Kick Start Your Metabolism With These 10 Tips! Now that we’re through December and heavy, holiday foods have left us feeling bloated and sluggish, it’s time to figure out how to get back in the swing of things.

And, if you’ve set New Year’s Intentions that include healthier eating and activity, then starting with a kick start to your metabolism can help make the difference to living your intentions well.

These are some of our favourite ways to get your metabolism back into gear:

1. Sleep Soundly
   The quality of your sleep doesn’t just affect your moods and alertness, it also has a profound effect on your metabolic state because deep REM sleep, is the body’s time for rest and repair – and that includes how the body manages stress hormones, blood sugar levels, and growth hormones – all of which play critical roles in our metabolism. We’re still learning much more about how important consistent sleep and rest are for our health, but what we do know for sure is that a sleep deprived body is slower and more lethargic which means weight management is harder. So if you choose just one of these tips to follow, make it to get more sleep, more often, first!
2. Up Your Water
   Whether via glasses of water or broth based soups, giving your body quality fluids is essential to having a well-hydrated metabolism. Water helps keep nutrients flowing into your cells, carries toxins out of your body, and is key to a happy digestive systems. It also keeps you feeling full, and can help you burn more calories by keeping your metabolism higher over time! Moreover, the extra nutrients found in broth based soups are ‘soup-er’ ways of digesting much needed vitamins and minerals with minimal taxing of the digestive system. And, after a season of indulgence, that’s something from which we can all benefit! An easy calculation to determine the amount of fluid you need daily, take your body weight in kg and that’s the number of ounces you need for your body weight!
3. Stop Snacking and Increase your Fasting Time
   Reducing the amount of time you are eating daily can greatly help regulate blood sugar and even correct insulin resistance. Intermittent Fasting (IF) is a well studied way of eating and the most common ratio is 16 hours of fasting alternating with 8 hours of eating. Studies show that letting your body fast regularly is highly beneficial in increasing the body’s metabolism, elevating fat burning, regulating hormones, improving sleep, reducing cravings and more! Set your eating times, most commonly, people choose to eat from 8-4pm, 10-6pm or 12-8pm. As long as you are eating the required calories a day, breakfast is NOT necessary which is contrary to what most people believe. Most of my patients see an average reduction of 5-10% of their body weight in 6 months without changing the number of calories consumed!
4. Stay Satiated
   Even if you’re trying to lose a few extra pounds that appeared over the holidays, staying fairly full is key to your success in managing your metabolism and your weight. Eat slowly, until you’re about 70% full, and then stop. This will allow you to determine if you really do need more sustenance or if you’re just eating out of habit. Even if you’re aiming to reduce your caloric intake, starving will only make your metabolism slower as it tries to store the limited energy its being provided – and that’s the opposite of our goal.
5. Add Tea or Coffee Temporarily
   The antioxidants and small amounts of caffeine found in black, green, and white tea as well as coffee are beneficial to revving up your metabolism and keeping it chugging along healthily. One or two cups a day can provide the most beneficial amounts without going overboard. And, even better, adding herbal teas such as fennel, mint, or ginger tea after a meal can assist your digestion processes, helping meals to settle better and digest more easily – without added caffeine.
6. Spice Is Extra Nice
   Studies show that adding spicy hot peppers or hot pepper sauces can help to increase your metabolism! Studies are showing that the thermogenic properties of peppers and capsaicin, a compound in chiles, can temporarily increase your body temperature, helping it to burn more calories in short bursts of time. So, try adding some extra spice to those soups or other foods, and see what benefit you might derive!
7. Include Interval Training Exercises
   Any form of exercise can be bolstered with the addition of short bursts of cardiovascular activity also known as ‘Interval Training’. Adding in 2-5 minute bursts of jumping jacks, skipping, or burpees seem like they’re ‘in the moment’ kick starts but they’re all great ways of building long lasting metabolism increases. You can easily find free High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) online and start slow, even at just 5 minute a day and you will no doubt start seeing your body start toning up!
8. Turn Down Stress
   It’s been long understood that high levels of stress hormones like cortisol can result in a slowed metabolism and eventual weight gain. The opposite is also true: by turning down the stress in our lives we can help our brains, hormones, and bodies relax, a natural reboot for our metabolism.
9. Stimulate Your Stomach
   If you consistently experience symptoms like heaviness after a meal, acid reflux, or bloating, food allergies, undigested food in stool, flatulence, or even nausea after taking supplements you might be suffering from low stomach acid which, in turn, can result in lowered metabolism. Stomach acid, or HCL (hydrochloric acid) is a core requirement to digest effectively is one of the essential building blocks to a well-functioning metabolism. Try stimulating your stomach acid with beneficial celery juice and see how much better you feel.
10. Excel With Enzymes
    Sometimes there are particular foods that make us feel sluggish, heavy, bloated, or uncomfortable. In that case it might be time to consider digestive enzymes to help break down food to make it more digestible and the nutrients within it more absorbable. Try adding enzyme rich foods like fermented foods, papaya (which contains papain), pineapple (which contains bromelain), mango (which contains amylase), and honey (multiple enzymes). Interested in supplements instead? Look for the ones that help with your food difficulties: protease for proteins, amylase for help with carbohydrates, lipase for help digesting fats, cellulase for breaking down fiber, and maltase to help convert complex sugars from grains into glucose.

Looking for personalized assistance in maintaining a healthy metabolism? We can help you navigate this and provide you with a fully customized plan for your better health. To book your appointment call us at 905-605-8480 or email us at [email protected]

To your good health,
Liberty Wellness Clinic