Improve your metabolism for overall health

Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. Metabolism occurs around the clock, even when you are sleeping. In fact, the term used for what your body burns at rest is called resting metabolic rate and accounts for up to 50-75% of total calorie expenditure.

The brain, liver, kidneys and heart account for about half of the energy burned at rest, while fat, the digestive system, and especially the body's muscles account for the rest. Energy needs for your body's basic functions stay fairly consistent and aren't easily changed.

Many people may blame their metabolism for weight gain, but it is rarely the case. There are ways to improve your metabolism which will increase the number of calories you burn. Take a closer look at a few.

Exercise

If there is one thing that you have control over, it is the amount of physical activity you get. It is as simple as the more active you are, the more calories you burn.

Building more muscle with some strength training can be marginally helpful as well because muscle uses a lot more energy than fat while at rest. In fact, 10 pounds of muscle would burn 50 calories in a day spent at rest, while 10 pounds of fat would burn 20 calories.

Not only does exercise increase your metabolism, it is also beneficial for strengthening bones, improving coordination and balance. If you don't have the time to do 30 minutes a day of exercising, then try to enhance your daily activity by taking the stairs, parking further away so you have to walk more, doing housework and washing your car can provide extra movement.

How your diet affects your metabolism

It is true that if you consume less calories than you burn, you lose weight; however, temporary diets won't work. First of all, crash dieting and yo-yo dieting will have negative effects on your metabolism. Your metabolism will actually slow down if you deprive your body of fuel from calories. You may lose weight at first, but most of the time these diets come to an end and when you go back to how you were eating before; the result usually ends up in weight gain because your overall metabolism has slowed.

Not only is weight gain the end result, by slowing down your metabolism during the dieting phase, you may deprive your body of critical nutrients which put stress on your immune system. Health experts said that long-term restrictive dieting can even be harmful to your heart, due to the loss of heart muscle from calorie-cutting.

A more strategic plan to increase or maintain your metabolism is to focus on a diet high in nutrients with adequate amounts of protein and fat for fuel. Protein has a higher thermic effect compared with fats and carbohydrates so it takes longer for your body to burn protein and absorb it.

Eggs, chicken, fish, nuts and red meat are good sources of protein. Be sure to limit or avoid beef if the ferritin levels in your blood are too high. These levels can be tested by your doctor.

Get your nutrients from fresh vegetables with every meal. Fruits are also good to include in the diet, just be sure to not overeat fruit if you are diabetic since many fruits can be high in sugar. Fruits and vegetables are also high in water content. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down. So be sure you are drinking at least 64 ounces of water daily. If you are exercising or sweating a lot, you may need to increase your water intake.

Gut health

Promising studies have shown that probiotics can change the way that bile acids are metabolized which means it could change how much fat the body is able to absorb. Probiotics also help create nutrients and vitamins for the body to use.

If your digestive system is not working properly, then absorption rates of fats, proteins and other foods you consume may not be occurring. It can lead to deficiencies and a slower rate of healing and repairing in the body. For many people, just changing the gut flora won't help them lose weight or increase their metabolism.

However, if the actual cause of a person's unhealthy gut flora is discovered, that ill health is what can be addressed. The factors that can change a person's gut flora and affect the way that their digestive system works can include but is not limited to: a pro-inflammatory diet, alcohol, stress, lack of exercise, chronic antibiotic use, medications and more.

Sleep

Proper sleep accompanied with a healthy diet helps maintain balance between metabolism and circadian rhythm. When your normal circadian rhythm is disrupted, normal cellular function can be disrupted, leading to illness and disease. It also helps explain why lack of rest or disruption of normal sleep patterns can increase hunger, leading to obesity-related illnesses and accelerated aging.

Studies have shown that sleep deprivation can alter the glucose metabolism and hormones involved in regulating metabolism, that is, decreased leptin levels and increased ghrelin levels. With increased ghrelin levels, appetite can increase, therefore making you feel hungry.

Get tested

Is there a medical reason why your metabolism is slow? Many people jump to conclusions that their thyroid is to blame, that their hormones are imbalanced or that they have adrenal fatigue. If you just address one factor, however, you may miss the underlying cause and the bigger picture.

The best way to find out the actual cause of why your metabolism may have slowed down over the years is to get tested. The wide range of symptoms associated with poor metabolism can include, but are not limited to: weight gain, fatigue, poor memory, hair loss, depression, etc.

A comprehensive blood test and hair tissue mineral test will detect deficiencies and toxicities associated with the symptoms of poor metabolism along with other factors that can contribute.

Research by Tracey Merkle. For references, see this article on http://www.villagenews.com.

Debi Barnett Foli is a certified nutritional consultant, a diplomat member in good standing of the American Association of Nutritional Consultants. She is a registered naturopathic diplomat and traditional naturopath. She is a professional member in good standing of the American Nutrition Association and the National Association of Nutritional Professionals. She has been involved in the drugless, natural health and whole food industry since 1991, and created and launched her practice, Straight Nutrition, in 2002. For more information, visit http://www.straightnutrition.com.