Today’s blog is all about metabolism!! And I wanted to talk about metabolism because I feel like it is this mysterious beast and so many people talk about it and wanting it to do this or that and I completely understand! “My metabolism is in the crapper; I need a superfood for my metabolism… etc!!!” There are so many things out there that we think we need for your metabolism that we just don’t know where to start.
So, let’s break it down!! WHAT IS METABOLISM!’ We think metabolism is this light switch that we can turn on a switch and turn it on and turn it off, but that is not how it works. It’s a biochemical process that happens in our body that converts food to energy. The body is highly adaptable, and our body will find the easiest fuel to burn. So, for us to get that faster metabolism, in order to create that, we need to make sure everything lines up, to create great metabolic function. How efficiently can we put food into our bodies and turn it around and use it for fuel’
Our metabolic rate is the rate at which metabolism occurs in a living organism, the rate at which we burn calories. And calories are the energetic vocab word for food! So, calories are the amount of energy in any given food. What you want to look into in order speed up your metabolism is your BMR.
This is your Basal Metabolic Rate and it is the number of calories required to keep your body functioning at rest. Now you can figure out your BMR with most fitness app trackers or a website like this or you can take your goal weight and multiply it by 10 – 12 and that will get you how many calories you should be eating per day to help get you to that goal weight. And I don’t want you to think of it as, “Oh, I burned 300 calories at the gym so I can eat 300 more calories that day.” No this isn’t how it works; you need to eat that caloric threshold from your BMR in order to lose the weight.
Alright, what SLOWS OUR METABOLISM down”
First, age… yup your age plays a huge role in your metabolism. As we age things start to ware down. Our bodies start to slow down at a certain amount of time but doesn’t mean that we can’t make some changes.
Gender is another one. Men burn more calories at rest than women, so they naturally have a bit faster metabolisms. Hormones can totally tank us if they are not under control and mess with our metabolisms. Stress level plays a big role. Sleep is also another big one because if we don’t sleep, our bodies recharge.
Not eating enough will mess with your body and if you start to decrease your food and up your exercise, your metabolism is like “Woah, I don’t have enough to keep me going!!” Then it starts to shut off body systems. If you don’t feed it enough calories, it is saying “okay, let’s start to shut down some things so when food is available, we can turn back on the systems.” And, our overall body composition will slow or speed up our metabolism as well. The more lean muscle you have on your body, the higher your BMR and can help increase your metabolic burn by almost 10-30%!
Now we know what slows it, let’s figure out what we can do to speed that baby up! How do you boost your metabolism’ And how do you turn it around’
- Strength Training. This is my go-to! 🔥 Challenging yourself and lifting weights is amazing for your body, especially when your body tells you have picked the right weight to be lifting! You know the right weight when the last few reps feel challenging with good form! Plus, for us ladies, we are prone to osteoporosis. And with strength training, the muscle attaches to the bone, it than pulls harder on the bone, so the harder it pulls on the bone the STRONGER THE BONES BECOME!! I am not kidding; strength training is legit your BFF!
- Movement. (NEAT Non-exercise activity thermogenesis) Working out for roughly an hour a day makes up
Non Exercise activity thermogenesis 4% of your movement for the day and NEET movement makes up 63% of your day!! This is fidgeting, walking around your house, walking up and down your stairs, and pacing while you are on the phone! So, you want to keep moving, aim for 10,000 plus steps per day to keep this going and your body always on the move! - Calorie Control. Figure out your true calorie count and staying within those calorie counts. Multiply your desired bodyweight by 10-12 and that is the number of calories to shoot for. If you have a lot to lose. Be realistic, aim for something that is within 10-20 pounds of where you are today.
- Water. If you don’t have enough water in your system, you are not going to poop and pee, so you are not eliminating your toxins. So just drink more water!
- Protein with every meal. Protein is the building blocks for muscle, and we want more muscle in our body, right” Aim for 30 grams of protein with each meal.
- HIIT exercise vs. cardio. HIIT is interval training, pushing yourself to the limit, recovering, pushing yourself and recovering. This makes your metabolism respond to this better than just doing cardio.
- Green Tea. I am talking the real stuff people, not the crap that has a ton of other crap in it! The real stuff with the higher amounts of caffeine in it. Drink a glass or 2 a day. Caffeine helps to speed up your metabolism slightly as well.
- Sleep. We need sleep in order for our body to recover and recharge, LIKE OUR PHONES! Sleep does a body good people! Aim for 7-9 hours each day.
- Eating Good Fats. Good fats are obviously a must for our bodies to help with weight loss, but they are also good to have a little at night with dinner before bed to help you sleep better. A good fat with a carbohydrate will help you stay fuller longer and sleeping better.
At the end of the day, it is the small changes that help overall! Small things that we can be consistent with, not going balls to the walls and burning out! We have to take these small steps to get to where we want to be with all other things right’ So why not do the same with this’
How do you stoke your metabolism’ We gotta use the Fit Girl Magic framework! That is 1) Working that mindset, If I want to change my body, I have to take these slow and steady steps. 2) Movement, Getting in those 10,000 steps or more. 3) Metabolic, Committing to some type of High-intensity workout. 4) Meals, committing to making sure our meals are balanced, hitting those calorie counts without making yourself crazy!
I have a guide that will walk you through this entire 4 step framework. AKA Fit Girl Magic Framework. Grab it and figure out where you fall. How are you going to take action, set that mindset and get in those acts of daily living’
Reach out if you guys have any questions or know someone who would love this! I love talking to you guys and hearing from you so if you need anything, you know where to find me!!
LINKS
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FabFitSquad
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitgirlmagic/
Website: https://www.kimbarnesjefferson.com/
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fit-girl-magic-healthy-living-for-women-over-40/id1476883661
sleep podcast https://www.kimbarnesjefferson.com/are-you-ready-to-have-a-good-night-sleep/
effortless weight loss https://www.kimbarnesjefferson.com/four-alternatives-to-dieting/
