Metabolic Health 101: How to Reset your Metabolism

If you’ve been feeling sluggish lately, have been dealing with cravings for foods that you know are not good for you, or can’t seem to lose that stubborn extra weight, then your metabolism might be to blame.

 

Your metabolism refers to how quickly your body is burning calories. When you have a slower than normal metabolism, it can create a range of negative side effects, including low energy and fatigue, mood swings, food cravings, and difficulty losing weight.

 

Thankfully, there are ways to reset and boost your metabolism, and to restore your energy and health by doing so. The best part is, resetting your metabolism is quick and easy to do once you know how to do it correctly. In this article, we’ll discuss how.

 

What Is Metabolism?

 

Metabolism is the complex chemical processes your body uses for normal functioning and sustaining life, including breaking down food and liquid to energy and building or repairing your body.

 

At any given time inside your body, thousands of chemical reactions are taking place to keep cells healthy, thriving and functioning. For your body to function normally, it requires essential nutrients and energy that come from the food and beverages you consume. The amount of energy your body burns at any given time is directly affected by your metabolism.

 

How Does Metabolism Work?

 

The body is always burning energy—even when you are sleeping. There are two chemical processes that take place for metabolism to happen, catabolism and anabolism, which are regulated to remain in balance.

 

To put it simply:

 

• Catabolism is the process where food and drink is broken down into simpler forms, which results in the release of energy.

 

• Anabolism is the process where energy is used for bodily functions, including to grow and repair cells in your body.

 

Catabolism is the process where energy is released. Anabolism is the process where energy is required. If more calories are consumed in a day than needed, the excess calories are stored mostly as fat.

 

What Factors Affect Metabolism?

 

Your metabolic rate refers to the rate that your body uses energy to function. When it comes to metabolism, there are many factors that can influence this rate, including:

 

• Body size – People with a larger body size, including muscle mass, are likely to burn more calories.
• Gender – Generally men will burn more calories, because in most circumstances they have more muscle relative to their total body weight.
• Age – As you age and begin to lose muscle, your metabolism will slow down.

 

How Can I Increase My Metabolic Rate?

 

If you want to burn more calories, as opposed to having these calories stored as fat, then you need to focus on increasing your metabolic rate. The best way to increase your metabolic rate is through healthy eating and physical activity. These two factors have the greatest influence on how much energy is going in to and being used by your body.

 

The energy used during physical activity is the only energy expenditure that you have any control over, so incorporating at least 30 minutes of exercise into your daily routine is key. The more physical activity you do, the more energy you can burn.

 

When it comes to muscle, the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn. As people age, they typically begin to lose muscle and their metabolism also begins to slow down. Research suggests that strength and resistance training can help to increase muscle mass and reduce the loss of muscle, so weight-bearing activities such as weight lifting, calisthenics, stair climbing, or yoga can help to maintain muscle mass. If you are new to physical activity, are concerned about the safety of being more active, or have a health problem that limits your physical ability, then it is recommended to speak with your doctor or a health professional about the most suitable activities for you.

 

How Can I Reset My Metabolism?

 

If you’ve been feeling sluggish, have been fighting cravings, struggling with weight loss, or just feel like your digestion is off, then it may be a good idea to reset your metabolism.

By following certain dietary and lifestyle practices, you can reset your metabolism in just a few days.

 

Tips to Reset Your Metabolism:

 

Aim to wake up after sleeping a full 8 hours. Insufficient sleep can disrupt the delicate balance of hormones in the body, which in turn can slow down your metabolism and increases your risk for gaining weight. Studies show that even people who get 6 hours as opposed to getting a full 8 hours of sleep per night typically carry 5 to 15 pounds of extra belly fat.

 

Eat a good meal for breakfast. Nowadays, many people are so busy that they skip their morning meal. Breakfast has been called “the most important meal of the day” for a reason. Eating breakfast kick starts your metabolism and keeps it moving all day. One recent study found that eating breakfast before exercising also accelerates your metabolism post-workout. Just be sure to allow for 30 minutes to an hour before exercising so your food has some time to digest.

 

Take probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that help to balance your gut microbiome and help increase metabolism. You can consume probiotic-rich foods like Greek yogurt, kimchi or sauerkraut, or you can simply supplement with a multi-strain probiotic to ensure you get enough probiotics, as well as a good diversity of probiotics, as different strains of bacteria can help your gut in different ways.

 

Make sure to move your body! If you really want to jump start your metabolism, then one of the best ways to do it is with strength training. Research shows that muscle building speeds up your metabolic rate for up to 2 hours after every 20-minute session. By doing a strength routine, you’ll build more muscle, and this naturally helps to boost your metabolism since the higher your muscle mass, the stronger your metabolic rate is. Cardio is also an effective way to boost your metabolism. Studies show that 45 minutes of vigorous cardio exercise increases metabolic rate for a whole 14 hours after working out! Whether doing strength training, cardio, or both, just make sure to get your body moving to speed up your metabolic rate.

 

Drink green tea or coffee. A little bit of caffeine in the morning is a great way to boost your metabolism naturally. Caffeine also has its drawbacks, especially when consumed daily for long periods, but for the sake of resetting your metabolism, it can be a great helper. Research shows that 100 milligrams of caffeine (about how much you would find in an 8-ounce cup of coffee) can boost resting metabolic rate by anywhere from 3 to 11 percent. Green tea may be a better option than coffee, as researchers believe antioxidant catechins in green tea can also provide a boost to your metabolism.

 

Drink plenty of water. Try to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Studies show that drinking 16.9 ounces (a little over 2 cups) of water increases metabolic rate by 30 percent for 30 to 40 minutes. For the most metabolism-boosting benefits, aim to drink that 16.9 ounces of water multiple times throughout the day.

 

Eat food with peppers and spices. Chili peppers (especially cayenne pepper), as well as some pungent spices like cumin, coriander and paprika can deliver a boost to your metabolism, so try to add some spice to your meals for the next couple days to get your metabolism back on track. Chili peppers contain capsaicin, studies have shown can boost your metabolism and help you burn some extra calories.

 

Eat some protein-rich foods. Adding some protein to your meal is a great way to boost your metabolism. Protein-rich foods help support muscle building and muscle retention, plus protein-rich foods are more challenging for your body to digest, so it takes more energy from your body to utilize them than other foods.

 

The stress hormone cortisol is known to slow down your metabolism. To keep your metabolism functioning at its best, find stress-relieving activities like meditation or yoga that can help keep your stress levels low.

If you want to keep your metabolism functioning at its best after your metabolism reset, try to keep up these dietary and lifestyle habits each day:

 

• Sleep 8 hours
• Exercise at least 30 minutes
• Drink plenty of water
• Eat protein-rich foods
• Add some spice to your meals
• Supplement with probiotics
• Meditate

 

Summary

 

Metabolism is the complex chemical processes your body uses for normal functioning and sustaining life, including breaking down food and liquid to energy and building or repairing your body.

 

At any given time inside your body, thousands of chemical reactions are taking place to keep cells healthy, thriving and functioning. For your body to function normally, it requires essential nutrients and energy that come from the food and beverages you consume. The amount of energy your body burns at any given time is directly affected by your metabolism.

 

A slow metabolic rate, usually caused by lack of exercise, high levels of stress, poor diet or poor sleep quality, can cause you to feel sluggish, and may cause mood swings, food cravings and weight gain as well.

 

Thankfully, there are ways to reset and boost your metabolism, and to restore your energy and health by doing so. Simply by following the steps in this article you can get your metabolism back on track and can help your body stay healthy.

 

 

 

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2897177/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546690/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21311363/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2912010/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19597519/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14671205/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22634197/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23724462/