Metabolism - What It Is And How To Improve Yours

Metabolism.

It’s honestly become a bit of a taboo word in the health and fitness industry in recent years. 

With TV ads and your local salesman at GNC trying to sell you some ‘metabolic booster’ that promises to melt fat, build muscle, and enhance sex drive…

It can get a little confusing as to…

A.) how your metabolism actually works/what it is

AND

B.) the best ways to actually IMPROVE your metabolism

I want to start by saying that there is no such thing as a pill or a supplement that alone will boost your metabolism.

While some may help a teeeeny tiny bit, there are multiple other ways to improve your metabolism.

So here is a comprehensive guide on your metabolism, what it is, and how you can improve or increase yours.

Your metabolism is basically the processes in your body that converts what you consume into energy.

Energy that we then use to perform activities of daily living.

But this energy isn’t only used to move around and exercise, it’s also used for our bodies basic functions.

Breathing, thinking, growing, everything we do to stay alive requires and expends energy.

Someone with a FASTER metabolism does this process faster than someone with a SLOWER metabolism. 

And further, someone with a faster metabolism burns more calories at rest than someone with a slower metabolism.

This is why people with a faster metabolism typically have a much easier time maintaining a lower weight, and a leaner body composition.

In turn, people with a slower metabolism typically have a much harder time losing weight. 

Now, while a part of what goes into your personal metabolic rate is out of your control, there is a LOT that you can do to actively improve and increase your metabolism.

One of the BEST ways to improve your metabolism is…

WALK MORE

Increasing your daily step count is one of the best ways to actively increase your metabolism.

And it’s also the easiest and most accessible for most people.

Everyone, or at least everyone with functioning legs and access to the outdoors, has the ability to walk more and increase their daily step count.

Let’s briefly dive into WHY increasing steps is so effective at improving your metabolism.

During a walk, your metabolism burns calories to sustain and provide energy for your body to continue walking. 

So by walking more, your body is going to increase it's demand for energy, and in turn increase your metabolism. 

Further, this is all through a form of exercise that requires no equipment (besides shoes), and is extremely joint friendly.

Walking is pretty much unparalleled when it comes to improving your metabolism and improving your health in general.

Another way to improve your metabolism is…

STRENGTH TRAINING 

Coming in a close second to walking, strength training is extremely effective at improving your metabolism. 

There are a few reasons for this.

For starters, building lean muscle mass helps increase your resting metabolic rate.

Basically, the more muscle that you have on your body, the harder your body has to work at rest.

So simply by having more muscle on your body, you are going to burn more calories sitting around and doing nothing.

But this actually isn’t the only reason that strength training is effective at improving your metabolism.

When strength training, or at least when strength training effectively, you should be getting stronger and building muscle over time. 

And the stronger you are (and the more muscle that you have) the more you move!

When you’re stronger and have more muscle, you naturally move more just by moving around your house, going for a walk, and are more physically active in general.

You feel better the stronger you are, and the better you feel the more you move.

And btw, moving more is KEY for improving metabolism!!

Another way to improve your metabolism is…

PRIORITIZING PROTEIN

Increasing your protein intake can also be extremely helpful in improving your metabolism.

One of the reasons for this is protein’s role in building muscle.

I already mentioned how beneficial building muscle is for improving metabolism, and protein is key for building muscle, so…

Increasing protein intake —> Building muscle —> Increasing metabolism. 

Protein is also the most satiating macronutrient.

This means that compared to all other macronutrients, protein will keep you fuller for longer, meaning over time you eat less calories.

And on top of ALL of that, your body uses/burns more energy processing and breaking down protein than it does any other macronutrient.

This is known as the thermic effect of food, and while the impact is relatively minor, you burn more calories at rest simply by eating more protein.

And finally, one of the most overlooked ways to improve your metabolism is…

SLEEP

Sleep is super important in regulating and improving your metabolism.

And it's commonly overlooked.

When you aren’t getting enough sleep, you are much MORE likely to make poor decisions during the day when it comes to nutrition…

And you are much LESS likely to exercise and move during the day due to being more tired. 

Poor sleep can absolutely wreak havoc on your metabolism.

So while all of the other keys that I listed are definitely important for improving your metabolism…

Make sure you’re also getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night or sleep could negatively affect your metabolism.

CONCLUSION

So, there is your outline of what metabolism is, and how you can improve yours.

While part of your metabolism is out of your control, a large portion of it is within your control.

Focus on these 4 keys…

• walking more/increasing steps

• strength training

• prioritizing protein

• getting enough sleep

Do these with consistency, and watch your metabolism transform and improve over time! 

And please don't be sold by those TV ads and your local salesman at GNC ;)

Thanks so much for reading! I hope this helps you and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

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