Metabolism

Metabolism: all the chemical and physical processes that build and repair the body and provide energy

Anything that affects the overall health affects the metabolism.

Most illnesses slow the metabolism. Even when you have something as mild as a cold you don't have your usual energy. More severe illnesses have more dramatic effects.

A few diseases speed up the metabolism. For example abnormally elevated thyroid hormones speed up the metabolism. But this leads eventually to serious medical problems and can be life threatening.

So we see from this that there is a healthy range for the metabolism. Not too fast. Not too slow.

How to ruin your metabolism

If you are overweight your metabolism is probably too slow. This is particularly true if you have lost weight on a diet and gained it back.

Diets can have a particularly bad effect on your metabolism.

Want to destroy your metabolism? Easy. Go on a very-low-calorie diet. Lose some weight. Then gain in back. You've done that before? Then your metabolism is probably shot.

Metabolism boosters

Anything that improves your general health will help your metabolism.

Pick something. Good nutritious food? Yes, that speeds up the metabolism.

Exercise? Of course.

How about water? It's good for your health. Therefore it must be good for your metabolism.

Television? Uh…No.

Sleep? That's one that we don't think about sometimes. But it is a key to improving your metabolism. And adequate sleep can be a key to you getting the body you want.

Make a metabolism checklist

Here is an interesting exercise. Make a list of all the things you do in a normal day. All your activities.

Make one column for the things that you do that improve your health. And the other column for things that don't improve your health. See -- one column good -- one column bad.

Are most of your items in the bad column? If they are then you don't have to wonder anymore why you are overweight.

Popular articles: