Do you feel like you have low energy all the time and can’t seem to lose weight? It could be your metabolism. In this episode, Jen explains what your metabolism is and shares five simple habits that you can implement to boost your metabolism daily.
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SHOWNOTES
“I have no energy and can’t lose weight. I think it’s my metabolism. What is going on?” I hear this all the time, so I thought today we’d talk about boosting your metabolism.
Firstly, what is metabolism?
Your metabolism is the chemical reactions in the body’s cells that change food into energy. Then that energy is what we burn up when we move around.
It’s specific proteins in the body that control the chemical reactions of metabolism. There are thousands of metabolic reactions happening simultaneously to keep our cells healthy and working. Metabolism refers to the total of all those chemical processes in your body.
One fundamental component of metabolism is the energy consumed by your body throughout the day, even if you were to do nothing.
So, what is the energy we consume?
Energy is measured in calories, or as we say these days, kilojoules. Our resting metabolic rate is the energy (calories) your body needs to sustain life. Our resting metabolic rate is about 70% of sedentary people’s total daily energy expenditure. That’s not exercising and racing around.
The other components that contribute to the total daily energy expenditure are:
- The thermic effect of food
- The energy required for digestion and absorption of food
- How we are moving around each day
Five ways you can support your metabolism
Here are five ways we can help support our metabolism based on the science of food metabolism and energy balance:
1. Move your body daily
You need to move your body every day! Why? Your resting metabolic rate is determined by the amount of fat-free body mass you have. This includes your organs, like the brain and liver, which use a lot of energy to function.
It also includes how much lean muscle we have. Some think muscle is a huge driver, but not as much as you think.
Moving your body daily helps burn energy and gives you many health benefits outside our resting metabolic rate and the energy burned by eating food. About 15% and 50% of the energy burn comes from moving your body; it is the single component we can influence the most.
Our body’s response to exercise boosts our metabolism after a workout in recovery and rebuilding.
2. Cleanse Days (or intermittent fasting days)
A Cleanse Day isn’t about calorie deprivation. You are providing your body with a “reset” to appetite, metabolism, and insulin sensitivity. Cleanse Days declutter cells and kick in autophagy in your body’s cells (check out Episode 98).
When you fast on a Cleanse Day, your body draws on stored energy from fat. Intermittent fasting on Cleanse Days helps your metabolism work more efficiently.
3. Pace your protein
Protein requires lots of energy for the body to digest than other nutrients like fat or carbohydrates. It is thermogenic and a nutrient that can increase your metabolism with every meal.
Think about raising your protein intake and distributing it across meals throughout the day, so breakfast, lunch, and dinner instead of getting most of your protein intake at dinner time. Why? This will help with greater muscle retention and muscle growth to power your metabolism.
4. Manage Daily Stress
Our level of stress – emotional, physical, or psychological – has just as much impact on your body and metabolism as sleep deprivation (see Episode 1).
When our hormonal system is out from stress, our metabolism and insulin sensitivity are also affected. What’s more, you’re also less likely to exercise and more likely to eat the wrong foods, which can throw you off your goals.
Managing your stress with adaptogen herbs is an important way to support your overall well-being and your metabolism, too (see below for the tonic I use).
5. Sleep well
You have to sleep well. It’s the most critical thing you do all day. Even a single interruption in your normal sleep pattern can negatively affect both fat metabolism and tissue recovery.
I’m such a big fan of planning my sleep and relaxation periods. Without a doubt, sleep is the most important thing we do all day. By sleeping on a consistent schedule, you’ll support the release of important hormones like melatonin and growth hormone, which help govern your metabolic rate every day.
Are some things that impact our metabolism are outside of our control? Yes, there are! But these five simple hacks can help you influence and support your metabolism daily.
Helpful Links
- Episode #1 – Sleep your way out of burnout
- Episode #98 – Why cleanse?
- The herbs I regularly use:
Healthy Life Hacks
The Healthy Life Hack I want to share with you today is:
- Which of the five hacks are you going to try today?
Did you enjoy the podcast today? Please let me know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Every month I draw one lucky reviewer to have a free one-hour consultation with me. Also, remember to subscribe wherever you’re tuning in from so that you always catch the next episode.
Are you looking for more great resources? Get a free copy of my Feed Your Body ebook here and be sure to explore my blog while you are there.
