Metabolism Boosters and Busters - Part 1

Metabolism boosters and busters, this is part 1 of a 3-part series. We can’t just focus on ways to boost it, without telling you about things that can also destroy it. Plus, it’s important to know how our metabolism got so low in the first place, so we don’t continue on down the same broken path.

And understand that metabolism controls our ability to lose and keep off those extra pounds, but a strong metabolism is tied to much more than a thin body. Metabolism is also important for a strong immune system to help lower infections and degenerative diseases. Metabolism also affects fertility and creates a healthy sex drive, lean muscle mass, brain function, energy and much more.

So, let’s take a look at some common signs of someone with lower metabolic function. They may experience ongoing fatigue, feel cold often, have thinning hair, cracked dry skin, low sex drive, irregular periods, brittle fingernails, unable to sleep through the night, constipation, bloating, mood disorders (anxiety or depression), excessive thirst, brain fog, allergies, difficulty losing weight, low motivation and tend to get sick more often.

And while most diets lead people to believe they need to drastically cut or count calories, doing too much will have a very negative affect on metabolism and actually hinder fat loss.

There are many factors that can affect your metabolism and weight gain like genetics, body composition (which is your muscle and fat percentage), gender, activity level and your age, and hormonal imbalance. Also, too little energy production from too little calories, means metabolism has less fuel to work with. So, you’re more likely to be susceptible to colds and viruses or other infections, having reproductive issues and mood changes. These are signs that your body is putting its limited energy to other places. When there is only so much energy to go around, our body devotes our resources to essential daily functions like keeping our hearts beating, lungs breathing and so on.

So, let’s get practical. What are some things we can do to actually boost our metabolism? First and foremost,… Stop Dieting! Give your body the calories it needs. If you live in a calorie deficit because you exercise too much and don’t eat enough, you will enact hormonal changes that will end up driving up your hunger and thirst while slowing down fat-burning and muscle growth in order to prevent starvation.

Secondly, Get Plenty of Rest. There is a proven link between proper metabolism and getting adequate sleep and rest. Lack of sleep can mean lack of weight loss, because the body works to conserve energy when it is fatigued. Seven to nine hours are needed every night to keep hormone levels in check – including our stress hormone, cortisol. High cortisol levels are directly associated with lack of sleep, weight gain and insulin resistance. It’s not just any old weight gain either. It’s visceral fat, which is the fat around our organs that creates inflammation in the body. 

Last but certainly not least in importance is Avoiding Inflammatory Foods. Certain foods slow down digestive processes and increase free radical damage. The body actually recognizes and processes many inflammatory foods as toxins. Eating these triggers causes your body to engage it’s fight or flight response, increasing your stress hormone (cortisol) production and slowing metabolic function.

Inflammatory foods include: sugary drinks and sweets, processed foods made with grains - especially those containing gluten like cereals, crackers, bread, pasta, desserts, chips and granola bars. Granola bars are really just candy bars trying to disguise themselves as health food. All refined vegetable oils like corn, soybean, canola and cottonseed; artificial sweeteners and ingredients and preservatives, and low-quality dairy and animal products. Next time we will talk about 6 of the worst “foods” that are stopping you from losing and after that metabolism boosters and power foods.