Age is just a number, as in the case of the popular footballer, who is in such good physical condition that he is still able to compete on the fields.
Is there an age at which footballers “should” retire from active play? While the simple answer might be their age, Luka Modric’s case seems to be a bit more complicated.
The veteran Croatian footballer will turn 40 this year on September 9th and everything indicates that he will be able to continue playing for Real Madrid. Much of his good physical condition is due to his collaboration with coach and associate professor at the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Zagreb, Vlatko Vucetic, who has kept him in excellent shape over the years. The professor has been working with the popular footballer since 2012.
As he points out, the footballer’s own physiology is remarkable: despite his chronological age, his metabolic age is under 30. “It’s true that he’s neither 20 nor 30 years old. His chronological age is 39, but his metabolic age is less than 30. He wanted to play until he was 36. He had set that goal when we first met in 2012,” he says.
What is metabolic age?
Metabolic age is an indicator that shows how your basic metabolic rate (BMR), which is how many calories your body burns at rest, compares to the average BMR of people your chronological age in the general population.
Metabolic health is not a data point in the study: “It’s not information that concerns the medical community but more the fitness community. While it gives an idea of how you compare to other people your age, and specifically physical fitness, in practice it is not an indicator of absolute health.”
If your metabolic age is lower than your chronological age, which is calendar years, that’s probably a good sign. If it’s higher, you might need to pay attention to your eating habits and exercise routine.
How do we improve it?
The best way to stay healthy and improve our metabolic rate is through a balanced diet and exercise. However, if we reduce calories, even if we do not increase physical activity, we will probably start to lose weight. However, when calories are reduced, the body begins to prepare for the possibility of starvation, slowing down the metabolism. If we do not adjust our calorie intake but add exercise, we will lose weight, but at a slower rate.
By cutting calories and increasing exercise, it is possible that the metabolism will not slow down, which is an obstacle to weight loss. Systematic exercise not only contributes to burning calories, but also to improving the basic metabolic rate, so that we burn more calories when we are not exercising. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a type of exercise that can boost your metabolic rate even after you’ve finished your workout and in less time, according to a study. Finally, getting enough sleep is also important for energy metabolism. Sleep deprivation can itself lead to weight gain.
