If you suffer headaches, fatigue and weight gain, you may not think to blame slow metabolism. But your metabolism may be responsible for all these symptoms and more – including brittle nails, dry skin, thinning hair, depression, brain fog, and GI issues such as constipation. What causes this condition, and how do you reverse slow metabolism?
What is Slow Metabolism?
Your metabolism is all the energy your body burns daily. It consists of three factors:
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
- Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)
- Exercise
Understanding these factors is essential because a slowed metabolism results from imbalances in one or more of them. By correcting these imbalances, you can reverse your slow metabolism.
BMR
Your basal metabolic rate is the number of calories you burn passively through bodily functions such as digesting food, sending blood throughout the body, repairing cells, breathing, and maintaining hormone levels. You may not think about burning calories through these actions, but your body constantly burns fuel to maintain its baseline. Your BMR makes up around 70% of your metabolism.
Some factors controlling your BMR are fixed, such as age, gender, and genetics. Other factors influencing the BMR, such as physical activity levels, diet, muscle mass, and the environment, can be changed to help reverse slow metabolism.
Other factors influencing your BMR may include medical conditions such as hormone imbalances, thyroid disease, autoimmune disorders, and other chronic diseases. The right medical treatments can control these conditions and restore metabolic balance.
NEAT
NEAT is the energy you exert doing random things such as gardening, walking a pet, or any activity other than planned exercise sessions. It includes involuntary actions such as shivering or fidgeting. NEAT accounts for around 20% of your metabolism.
Environmental and lifestyle factors play a role in NEAT, including occupation, age, and a sedentary lifestyle. NEAT can be increased by small lifestyle and environmental changes such as taking steps instead of an elevator, taking walks or hikes, using a standing desk, and taking frequent stretch breaks while working.
Exercise
Exercise accounts for around 10% of your metabolism and is any activity designed for fitness or weight loss. It directly affects the metabolism and boosts the other metabolic factors, encouraging them to burn energy more efficiently.
Both cardio and strength training help reverse a slow metabolism when incorporated routinely into your week. Your cardio routine will help boost your BMR and NEAT, and your strength training will replace your fat stores with calorie-burning muscle mass.
Tips to Reverse Slow Metabolism
There are some easy changes you can make to give your energy a boost and reverse slow metabolism.
1. Increase Physical Activity
Exercise is an effective metabolism booster because it boosts lean muscle tissue mass, which burns more calories than fat tissue does.
Any physical activity, such as swimming, running, walking, weight lifting, or aerobics, helps speed up metabolism. If you don’t have time for a committed hour of exercise each day, break your sessions down to two thirty-minute or even three 20-minute sessions.
2. Stop Starving Your Body
Some people believe that reducing calories by skipping meals helps with weight loss, but the opposite is true.
Your body requires energy to function. If it doesn’t receive the necessary fuel, your metabolism slows so your body can hold on to its stored energy. Skipping meals puts the body in starvation mode and contributes to slowed metabolism by decreasing passive movement, absorbing more calories, and reducing energy reserves.
3. Drink More Water
Are you hungry or just thirsty? Surprisingly, your body may not know the difference. Try drinking water and waiting 20 minutes to see if you still feel hungry.
4. Increase Your Calcium Intake
Calcium boosts your metabolic rate, so help yourself to cheese, milk, and yogurt. If you can’t tolerate dairy, consider using calcium supplements.
Increase your vitamin D intake as well, as this essential nutrient helps promote calcium absorption.
5. Improve Your Sleep Habits
Sleep plays a vital role in your metabolism. Poor sleep quality increases your need for energy-boosting snacks and can cause hormonal imbalances that lead to a sluggish metabolism.
If you’re having sleep disturbances such as insomnia, consider an all-natural homeopathic remedy as a sleep aid.
6. Spice Up Your Diet
Adding more spice to your diet is a tasty way to reverse slow metabolism. Certain spices, such as peppers, turmeric, cinnamon, and chilies, increase your heart rate and produce heat within your body. These actions boost your BMR and help reverse slow metabolism.
7. Increase Your Protein
Protein helps maintain muscle mass, which burns more calories than fat tissue does. Some excellent sources of healthy proteins include the following:
- Edamame
- Chicken and turkey
- Lentils
- Amaranth
- Pumpkin seeds
- Salmon
- Chickpeas
- Tuna
- Black beans
- Tofu
- Cottage cheese
- Yogurt
- Tempeh
8. Seek Medical Guidance to Reverse Slow Metabolism
Sometimes a slowed metabolism is due to an underlying imbalance in one or more body systems. A few examples of medical causes that contribute to metabolic issues include the following:
- Thyroid disease
- Hormonal imbalances
- Prescription medications
- Diabetes
- Adrenal conditions such as Cushing’s Syndrome
- Overproduction of anti-stress chemicals such as cortisol
- Metabolic syndrome
Thrive Naturopathic in Alexandria, VA, understands that a slowed metabolism indicates a deeper, underlying condition. Our experienced, compassionate team specializes in nutritional support and safe, effective homeopathic remedies designed to reverse slow metabolism by treating it at its source. Through our therapies and wellness plans, our patients achieve their weight loss goals and restore energy, mental clarity, and emotional balance.
Contact us to book your free, no-obligation discovery call and see how we can help restore your metabolic balance naturally, safely, and effectively.
