seek enthusiasm inside your soul, things will get simpler, more spontaneous." ~Paulo Coelho

"Knowledge is like the wind, once you obtain it, you can go anywhere." ~Yellow Hare(Native-American Chief)

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit
the floor each morning the devil says:
"Oh Crap, She's up!"

I came across some similar information about 6months ago

Where was all this info when I was 18

Man, I would never want to be 18 again. I have to say that now that I am older then 18, lol, I am enjoying myself alot more. I have money to do the things I want to do and live the type of life I want to live. I definitely couldn't have afforded to go to carnival, but unfortunately, the metabolism has SLOOOOOWED. The results just don't come as quickly. I find that I have to drag myself to the gym more often to look the way I want to look.