Do you feel like your metabolism is out to get you sometimes? Or you’re doomed to fight an endless battle with your weight?
You’re not alone. It’s a common complaint.
And if you suspect you’ve inherited a “slow metabolism,” you may be on to something.
But it turns out modern living can also take a huge toll, causing us to gain weight and have trouble losing it when we try.
Hidden metabolism destroyers making you overweight
In fact, you’re likely battling four major metabolism destroyers every day. Whether you know it or not.
1. Genetics:
It’s true that we’re all unique individuals. But we do inherit our genetic makeup from our parents. So while your own mix is unique, your genetics influence how well your metabolism functions.
This is why if you have a parent or sibling who has type two diabetes you’re far more likely to have a sluggish metabolism too. And you’re more likely to become overweight and eventually develop the disease yourself.
But genetics isn’t the only factor in how well your metabolism works. In fact, it isn’t even the biggest culprit behind a sluggish system.
2. Diet:
What we choose to eat is by far the biggest factor in whether or not our metabolism limps along or fires on all cylinders. And the typical Western diet can lead to metabolism problems.
Your cells are equipped with little energy factories called mitochondria. Their job is to convert all the oxygen you breathe and the food you eat into fuel to run your body. They are the backbone of your metabolism.
But when your diet consists of lots of processed foods, refined flours and inflammatory sugars and refined oils (or simply too much food) your mitochondria can’t keep up. They become overwhelmed. And your energy system, or metabolism, gets knocked off balance.
3. Toxins:
Environmental factors can take their toll on your metabolism too.
Everything from stress to pesticide exposure can affect your gut bug balance triggering inflammation. And this in turn can damage your mitochondria slowing down your metabolism.
4. Diets:
Don’t worry, while simply adopting a healthy eating style is the best approach an occasional diet isn’t going to do you any harm. It’s extreme dieting that you need to avoid.
Many folks make the mistake of going on a crash diet to drop weight fast. But if you don’t give your body enough fuel to function, it will slow your metabolism to a crawl to preserve your fat stores.
Fad diets might cause you to lose some weight at first. But in the end, the damage to your metabolism will cause you to gain it all back and more.
Undo metabolism damage and lose the weight
But now for the good news. You can help undo the damage that’s been done to your metabolism. And it’s probably far easier than you imagine.
Following are six easy ways to get started today…
1. Drop damaging foods:
Your mitochondria have to work overtime to try to process all the added sugars and high-carb refined flours found in the Western diet. And all that stress causes inflammation and oxidative damage slowing your system down.
Switch to lower sugar foods and opt for more resistant starches instead.
2. Eat the rainbow:
Eating lots of colorful fruits and vegetables provides your mitochondria with the building blocks they need to operate efficiently. Packed with necessary nutrients and potent antioxidants, fresh, delicious organic produce can fight the oxidative stress that damages your metabolism in the first place.
3. Eat healthy fats:
Your mitochondria adore healthy fats. So go ahead and give them what they want. Eat more nuts, seeds, avocados coconut oil and wild-caught fatty fish.
4. Move more:
Our bodies were made to move. And our metabolism works better when we do. So make an effort to unseat your seat more often.
If you spend hours every day at a desk job, take a break at least once an hour to walk around for five to 10 minutes. If you enjoy watching television, do some wall pushups or make a half a dozen laps around the living room during commercial breaks.
And make sure you’re working out for at least a half hour most days of the week. Switch between aerobic exercise such as speed walking or swimming laps with strength exercises such as resistance bands will keep things balanced and interesting. Plus it will do wonders for your metabolism, building more mitochondria and improving their function.
5. Commit to quality sleep:
Everything falls apart when you don’t get enough good quality sleep. And that includes your metabolism and your health. Research has repeatedly linked poor sleeping habits to weight gain. Commit to getting between seven and eight hours of solid sleep a night.
6. Supplement your diet:
Supplements can lower mitochondria damaging inflammation and boost your energy helping you get your metabolism back on track.
Ones to consider include…
- CoQ10
- B-complex
- carnitine
- alpha lipoic acid
- N-acetyl-cysteine
- omega-3 fatty acids
Topping up your levels of each can keep your metabolism running like a top.
Stop battling your weight and cursing your slow metabolism. Do something about it instead. These simple mitochondria supporting changes can help.
She is an advocate of self-education and is passionate about the power of group knowledge sharing, like the kind found right here on HealthierTalk.com. Alice loves to share her views on holistic and natural healing as well as her, sometimes contentious, thoughts on the profit-driven inner workings of traditional medicine.
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