Metabolism!
We talk about metabolism; we hear that we can change our metabolism.
But what is metabolism, this mysterious and biological process?
Metabolism is a series of chemical processes which happens in our cells. It is how many calories the body needs to digest food, regenerate our tissues, and breathing! It is the amount of energy that the body needs to support all its activities. And this is pretty much regulated by the thyroid, the butterfly-shaped gland that sits low on the front of our neck.
Metabolism can be affected by different habits, genetic, sex, age, but also:
· Skipping breakfast. Because your metabolism slows during sleep, eating can boost it up and help you burn more calories throughout the day. When you eat breakfast, you are telling your body that there are plenty of calories to be used for the day. When you skip breakfast, you are telling your body gets that it needs to conserve rather than burn any incoming calories.
· Not getting enough proteins. Proteins feed your muscles, promotes satiety, and is an important component to sustain a healthy weight. If you eat too little proteins, then you may have trouble building or maintaining muscle mass, and muscles are important to metabolism. Also, protein requires more energy to break down than carbs or fat, so you’ll burn more calories during digestion.
· Not getting enough sleep. Only one ad night sleep can make you feel sluggish and impair your cognitive process. Several nights in a row can impair your hormones and slow down your metabolism.
· Not drinking enough water. Only drinking 500 millilitres of water (about 2 cups) increases metabolic rate by 30%, and that spike lasts for more than an hour. So, drinking water throughout the day to stay hydrates can help to boost the metabolism.
When we are under stress, the stress system can push the body to burn more calories, but in a negative way, raising levels of hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, and oestrogen, therefore expending energy in a stressful way. Then the body tries to fight this stress by burning sugar reserves, driving itself to exhaustion, sugar imbalance, and negative mood.
Symptoms of weight issues, hormonal imbalance, PMS, low libido, digestive issues, sleep irregularities, fatigue, can all be an indication of low metabolic energy.
So, what do we need to do to help to restore our metabolic energy?
Sleeping and resting, feeling happy, doing the right amount of exercise, eating the right food in small meals or snacks and at regular intervals of every 3 hours, drinking 1.5-2 litres of water per day to keep the body hydrated and flush out the toxins, reduce stress through meditation, are simple things that can help! Food to incorporate like high-protein foods which can help keeping your metabolism active. Some protein-rich food options include cage-free organic eggs, grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish, and raw dairy products like kefir and goat milk.in addition to proteins, warming spices like cinnamon, ginger or cumin can increase thermogenesis therefore metabolism.
If you think that your metabolism needs to be reset and you wish to discuss how to achieve this, I would be happy to offer you, my help!
