3 Tips to “Naturally” Speed Up Your Metabolism

Obesity is an ever more common problem, largely due to our relatively sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets. As soon as we come to terms with the fact that we have become too heavy, we start a battle against those extra pounds. The best way to begin this battle is to try to increase our metabolic rate.

So what is the metabolism, exactly? The metabolism is a set of biochemical processes which break down our food and convert it into energy. There are two parts to our metabolism –anabolism and catabolism. Anabolism is a constructive phase; this consists of growth and cellular repair. Catabolism is a destructive process, where substances are broken down into less complex compounds which the body can gain energy from. Together, the two phases break down and distribute dietary nutrients throughout the body.

Here are a few easy ways to increase your metabolic rate…

1. Get regular exercise - A regular routine of exercise helps to burn off body fat and builds lean muscle. Muscle tissue requires more energy than other tissue – so the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism will be. To get the maximum benefit, you should take your exercise in the morning.
2. Start the Day Right - Your metabolism slows down while you are asleep. Having a healthy breakfast helps kick start your metabolism for the day. Nutritionists suggest eating several small meals spread throughout the day – try to avoid having meals late at night, especially larger ones.
3. Adopt Healthy Lifestyle Habits - Eating too much sugar, drinking alcohol, smoking and other not-so-good-for-you habits have another unhealthy effect – slowing your metabolism! This contributes to weight gain, so try to kick your bad habits.

Different foods can boost your metabolism as well. The following offer items you can include in may diets…

Fiber – Fiber rich foods can help you to lose weight. Fresh fruits like pears, apples and strawberries are good, as are vegetables and unprocessed grains. Getting enough fiber improves digestive function and reduces cholesterol levels.

Fruits and vegetables with high water content – These foods make you feel full, counteracting the tendency to overeat. Watermelon, tomatoes, citrus fruits and other watery fruits and vegetables should be eaten regularly.

Protein – Lean protein is very important; good sources include egg whites, beans, tofu, shellfish, poultry and some fish.

Spicy foods – People tend to eat smaller portions of spicy foods. This is largely due to a tendency to eat more slowly and drink more water with these foods; this translates into a lower caloric intake. If you are accustomed to spicy food already, try adding a little more heat to your meals.

Olive oil – use this oil rather than saturated fats for your cooking. Olive oil also has Vitamin E and other antioxidants, making a much healthier (and more flavorful) choice for cooking.
 

How to Stop Sugar Cravings

It takes both time and effort to change any bad habit that you may have. A sugar craving can be very difficult to break but if you are determined, you can do it. Most bad habits, if you remain focussed, can be kicked in about 30 days. As with any bad habit though, the first step is to acknowledge that you’ve got a problem. Just like drinking or smoking cigarettes, overdoing sugar, caffeine and other common ingredients in our diet is bad for out health and must be changed in order to better our health.

An increasing number of people are suffering from diseases which are preventable; diseases largely caused by their diet. Foods which are high in sugar, fat and cholesterol are making us sick and are even killing many of us! There is plenty of information available about the horrible consequences which an unhealthy diet has on our bodies – just read some of the many reports from the CDC or the AMA and learn for yourself. I’m not trying to spread fear here, but it may be good to be a little frightened of an unhealthy diet. A lot of heart disease is preventable through diet, as is diabetes and obesity for the most part.

To change any bad habit, you, and only you, first has to decide that a change is needed. It’s a decision only you can make, plain and simple. It’s not going to be easy; changing your sugar consumption habits can be as hard as quitting smoking, since sugar is semi-addictive in nature and like other addictions, can cause some serious damage to your body.

Sugar is actually a toxin! Bet you didn’t know that; that’s why eating too much sugar can be so hazardous to your health. What we’re speaking of here is mostly refined sugar, which is not a natural product. In fact, before anything goes in your body, you should ask yourself whether it is or is not natural. If not, think twice before ingesting it.

Practice is really the best way to train yourself to resist your sugar cravings. When you find yourself hankering for sugar, try waiting five minutes before giving in. Try to take your mind off of the craving by doing something else. More likely than not, you’ll be over the craving after the five minutes have passed. Five minutes at a time, you’ll eventually manage to beat your cravings.

Set small, achievable goals for yourself. If you think you can’t do without those four sugars in your coffee, try waiting an extra hour, even two before you have it. Try this every day and it will become easier as you go. Of course, you can have that cup of coffee sans sugar; if this will help you get past the cravings, go ahead.

With determination and the decision that this habit needs to be changed, you can do it. Remember - you control your cravings, they don’t control you.
 

No More Energy? It’s Time to Fill Your Tank!

If you’re anything like me, you’re always on the go. You’ve got a lot going on each and every day. You want to do it all and do it to the best of your ability. You just don’t have the time to get sick or become exhausted. However, your body will eventually get tired and force you to rest. How can you tell if you are nearing the point of exhaustion? Fatigue is the signal that you may be getting close to burning out.

Being fatigued is your body’s way of telling you that you’ve been overdoing it or not getting enough food or sleep. Of course, there are also many medical conditions and diseases which can also cause fatigue, so it’s probably a good idea to ask your doctor first if you are suffering from severe or chronic fatigue. However, if it’s just your over-scheduled life that’s causing you to feel a little lacking, the cure is pretty simple. You need to focus on sleep, nutrition, relaxation and hydration.

These are four very important things for your overall health and they don’t come in a bottle. Well, water can of course and people will try to sell you special beds, but you really don’t need these; you do need sleep and water though. While this may seem such a common sense thing that it doesn’t bear mentioning, think about it for a minute. How often do you actually drink two liters of water in a day? How often do you get a full eight hours sleep? And when it comes to nutrition, you probably hear a lot of half-baked diet advice about avoiding some foods and loading up on others, rather than the much healthier habit of eating, small, frequent meals which are varied and nutritionally balanced.

Another thing you no doubt hear a lot about is the enormous number of energy drinks, bars and supplements out there. All of them are extensively advertised; and all promise to give you a higher energy level if you’ll only buy them. Now they can’t all be telling the whole truth. Think back to the basics of nutrition. You can make energy from three things and only three things – proteins, carbohydrates and fats. That’s it; all other nutrients just help you to use the energy made from these three primary sources. This means that no pill or energy drink can give you the same kind of energy as you get from food. Guarana, caffeine and all of those other energy boosting supplements are just stimulants; the effect is only temporary and we all know about the crash that comes later.

To put it simply – energy means calories. If there’s no calories, it’s not real energy. While there are no supplements which can offset unhealthy lifestyle habits, by just adopting a healthier set of habits, you’ll have no need for these energy supplements. Now it may take some doing to adjust to living a healthier life, the results will be more than worth the effort.

If you’re in need of more energy, the first step is to start keeping an energy log. Track the following for two weekdays and a weekend – when you eat (it doesn’t matter as much what you’re eating, but keep track of the time), when you sleep and for how long, what beverages you consume and how much, any and all relaxation taken that day and a record of how much energy you had – track highs and lows. Now start your log and we’ll compare notes in two weeks. At that point, we’ll talk about your results and how you can increase your energy level.

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