Is Your Metabolism Broken?

I get it. I know how it feels to be working out hard and eating healthy but still not feeling confident with who you see in the mirror.

Tired, frustrated and defeated you wonder ‘what you are doing wrong?’

It may not be you, it may be your metabolism!

Your metabolism describes biochemical reactions in your body. It is how we take in nutrients and oxygen, and use it for fuel for everything we do. This includes activities we control, activities we cannot control and storage of excess energy for later.

So, your metabolic rate is how fast your metabolism can convert energy (calories) into work, heat and storage.

But here is the thing.

As we age our metabolism doesn’t really change that much. So our metabolism at 19 is close to the one we have at 70.

So what happens?

It is really other variables (like the ones below) that directly affect the efficiency of our metabolism doing its job.

– stress– type of food we consume
– toxins– quality of food we consume
– pollution– sedentary lifestyle
– hormones (thyroid, leptin, insulin)– decrease in lean muscle mass
– sleep– mindset

Metabolic Adaptation

Another metabolism boosting roadblock is Metabolic Adaptation. This is often seen in individuals that calorie restrict, yo-yo diet and/or do excessive exercise. This causes a negative feedback loop which causes them to have to exercise more and cut more calories to maintain. Ultimately they become sick or injured or give up.

So what are the signs your metabolism is under active?

  • weight / fat gain
  • tired, chronic fatigue
  • difficulty losing weight
  • dry skin
  • sugar cravings
  • may feel stiff, sore and weak

Ideally, we want to keep that connection with our metabolism and keep it firing for us.

Here are my Top 7 Tips:

  1. Start with breakfast.

A protein rich, low carb with healthy fat breakfast not only triggers our metabolism to wake up and start working but it really sets the stage for the rest of the day.

A couple of my favourites are:

Eggs with Turkey Bacon and Avocado or a Cherry Chia Pudding

  1. Keep lean muscle.

Cardio is great if you stay in the fat burning zone (55 to 70 % MHR), but when you are done … your fat burning is over. Building lean muscle through resistance training, HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) or even LIIT (Low-Intensity Interval Training) can keep your metabolism firing for hours – even days afterwards!

  1. Eat enough.

If you calorie restrict and do not consume enough calories through the day your important metabolic hormones (thyroid, leptin, insulin) will get all out of whack. Your body will start to ‘reverse diet’ and hold onto fat for energy.

  1. Stay off of the blood sugar / insulin roller coaster.

Besides not being healthy, blood sugar spikes wreak havoc on your metabolism. It forces your liver to store the extra sugar as fat, and set off a dangerous chain reaction of insulin surges, high blood pressure, and high triglycerides….just to name a few.

  1. Time Strategy

We are all busy and trying hard to fit it all in. That is why is it super important to be strategic about your time.   Taking 10 min to plan meals on Sunday, working out smarter not harder and learning to say no to things that do not serve you are just a few examples.

BONUS TIP:

Your body actually burns calories to absorb, digest, and metabolize your food. This is called the “thermic effect of food” (TEF).

You can use it to your advantage when you understand how your body metabolizes foods differently.

Fats, for example increase your TEF by 0-3%; carbs increase it by 5-10%, and protein increases it by 15-30%. By trading some of your fat or carbs for lean protein you can slightly increase your metabolic rate.

Comments
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

About the Author

Monika Tupholme

Monika Tupholme

Monika Tupholme (BSc. in Biochemistry, CPT, and FNC) is a former professional volleyball player.  She is now a Performance Strategist|Educator  who helps active people reignite their metabolism so they can lose weight, re-energize, curve joint pain and get their MOJO back. You can follow Monika on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monika_tupholme/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mojomoni/?pnref=lhc Visit her website: […]

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Read Bio Read Posts