Building a healthy Metabolism
For most people, finding the correct equation for keeping a healthy and thriving metabolism is challenging and hard to understand. While there is no perfect formula for everyone, understanding what goes into the equation in the first place is extremely helpful. Here I will outline some simple steps you can take to better understand your metabolism, and how to improve its So what is a metabolism anyway?
To put it simply, it is the process by which we convert the calories we consume into fuel. A thriving metabolism can help you stay at your goal weight, but it also helps your internal body functions (digestive system, endocrine system, etc.) to operate at their peak. In other words you look and feel better when your metabolism is healthy. As you age, your metabolism naturally slows. It takes proactivity to counter this. Below are some steps that you can take to boost your metabolism naturally.
Keep a steady and health conscious diet
Crash diets do not work. They are a short term solution for a larger problem. The best way to keep your metabolism healthy is to eat consistently throughout the day. Routinely skipping meals like breakfast, or working through lunch, can cause your body to go into "starvation mode", meaning that you are actively storing fat to ensure your body can function at times of low calorie intake.
Counting calories alone doesn't necessarily work either. Focusing only caloric intake by itself can be deceiving, there are many lowcalorie foods that provide no nutritional value. Focusing on nutrient density is more effective in managing both your weight, and your over all health. Think of food as your fuel, not something to be fearful of. If you are struggling to understand what foods are nutritionally whole, and can help keep you on track - follow this simple advice: Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. As a general rule, most of the processed foods reside in the middle aisles of the store. It is also very important to be conscious of labeling. All of the information you need can be found on the nutritional label, so teach yourself to read it and understand it.
Put yourself on a sleep schedule - and stick to it
Getting enough sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your metabolism. Keeping your body in a state of exhaustion means that your metabolism is slowing down to conserve energy. Making a plan to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night can help to keep hormone levels in check, specifically cortisol. Cortisol is responsible not only for managing weight gain, but having high levels of cortisol also relates to poor mental function.
Include HIIT training in your workout
Do you find yourself saying that you are too short on time to include an exercise regimen in your daily routine? High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT, provides a compact - as short as 15 minutes - solution. Not only does it burn more fat in less time, it does wonders for your metabolism. Specifically, HIIT increases the production of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) by up to 450 percent in the 24 hours following the end of your workout (shape.com). Not familiar with HGH? It is the hormone responsible for increasing caloric burn and slowing the aging process. Just remember that your body needs adequate time and nutrients to heal after an intense workout, so try incorporating a supplement (likeJoint Vibrance) in your routine that allows your body to replenish naturally.
Start weight training
A pound of muscle burns roughly 6 calories per day at rest, compared to a pound of fat, which only burns roughly 2 calories in the same timeframe (self.com). As we age our metabolism slows. Unfortunately, as we age we also lose muscle mass. Strength training can help combat both of these problems. While strength training alone provides limited improvement to your metabolism directly, it can help you maintain a healthy metabolism as you continue to age - so start now.
Focus on nutrient density
We mentioned this briefly above, but it deserves its own section. Nutrient density refers to the ratio of micro- nutrients (i.e. vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, etc.) to macro-nutients (i.e. fats, carbohydrates, protein). Our ancestors commonly received far greater amounts of micro-nutrients in every mouthful of protein, fat and carbohydrate they consumed than we receive in the foods we eat today. Human biochemistry adapted to that ancient food supply with its greater nutrient density. It is that same, ancient biochemistry that attempts to run us today.
Far too often we focus on how much food we eat, and not the quality of food that we eat. When thinking about consumption think first about the nutritional value of the food you are eating, and second about the calories. It just so happens, however, that the most nutrient dense foods give you the most nutrients for the fewest amount of calories - seems pretty straight forward, doesn't it? I have listed 11 of the most nutrient dense foods below, as taken fromhealthline.com, for a quick reference:
- Salmon
- Kale
- Seaweed
- Garlic
- Shellfish
- Potatoes
- Liver
- Sardines
- Blueberries
- Egg Yolks
- Dark Chocolate (Cacao)
But food might not be enough. Indeed, statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, World Health Organization (WHO) and regulatory agencies in countries around the globe, verify a precipitous drop in nutrient density within our common food supply in just the last fifty years. The loss of trace nutrients is so great that supplementation is really the only way to ensure that we are receiving everything we need to thrive. We firmly believe supplementation is mandatory in order to achieve optimal health.
Green food supplements, if properly formulated, can provide astounding nutrient density. They can, in effect, return our dietary intake of micro- nutrients to something more closely approximating the richness of our ancestral, Paleolithic diet.
Nutrients in their natural state are highly bioavailable.Green Vibrance, for example, delivers a multitude of nutrients that can be used by each cell to support efficient cellular metabolism, and maintain health.
As always, consult your physician when making any changes to your diet or exercise regimen.
DISCLAIMER: This information is not intended as a substitute for advice provided by a competent health care professional. You should not use this information in diagnosing or treating a health problem. No claim or opinion in this blog is intended to be, nor should be construed to be, medical advice. If you are now taking any drugs, prescribed or not, or have a medical condition, please consult a competent physician who is aware of herb/drug interactions before taking any herbal supplements. The information presented herein has not been evaluated by the FDA or the Department of Health and is not intended to diagnose, prevent, cure, mitigate or treat any disease or illness.
