Nearly every single client I work with wants to lose weight.
Most of my clients are in their 40’s and 50’s and are finding it more challenging to lose weight due to the hormonal changes that can come with being this age. They feel like they are eating healthfully and exercising, but aren’t seeing the weight loss results they desire.
Hormone balancing is important and revving up the metabolism can be helpful as well. One of the most common questions I receive from my clients is “how can I speed up my metabolism?”
Here are 5 tips to do just that!
1. Reduce stress levels. An increase in stress is one of the major reasons we have a difficult time losing weight. Making lifestyle changes and creating habits that reduce our stress is one of the top ways we can support ourselves. When we rush through our days with what I like to call, Crazy Busy Syndrome or allow our brain to fret, worry, or focus on things that leave us feeling unhappy and stressed out, increases our cortisol levels. Increased cortisol directly affects our metabolism and causes us to store fat in our abdominal region. Taking a daily walk in fresh air, enjoying a weekly yoga class, or developing a meditation or gratitude practice are several ways to manage stress. However, if even these ideas sound daunting, make your stress reduction plan as simple as setting time aside every afternoon for a cup of tea. The idea is to find some easy ways to reduce your stress. Don’t overlook this source of health debilitation.
2. Proper rest. Getting enough sleep each and every night is critical for our health and wellbeing. This is the time when our body detoxifies, repairs itself, and creates and balances our hormones. These hormones are important for a healthy metabolism. The best time for the body to rest is between the hours of 10pm-6am. This is when the body is biologically designed to do its deep restorative work. To ensure proper rest, shut down all electronics (cellphones, Ipads, computers, and television) an hour before bedtime. Read for pleasure, take a warm bath with a drop of lavender essential oil, snuggle with someone you love. Develop a relaxing nighttime routine. When it is time to sleep, make sure your bedroom is completely dark. No little red lights. Light prevents your brain from producing the hormone melatonin and moving effectively through the sleep cycles. This can impair your metabolism.
3. Move your body. Exercise and movement are crucial for our body’s health and well-being. Sitting at a desk all day or living a sedentary lifestyle slows down our metabolism. Rev it up by standing and doing some stretches every 60 minutes. Take a 20-30 minute walk on your break or lunch hour. Take a longer family hike on the weekends when you have more time. Try that Zumba class you got invited to last week. Aerobic exercise can leave your metabolism working more efficiently even after your workout session is over.
4. Hydrate. It cannot be said enough. Drink at least half of your bodyweight in ounces each and every day. Being dehydrated slows down our metabolism. Big time. We need the water to flush our lymphatic system and keep things flowing. Think of your blood like a river and imagine if that river is low on water. Everything stops moving and debris gets stuck and builds up. Support your body by drinking water. We are most dehydrated in the morning when we awaken. Before you enjoy a cup of coffee or tea (which is even more dehydrating) drink a big glass of water. Your body will thank you and so will your metabolism.
5. Mindful eating. Eating three regular meals a day, including an energizing breakfast filled with fresh whole foods keeps our blood sugar levels balanced. This in turn helps to stabilize our cortisol levels. Enjoying well-sourced lean meats, fish, eggs, fresh vegetables, dark leafy greens, fresh fruits, legumes, whole (non-gluten) grains such as brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, millet, or buckwheat, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats such as avocado, coconut oil, or olive oil will support your overall health and keep your metabolism working well. Processed and refined foods, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and gluten can hinder your metabolism. There are specific foods that rev up your metabolism if you wish to incorporate them into your daily diet. They include; organic raw cacao, coconut oil, blueberries, green tea, and cinnamon. However, simply by eating a whole foods diet heavy on the plant foods, you can go a long way towards boosting your metabolism and increasing weight loss.
If after trying these suggestions, you still aren’t losing weight you may want to check in with your healthcare practitioner. It may be necessary to take a closer look at your thyroid, adrenals and the rest of your hormones for more significant imbalances. Other causes of a slow metabolism can include; digestive issues and food intolerances. Whatever the cause, know that there is a solution.
If you would like to rev up your metabolism and lose some weight in the process or just clean up your diet, I would like to invite you to join my Revive Your Life: 3-Day Spring Cleanse & Gentle Detox in April. Early Bird Pricing available until 3/16.
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