Managing Metabolism

We’ve all heard of metabolism, but do you really know what it is? In simple terms, all metabolism is are all the chemical reactions happening in your body to give you the energy you need for survival. But, if we look deeper into metabolism, it is a lot more complex than it seems.

As we age, our metabolism ages with us, but there are ways that you can help your body increase your metabolism as you get older. The more effort we put into increasing our metabolism, the more things we will be able to do as we age!

So, what chemical reactions are happening in our body from metabolism? First and foremost, metabolism is what converts food into energy; this is where we get our energy for our day. Metabolism also helps form our food into what are called essential compounds. Essential compounds also known as organic compounds are what help keep us alive. Some examples of our essential compounds are proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and high-energy compounds.

To know how much energy you use each day, you need to find your metabolic rate. This is how many calories are used each day. To figure out what your metabolic rate should be vs. what it currently is, you can either do a very long math equation OR you can step on our InBody machine, and it will do all the math for you!

The higher your metabolic rate is, the more quickly your body works at burning calories through metabolism. While this number is influenced by things out of our control, like age and gender, there are some things you can do that can impact your metabolic rate.

Our nutrition plays a major role in our metabolism. Skipping a meal, whether accidentally or purposefully, can drastically slow down your metabolism because your body then has to work in overdrive to conserve energy. Skipping breakfast, again accidentally or purposely, can slow your metabolism because you will be hungry later in the day, causing you to overeat, which in turn slows your metabolism.

We all love our carbs and there is no denying that, but protein should be your most consumed macronutrient. This is because protein has the highest thermic effect out of the 3 macronutrients. Having the highest thermic effect causes proteins to take the longest time for your body to digest. In turn, with protein taking the longest to digest, it makes your body feel more full for a longer period of time than carbs and fats.

Many people are under the impression that just doing more cardio will increase their metabolism. While cardio is an important factor in increasing metabolism, strength training also plays a major role in it. The more muscle your body has, the more calories your body can burn while at rest.

Lastly, your quality and quantity of sleep impacts your metabolism. Sleep plays such a big role in metabolism because your body has natural “rhythms” that occur, like your metabolism. If you lack sleep or don’t get the quality sleep you need, you will find yourself feeling sluggish and hungry, because your metabolism has to work extra hard.