The Magic Word: Metabolism
If you’re trying to lose weight or get toned, metabolism is the magic word.
Your metabolism is really your main operating system when it comes to using up calories and burning fat. There are 2 ways of looking at it. Your resting metabolism reflects how many calories your body can burn at rest, when you’re not even moving.
Your metabolic potential, on the other hand, is the upper limit of your metabolism. It’s how many calories you can get your body burning by engaging in exercise or eating certain foods.
Luckily, you don’t have to eat celery and carrots to make this happen. In fact, there’s a lot you can do to increase both your resting metabolism and your metabolic potential. With the right approach to exercise and diet, you can have a serious impact on your fat loss results. What’s even better, these same strategies also boost your energy levels and get you feeling your best, so it’s win-win all around.
Strategies to Boost Your Metabolism
If you haven’t read my article on Best Ways to Boost Metabolism this article is another reminder to help you combat a slow weight-gaining metabolism. In addition to this, to get help in your eating plan read my article Fast Metabolism Diet here, or for a fat burning cardio workout check out my High Metabolism Cardio Plan for more specific strategies.
But today I’m doing something a little different and looking at things that slow down your metabolism. There’s a lot of information out there on what to do to enhance metabolism, but it’s also important to look at what may be the culprit which is causing you so much grief in lack of results from your healthy nutrition and exercise plan.
7 Ways You Might Be Slowing Your Metabolism
Irregular Eating Patterns
Researchers recently found that in a study of mice, eating fatty foods more randomly and sporadically throughout the day actually led to significantly greater weight gain. It seems that eating on a more regular schedule might actually train your body to burn more calories in between. Start your day with a solid breakfast, and try eating every 2-3 hours to keep your fat burning metabolism in overdrive.
Poor Sleep Quality
One night of bad sleep can totally throw off your metabolism, leading to hunger spikes and deadly cravings. Sleep helps regulate a number of important hormones involves in appetite and hunger, so make sure you’re getting your 7-8 hours.
Pesticides and Herbicides
Research is also showing that pesticide and herbicide residue found in non-organic produce can actually interfere with your metabolism, making it more difficult to burn fat and lose weight. Go organic whenever possible, especially when it comes to leafy greens, apples, potatoes, and berries, some of the worst contenders for pesticide use.
Sitting All Day
Physical activity of any kind is one of the best ways to keep your metabolism boosted. If you sit on your job all day, make sure you move around every hour or so. Go for a walk, take the stairs, and try to move at every opportunity.
Not Eating Enough
This one still surprises some people, but eating too little actually causes your metabolism to slow down and conserve resources. Eating more frequently (as long as it’s healthy stuff) is a great way to keep your metabolism boosted – and make sure you eat breakfast!
Dehydration
Staying hydrated has a big impact on your metabolism, and helps keep it in full gear. Researchers have found that getting dehydrated can reduce your body’s ability to burn fat and calories. As much as you don’t want to hear it, another amplifier of dehydration is alcohol. For every glass of alcohol you should be drinking about 2-3 cups of water, so keep that in consideration next time you pick up a glass of wine or whatever your favorite alcoholic beverage is!
Traveling & Jet Lag
This culprit is lesser known, but jet lag throws a lot of bodily systems off track, including your metabolism. Since your metabolism is so dependent on time of day and your sleep patterns, it can have a really big impact on your ability to burn calories and fat. The trick? Try to make up for lost sleep as soon as possible, and get into the local groove right away.
Have any questions or feedback about these 7 Things that Slow Down your Metabolism? Please leave a comment below…
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Thank you for visiting! Weight Loss and Training is a health blog which features all the best weight loss tips that I have learned over my 20 years of training. My background includes a degree in Kinesiology from the world renown Simon Fraser University, certification in nutritional sciences from UBC, and Personal Trainer Specialist certification from Can Fit Pro.