8 Simple Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism

 What exactly is your Metabolism & what does it do for you? 

Imagine your body is like a machine that needs fuel to run, just like a car needs gasoline. Metabolism is like the engine of that machine. It's the process in your body that turns the food you eat into energy that your body can use.

You see, every time you eat something, your body breaks down the food into smaller pieces called nutrients. These nutrients include things like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Your body uses these nutrients to do different things, like helping your muscles move, your brain think, and even your heart beat.

Now, think of your metabolism as the way your body converts these nutrients into energy. It's like a factory inside you that takes in the nutrients and turns them into the energy your body needs to function. This energy helps you do everything from running and playing to growing and even sleeping!

The metabolism is always working, even when you're sleeping or sitting still. It's a busy process that happens in every cell of your body. Some people have faster metabolisms, which means their bodies convert food into energy more quickly. Others have slower metabolisms, so their bodies convert food into energy more slowly.

Different things can affect your metabolism too. For example, when you exercise, your metabolism speeds up because your body needs more energy. That's why it's important to eat healthy food and stay active, so your metabolism can work efficiently and keep you feeling good.

So, in simple terms, metabolism is like the engine that converts the food you eat into energy for your body. It's what keeps you going and helps you grow strong and healthy!

8 Simple Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism:

Your metabolism doesn’t slow down due to age until your reach your 60s

If it does slow down it’s due to a significant change in your lifestyle.

The most common reason being you lost muscle & your actions led to a slower metabolism. 

     1. Stop crash dieting.

• Dieting too aggressively increases stress on your body which can trigger adaptive responses that slow down calorie burning during exercise & rest
• Over time, you end up down-regulating thyroid + insulin sensitivity = slowing down your ability for fat loss.
  
  
• 2. Build Lean Muscle.
• Simply adding 7 pounds of muscle to your body can approximately increase your BMR(the calories your body burns at rest) by 53 calories per day.
• Doesn’t sound like much? 
• 53 calories x365days = 19,345 calories.
• In 1 year you’ll burn the equivalent of 5.5 pounds of fat just from having more muscle. 
  
  3. Get in 8-10k steps/day
• The average American gets less than 4k steps on average. This isn’t enough. 
• If you can get 8-10k steps/day you’ll burn 300-400 calories/day just by walking.
• You’ll improve your mood, lose fat, support a healthy metabolism, & live longer as well.
  
  4. Sleep at least 7 hours per night.
• Any improvement in sleep quality & duration will make a big impact.
• Poor Sleep…

          - Alters glucose metabolism(you can’t handle carbs)
          - Increases appetite + cravings
          - Decreases energy expenditure
      5. Drink ½ your BW in oz of water per day.

• You’re probably dehydrated. This makes you tired, hungry, dumber, and more prone to injuries.
• Studies have shown drinking 17 oz of water can increase metabolic rate by 30% and regulate your appetite. 
  
  6. Eat 1g of Protein per 1lb of bodyweight.
• High protein diets support muscle growth, improving metabolic health.
• 30% of the calories you eat from protein are burned off during digestion, you burn more calories each day.
• Protein is the most satiating macro. You’ll eat less junk.
  
  7. Sit Less, Move More
• Get up and move as often as you can-even if you lift but sit behind a desk all day, you are at risk of metabolic & cardiovascular issues from prolonged sitting.
• Fat loss enzyme(lipase) slows down with inactivity. 
• Cognitive + metabolic function plummet. 
  
  8. Simplify & Execute. **MOST IMPORTANT**
• “Do as little as possible to elicit the most amount of change.”

– “Mind Pump Adam”

• Pick one healthy habit to improve on at a time. A wealth of options leads to a poverty of focus.