Throughout the last year, our healthy habits have likely been slipping. Stay-at-home orders left us sitting around inside. Stress had us eating our feelings. Working from home cut down how much we move. If you’re looking to get back into shape with healthy eating habits and exercise, you’re not alone!
Unfortunately, willpower and working out don’t always do the trick. We have this pesky thing called a metabolism. Metabolism encompasses all of the chemical reactions in the body that allow it to function properly. Most often, however, we think of metabolism as the body converting food and drink into energy.
When we exercise, our body demands more energy. Thus, the metabolic rate increases. We also have a resting metabolic rate, where our body consumes energy (calories) to sustain its daily function. You burn calories while you sleep and sit on the sofa — just not nearly as much as you need!
Now, metabolic rates, both resting and active, vary depending on things like age, genetics, and physical activity. We all remember some teenage friends and twenty-somethings who could “eat anything” and never gain weight. Other people might not be able to look at a donut without putting on extra pounds.
Even though metabolism varies among individuals, it declines over time. This is why, as we age, losing weight becomes more difficult. With that said, there are steps you can take to improve your metabolism. While metabolism alone isn’t why you lose or gain weight, it can play a role in how effectively you can do so.
I want to talk less about how to boost your metabolism and more about the small, sneaky habits that sabotage your metabolism.
8 Ways You’re Unknowingly Sabotaging Your Metabolism
1) Skipping Meals
We’ve all done this before. You “save up” for a planned trip to the buffet or a big party by skipping meals in the day leading up to the big event. Logically, it makes sense. You’re trying to be able to “let loose” during one big meal without really busting your daily calorie limit. However, skipping meals wrecks your metabolism.
Many of us are guilty of skipping breakfast or working through lunch. Here’s a tip: get your metabolism going first thing in the morning. Breakfast — literally “break fast” — is truly the most important meal of the day. It gives your body the nutrients it expects and needs to function. If you deprive it of its morning nutrition, it may slip into starvation mode. That means slowing your metabolism and clinging on to fat stores for survival.
2) Big Dinners
Does this sound familiar? Light breakfast, light lunch, big dinner. It’s how most of us eat! After all, we know that a big lunch will only make us sleepy all afternoon. We won’t get anything done! However, studies show that the opposite works better for weight loss and metabolism. In general, eating too many calories in one sitting is going to disrupt metabolism and spike your blood sugar. If you’re going to eat a big meal, make it breakfast.
3) Skimping on Sleep
I’ve discussed at length just how important sleep is. Sleep impacts every bodily function. It impacts mood, brain and heart health, healing, and yes...metabolism. Studies show that a lack of sleep has both serious cardiovascular and metabolic consequences. Make sure you’re creating a healthy sleep environment that is calm, cool, and clear of electronic devices.
4) Extreme Diets
Sometimes we resort to extreme diets to lose a lot of weight fast. While these crash diets may provide short-term results, they ultimately harm our metabolic rate. These diets often include not only a very low caloric intake, but they are restrictive, too. By not eating a variety of whole foods and eating very little, our body does not get all of the nutrients it needs. This, like skipping breakfast, switches the body to starvation mode.
5) All Cardio
Cardio is great. You know I love cardio! As a runner, how could I not? However, neglecting weight training would be a mistake. Muscle burns more calories than fat. This is, in turn, why our metabolism decline with age. Our muscle mass is also decreasing. Make sure that you are balancing your cardio with weight training to optimize your metabolic rate.
6) Jetsetting
Travel is tough on the body. While most of us have avoiding travel for the last year, it’s important to remember that frequent work trips and vacationing can throw your metabolism out of whack. This primarily has to do with your sleeping habits. Travel means that we’re likely to sleep inconsistently and at odd times. That’s not accounting for jet lag, either.
7) Inconsistency
Consistency is key when you’re trying to optimize your health. This consistency covers many different factors: sleep habits, eating habits, and exercise habits. Our bodies like a schedule. Don’t neglect it!
8) Medications
Unfortunately, some of our medications can disrupt the metabolism. This is particularly true of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications, though they are not the only medicines that can slow the metabolism and cause weight gain. If you suspect your medication is causing a metabolic disruption, talk to your doctor about trying some alternative prescriptions.
What steps do you take to keep your metabolism moving? Share in the comments!