5 Things You Must do to Supercharge Your Metabolism

There it is again: the “M” word. Every fitness magazine is plastered with promises of a J-Lo body through genetic-busting tips, workouts, recipes and diets. But what is your metabolism? Can it be increased? Slide off that physio-ball and let’s find out!

Everyone has a genetic metabolism, or rate at which your body burns calories. It is controlled by hormones which are in turn affected by many processes in the body. True, we are all placed on the continuum between cheetah-like and snail by our parents, but in fact, we can affect it greatly. Think of your metabolism as a range. You may average a certain amount of calories used per day, but how you eat, what you eat and your activity level can elevate you to the top of your genetic best or can plummet you to the rocks of yo-yo dieting forever.

The first thing you can do is make sure you’re not deficient in micronutrients that support metabolism, such as the B-vitamins. Along that same line is to not miss workouts because you’re ill. The immune system is constantly bombarded by free radicals – every cell in the body takes about 10,000 hits per day. Antioxidants neutralize these assassins and even slow down the aging process – another enemy of metabolism. Top-rated neutraceutical company, Pharmanex, owns the patent rights to the only device that can quantify your cellular antioxidants: the Biophotonic Scanner. Their LifePak total micro-nutrition formula has clinical studies proving significant elevations in tissue antioxidant levels – an amazing breakthrough in supplementation. Take a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement that you know reaches the cells of your body.

Consuming enough protein is the next most important thing to raise your metabolism. Protein takes more energy to digest (you actually burn more calories to digest it compared to other foods) and also stimulates the production of glucagon, your best-friend hormone that tells body fat cells to give up their strangle-hold on fat. This is a key element in all the studies that show higher protein intake, even when calories are the same among study groups, leads to faster weight loss.

This one is so cliché that I’m almost embarrassed to list it. Almost. But, it’s true; eating smaller, more frequent meals does lead to more efficient metabolism. As mentioned in regard to protein, digestion takes energy. You use calories to digest, absorb and assimilate food. The more often you eat, the more calories you burn through digestion, but don’t have “duh” moment on me – that doesn’t mean you should eat more calories all day long – you should split your proper, planned food intake into smaller, more frequent meals.

Number four on your way to metabolic bliss: eat! The fastest way to slow your metabolism down is to diet too hard. Starvation diets (around 500 calories or less) can decrease your metabolism by up to 50%!! No joke. Even the most physiologically sound diet will gradually lead to a slow decline. I encourage a moderate (weekly) splurge meal to prevent this if my client is consistent with the specific program I have designed for him or her.

And the number one thing (drum roll…) you can do to supercharge and bulletproof your metabolism is exercise! Not only do you burn 300 – 500 calories per hour, but you build calorie-burning muscle, create new mitochondria (energy-burning “power plants”) in your muscle cells and increase cardiovascular health and efficiency that leads to even easier body fat loss. Exercise is a key variable in long-term metabolic management.

So, there you have it. The foundation of metabolic health and consistency in your body will be laid solidly by your commitment to living out these five habits. Get busy, get lean, get healthy and enjoy life more!