How to Reset Your Metabolism
Happy, Happy New Year & Welcome 2016! My heart is bursting with gratitude for you and this community of wellness lovers. I'm wishing you an incredible 2016, and know you've set the stage for a wonderful new year. Many of us use the "new year" opportunity to set goals and intentions, to reflect on what's important to us, and to focus on incorporating more of that goodness into our daily lives. It's this time of year that we start to think more about our wellbeing.
To me, wellness is holistic; I believe nutrition and exercise is a major foundation (because without good health, all else can become difficult) but that relationships, spirituality, career satisfaction, finances, and home environment are an equal part of our wellness picture. I take time to reflect on these areas to see where I might be lacking, and then pick one at a time to focus on, setting goals that are attainable. What might you choose to focus on for the next couple months?
Let's get back to the foundation! In the new year, we often set goals for losing weight and getting fit.
I'm often asked if it's possible to boost your metabolism, and I'm happy to say the answer is yes -- if you focus on these three things...
Three ways to boost your metabolism, naturally
1. Consume the right kind of food. Eat a diet high in healthy fat, protein, and fiber, and eliminate sugar.
* Protein: Wild-caught protein, grass-fed beef, turkey, whey protein, and pea powder are great sources of protein (which supports fat loss and lean muscle tissue, as well as a healthy metabolism).
* Healthy fats: Short-chain fats like ghee and organic butter, medium-chain fats such as coconut oil, and long-chain fats like avocado are all essential and very good for you.
* High Fiber: Fiber keeps you full longer and slows the absorption of sugar. Flax and chia seeds, walnuts, almonds, berries, and veggies are the way to go here.
2. Workout the most effective way. Specifically, add in burst training. I've written about this before, but working out like a sprinter (rather than a marathoner) will burn nine times more body fat and boost your metabolism. Couple it with weight training and cardio, and you'll burn ten times more fat. Why? Your body produces more human growth hormone, known as the anti-aging hormone, so you'll age more slowly. Whereas long-distance workouts produce more cortisol in your body, which causes you to age faster and actually slows down your metabolism over the long term.
Think intervals, rather than a steady pace. Go ALL OUT for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds (you can play around with the increments and do 40 sec on/off, etc.) You don't need more than 20 minutes for this to be effective (and if you're doing it correctly you won't be able to do it for longer).
3. Reduce your stress levels. Emotional stress and lack of sleep are very hard on your body. They produce cortisol and affect melatonin levels (and many more hormones), so your body starts to work against you for fat loss. Eight hours of sleep a night and reducing stress levels are imperative. These three things will help to naturally boost your metabolism.
Here's to a happy, healthy, 2016. If you have any questions about any of this, drop me a line and let's get into it!