Your metabolism plays a HUGE role in your health and nutrition - it affects how your body processes fuel, how fast and how much.
It’s tempting to think of your metabolism as a “thing” – kind of like your body’s speedometer that controls the rate your body burns energy.
Your metabolism is comprised of complex PROCESSES where your body converts the food you eat into energy. It’s a series of chemical reactions that happen inside your cells.
Your metabolic burn depends on many things, it is different for everyone! Some of those things are outside of your control - like your genetics and gender. But the great news is that you have control over a LOT of the other factors - like your activity level, sleep, and even how stressed you feel! Hey Excel Friends, does that list sound familiar? ;p
First and foremost - FOOD CHOICES – Eating a balanced, whole-foods-based diet (think eating the rainbow!) with enough protein and fiber can help support your metabolic processes and keep you feeling full. Drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day will also make a big impact! Get that water!
Next - EXERCISE – Nearly all workouts can help you burn calories - Like Water Crossfit offers a great solution to help here, check out the getting started link for more information on how to get started!
Regular aerobic exercise - Aerobic exercise is an efficient way to burn calories and includes activities such as walking, bicycling, and swimming. As a general goal, include at least 30 minutes of physical activity in your daily routine.
Strength training - Experts recommend strength training exercises, such as weightlifting, at least twice a week. Strength training is important because it helps counteract muscle loss associated with aging. And since muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue does, muscle mass is a key factor in weight loss.
Lifestyle activities - Any extra movement helps burn calories - this is called NEAT (Non-exercise activity thermogenesis). Look for ways to walk and move around a few minutes more each day than the day before.
Taking the stairs more often and parking farther away at the store or at work are simple ways to burn more calories. Even activities such as gardening, washing your car, and housework burn calories that can contribute to weight loss.
The last two factors, but certainly not the least, are stress and sleep:
STRESS – When you are stressed, it can affect your body’s hormones, which can in turn make your body burn fewer calories (and store fat).
SLEEP – Not getting enough sleep also affects your hormones. You can end up feeling extra hungry AND burn fewer calories (this is why we dedicated a whole class of Excel to talk about sleep and stress!).
Here’s the best thing that no one talks about when it comes to those 5 components: when you get them working together, not only does it help your metabolism and metabolic processes but you also FEEL GREAT, which is the ultimate goal!
You’ll feel more energized, lighter on your feet, you’ll think clearer and you might even start to hear people comment on your healthy “glow!”
Want more information on how we can help with your fitness, nutrition, and overall health? Shoot us a message.
