No one intends to lose their metabolic edge — the energy that drives not just our movement for the day, but also feeds our brain and uses the calories we eat as fuel to keep our body going. But life happens, and one thing leads to another, slowing us down, messing with our bodies natural rhythm. One choice leads to another, whether it be in our dietary, exercise, or sleep habits, and then there are the impacts of aging that can all considerably affect our metabolic health. Before we know it, we feel run down, our weight isn’t where we’d like it to be, or we just can’t seem to feel our best no matter what we try. Hormones also play a role in metabolic health making the process even more complex.
Though we can’t entirely prevent time’s effects on our bodies, we can make some decisions each day that conserve our metabolism as we age as much as possible. The key is to stay conscious of these whenever you can, and remember how big of an effect they have on not just how many calories you burn, but also how you feel, think, and how much energy you have on an ongoing basis. Many of these can also prevent major forms of the disease, so why not give them a shot?
Stoke your metabolism each day with these age-defying practices!
1. Clean up Your Diet
A clean diet is often said to be one of the best things you can do for lifetime wellness and your weight, but what is clean eating? Essentially, it’s eating real food, not processed foods whenever you can. Each one of us takes in several amounts of processed foods, but we should all be careful and reduce these whenever we can. If it comes with a label that has more than five ingredients, most likely, our bodies would favor something else. Vegetables, fruits, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, and whole grains – these are real foods. Cleaning up your diet enhances your metabolism by decreasing the amount of work your body has to go through to process these foods into nutrients. Learn, your body views food as directions for your metabolism. It identifies real foods, goes through less to turn them into fuel for your body, and as a result, your metabolism increases.
2. Eat often, but Also Listen to Your Hunger
Skipping meals exposes your body to go into the starvation mood, so it slows down to save calories and burns less from the food you eat because it fears it may need to store those calories for a time of starvation, which assumes it is in due to you not eating on a consistent schedule. It’s essential to eat regular meals, preferably within the same 30 minutes to an hour each day. Your metabolic clock will adjust itself when you do this, and it will start to send you hunger signals around those times every day. This is an honest factor, so listen to your body and eat! The key is to listen to your hunger and not to overlook it. This means eating when you’re hungry, but also listening when your body says you’re full and stopping when satiated.
3. Drink More Water
Water doesn’t just keep you from getting thirsty, but it also prevents your body from slowing down. Your body needs a specific amount of water just to function every day. If it doesn’t get enough, it slows down just like it would if you didn’t eat enough that day. Drink one glass of water as soon as you wake up, and make it a point to drink at least 2 liters throughout the day. You will require more if you’re especially active. Smoothies made with water, herbal tea, and decaf coffee also count.
4. Increase the Fiber and Protein
Fiber and protein take a while for your body to break down, which burns more calories and arouses your metabolism as a result. The key to increasing your metabolism with fiber and protein is to choose real food sources, not supplements or unhealthy options. It’s necessary to choose clean sources of protein such as seeds (hemp, pumpkin, chia, sesame), almonds, lentils, oats, quinoa, amaranth, black beans, and also produce items like spinach and broccoli. Since these foods are also excellent sources of fiber, they make it easy to add this tip to your day if you eat one or two at each meal.
5. Exercise Smart
Exercise is a well-known way to increase your metabolism, but it’s necessary to be mindful of what kinds you choose when you do them, and how often. The metabolism requires variety. One reason is that if you do the same exercise each day, it adjusts to the stress you’re putting it under and receives less of a workout as a result. Your metabolism will accommodate whatever you do, so stock it some variety through your activity levels. Your metabolism needs both lower stress and higher stress forms of activity to prevent metabolic and adrenal burnout or hormonal decline. A high-powered, stressful workout is good a few times a week, but you also need low-key exercises like yoga, mild weight-lifting, walking, stretching, or even a casual bike-ride every now and then too. These exercises decrease cortisol, the stress hormone in the body, which if chronically high for too long from stressful activities can lead to adrenal burnout and metabolism decline.
6. Take Care of Your Thyroid
Your thyroid may be a regulator; your metabolism wants your thyroid to perform properly for best cellular health. A plant-based diet gives some of the most powerful nutrients you need for well-functioning thyroid. Add more of these to your day so your thyroid (and metabolism) will help you feel more energized around the clock. Practicing the exercise tips above is also a great way to take care of your thyroid as well, so don’t leave them out!
7. Balance Activity With Rest
Staying active might burn calories, but resting is crucial to preserving lifelong energy. This means getting enough sleep but also taking some time throughout the day to rest your mind from work, life duties, or just general stresses you may be facing. Resting may be like lying down for 10 minutes, sitting in peace for five minutes, or taking a long shower at night before dinner. Whatever you need to zone out, do it. Your mind requires rest to decrease the number of stress hormones in the body that can conflict with a healthy metabolism. It’s conjointly one amongst the most effective ways to fight the results of aging while not doing the rest. And of course, don’t forget the good old recommendations for obtaining enough sleep (7-9 hours) at night for a well-functioning metabolism either — it works!
Bottomline
It’s also essential to keep in mind some food-based hormone tips you can use that will naturally improve your metabolism. Part of that is eating anti-aging foods more often, which will decrease the stress load that your body is under and conserve your metabolism as a result. Remember, to take care of your metabolism, it’s not just about raising how many calories you burn. You also have to consider lifestyle practices that are kind to your body, eat foods that reduce the stress your body is under, and eventually, reduce the stress you suffer from daily, therefore, your body has additional energy to allow you to live the life you would like to measure for extended.
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