When we are trying to lose weight, one of the key ‘buzzwords’ we always hear is metabolism. We are constantly thinking of ways we can boost it, such as eating breakfast, getting up earlier, etc., but we often forget to address the habits we have that could be slowing it down.
It is important to keep in mind that each of us is born with a certain metabolic rate that is then influenced by our life choices.
As Ashvini Mashru, MA, RD, LDN stated:
“Over the course of your life, if you stay active, exercise…you will see a tremendous difference in the rate that your body metabolizes food… people age, their metabolism quite naturally slows down. The greatest way to slow this process down is through exercise and staying fit.”
Although each of our metabolic rates may be different, there are some basic, universal habits you can kick to the curb in order to stop slowing down your metabolism every single day.
- Skipping Meals
Starving your body stalls your metabolism and forces it to feed on muscle reserves instead of fat reserves. Start the day with a good balance of healthy fats, carbs, proteins, and veggies, and refuel yourself every couple of hours.
RELATED: Why You Shouldn’t Skip Meals
- Not Getting Enough Sleep
When you are sleep-deprived, your ability to manage blood sugar levels decreases, resulting in generally feeling hungrier, usually for high carb foods.
- Sitting at your Desk Job
Sitting for 8+ hours a day basically shuts down your body’s metabolism. Set an alarm every hour to get up and walk around, or create a kind of standing desk where you can stand move around while you work.
- Only Doing Cardio
Doing cardio is fantastic for cardiovascular heath, but you receive much higher metabolic rates when you incorporate strength training and high intensity interval training into your workout.
- Stressing Out
Stress triggers the body to release cortisol, which immediately places your body into ‘fat-storage mode’ to save your preserves in the case of an emergency. Therefore, higher stress rates instantly decreases your ability to burn fat.
- Not Drinking Enough Water
If you aren’t drinking enough water, it really doesn’t matter how much you diet and exercise. The body is made up of mostly water, so without proper hydration, it literally cannot function properly and will fight to preserve fat. Drinking adequate amounts of water can increase your metabolic rate as much as 30 percent!
RELATED: It’s Amazing What Another Glass of Water Can Do
- Eating a Heavy Dinner
Since dinner is usually the last meal of the day, it is difficult for your body to digest all that food while resting/sleeping/sitting. Instead, try to eat heavier meals for breakfast or lunch, giving your body time to digest all of those calories during the day-time when you are most active.
- Overusing the AC
Surprising enough, if you like to keep your house at arctic-like temperatures, you may be slowing your metabolism considerably. When our bodies are cold, we begin to conserve energy and heat, which consequently slows down our metabolism.
Curated article From:
Bustle
