Cultivating a Healthy Relationship with Food and Boosting Your Metabolism

Eating enough throughout the day fosters a healthier relationship with food—something we all could benefit from. When you deprive yourself, cravings can intensify, and food preoccupies your thoughts. Striking a balance and moderating the intake of the right foods can lead to better long-term decisions. With a well-rounded diet, you’ll find it easier to go longer without snacking, helping to stabilize blood sugar levels and minimize mood swings.

Prioritize Restful Sleep

Another crucial component of optimal metabolism is getting enough rest. Research consistently shows a strong link between proper sleep and metabolic function. Inadequate sleep can hinder weight loss, as the body conserves energy when fatigued. Aim for seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night to help regulate hormone levels—including cortisol, your stress hormone. Elevated cortisol levels are closely tied to insufficient sleep, which can lead to weight gain, particularly in the form of visceral fat—the fat surrounding your organs that contributes to inflammation.

Incorporate HIIT or Surge Exercises

While exercise isn’t essential for weight loss for many clients, it plays a significant role in maintaining a healthy metabolism. Staying active and preserving your muscle mass can mitigate the age-related decline in metabolic rate. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), also known as Surge training, alternates between short bursts of all-out effort and brief periods of rest. This workout method significantly jump-starts your metabolism, enabling your body to burn fat for up to 36 hours following your session.

Unlike steady-state aerobic exercises, which often produce cortisol and can lead to increased blood sugar levels, HIIT challenges your body in a different way. Just 12-15 minutes of HIIT three times per week can yield impressive results—boosting fat burn, building muscle, improving metabolic function, and enhancing insulin sensitivity.

Start Weight Training

Incorporating weight training into your routine further enhances your metabolic rate. Building lean muscle mass requires more energy than storing fat, making strength training vital. You can utilize dumbbells, resistance bands, or bodyweight exercises at home or lift weights at a gym. Aim for several repetitions targeting each muscle group 3-5 days per week; you don’t need to lift heavy weights to see benefits.

Avoid Inflammatory Foods

Certain foods can impede your digestive processes and increase free radical damage. Your body treats many inflammatory foods as toxins, triggering a stress response that heightens cortisol production and slows metabolic function. This is one reason why your GHS weight loss plan emphasizes anti-inflammatory foods.

Examples of inflammatory foods include:

• Sugary drinks and sweets
• Processed foods made from grains, especially those containing gluten (such as cereals, crackers, bread, pasta, desserts, chips, and granola bars)
• All refined vegetable oils (like corn, soybean, canola, and cottonseed)
• Artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and low-quality dairy and animal products

Looking Ahead

Next week, we will explore metabolic power foods—those that boost your metabolism—as well as those that hinder it. Understanding how different foods affect your metabolism helps you make informed choices that support your health and weight loss journey. Stay tuned!