We hear all this talk about metabolism, and how it slows down as we age and there's nothing we can do about it. We blame a slow metabolism for our midlife weight gain and that post-menopause belly. So let's dig into it a little deeper and find out what we can do about it.
Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. In other words, it is a measure of how quickly and efficiently your body burns the food you consume into nutrients/ fuel for your body.
Why is this important?
Simply put, the faster your body can burn food for fuel, the easier it is for you to lose weight and keep it off.
So how do you know that you have a slow metabolism. I'm sharing the top 3 indications that you might have noticed:
Your jeans don't zip: A slow metabolism usually leads to weight gain or difficulty in losing weight.
You're exhausted: When your metabolism slows down, your body slows down everything to keep up with the slow, inefficient burning of energy.
Your hormones are out-of-whack: A slow metabolism can throw off your hormones and affect your menstrual cycle as well as your sex drive.
So what are some ways that you can speed up your metabolism? Here are my top 3 ways to get that engine burning again.
HIIT it hard: HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training helps you burn a burst of calories quick and keeps you burning calories in the 24-48 hours.
Skip the sugar: Eliminating sugar and processed foods from your diet can reduce inflammation and help boost your metabolism.
Get more Z's: Reduce stress levels and get a good night's rest. Our body typically recovers when we rest.
So now that we talked about the signs of a slow metabolism and ways to speed it up, let's talk about some signs tell you that the changes you made are actually working. You know your metabolism is speeding up when:
1. You are hungry: When your body becomes efficient at burning the food you consume, you will notice that you get hungry more frequently.
2. You are hot (literally): You may notice that you aren't as cold as you used to be. You may also notice you start to sweat a lot faster in your workouts.
3. You become an energizer bunny: When your body burns food into fuel more efficiently, it impacts your overall energy in a positive way too.
Not sure where your metabolism stands. Let's get you on a quick discovery call to help you figure out just how to turn your body into a lean, mean, fat burning machine. Click here to reserve your spot.
Blogger bio: Chitra Rochlani is a NASM certified weight loss and body transformation coach. Chitra empowers her clients to break free of the diet mentality and develop a super speedy metabolism using fitness, nutrition and mindset tools. She believes that her personal weight loss journey and her work with hundreds of clients gives her a unique perspective in an industry focused on quick fixes and gimmicks. She uses her "Fit Warrior" method to combine nutrition, fitness and mindset to help her clients look, feel and perform at their best.