If you dont know already, a healthy metabolism is essential for getting in shape. Having a fast metabolism can help aid in losing weight. Nutrition and exercise is the key to a healthy metabolism. Here are 8 things that are binging your metabolism down.

 8 things that are bringing your metabolism down

1) Too many carbohydrates/sugar- Carbohydrates, if not burned, break down into sugar. Thats why I link these together. So many people think White Bread, cereal,juice/yogurt/fruit are healthy, when in fact they are extremely high in sugar & carbs. Be sure to check the label on things you buy. This is one of the first things I always check on a label. Opt for water with a squeeze of lemon if you like juice, and choose Fage or Oikos plain yogurt(it has the lowest sugar content and highest protein in them)

2) Soda-one of the worst things you can put in your body! Soda contains the evil twins: Sucralose(splenda) and Aspartame, which are artificial sweeteners! These are major killers of metabolism and can actually cause you to crave carbohydrates! It also contains corn syrup, sugar, caffeine, and is very acidic. Soda also dehydrates you and can cause a build up of plaque in your teeth, causing cavities. Try switching to sparkling flavored water such as La Croix instead! Green tea is also a well known metabolism booster, and you can pour it over ice or drink it hot!

3) Too little protein in your diet-Protein is essential for building muscle. All day long your body is going through protein turnover, which is basically breaking down its own muscle tissue. This also is why protein is important in exercising because if you dont have enough of it, the muscles will deteriorate. (see more on #8) This is also one of the other things I always check on a food label!

4)Not eating often enough– When you begin to view and think of food as “fuel”, you can begin to see why eating every 3-4 hours is important. Eat more, small meals throughout the day will prevent your metabolism from dropping, as well as preventing you from getting overly hungry, causing you to binge eat the wrong foods! Nutrition is so much of a cause and effect cycle. Why people think in order to lose weight they need to starve themselves and hardly eat is absurd. You are actually causing the opposite to happen and your metabolism will shut down, and in the long run you’ll just put back on any weight you’ve lost and then some! Thats why yo-yo dieting never worked!

5) Fats– Believe it or not, not all fats are bad for you and you actually SHOULD have plenty of the right fats in your daily diet! Consuming the wrong types of fats can interfere with hormone production, digestion and appetite regulation, which all link back to your metabolism. I would say 95% of the time, I cook with unrefined organic coconut oil. Its easy to supplement into a recipe as well. Coconut oil promotes CLA(conjugated linoleic acid), and MCT(multi chained triglycerides), and is a saturated fat. This is the one I use and highly recommend. I put this MCT oil in my coffee every morning, which helps give me an extra boost in my metabolism! You see all these foods labeled “low-fat” when in actuality, full fat is very beneficial. Putting Avocado on your toast each morning is a great option as well.  Sprinkle with a little garlic salt and pepper and it will soon become your new go-to breakfast! Having plenty of fat in eat meal helps satiate your stomach as well, leaving you less likely to binge eat the wrong kinds of foods.6) Pretzels/chips/crackers/granola– You might think pretzels are good for you, simply because they’re low in fat, however the carbohydrate content is outrageous, which if you remember reading above, if carbohydrates arent burned off, they set in your body and turn to sugar, sugar then turns into fat(its an evil cycle) Healthier choices would be snacking on nuts, or  soybeans(edamame).  Granola used to be labeled as really healthy, til you break it down and see that there’s so much sugar in it! If you like the taste and texture of it, try Maria Emmerich’s healthy granola, below, instead!

7) Your thyroid- If you’re feeling sluggish, and gaining weight no matter what you eat or how much you exercise, check with your Dr and they can order a thyroid panel to make sure its performing properly.  You could be dealing with hypothyroidism-when your thyroid is making too little hormones.

Increase your metabolism

8) Your exercising wrong/or not at all– Any movement is better than none. Simply walking 3 times a week for at least 45 minutes each time can improve your metabolism. If you want to turn your body into a fat burning machine, weight train first and then walk/some form of cardio for a minimum of 20 mins afterwards can really boost your metabolism. Remember the more muscle your body has, the more calories its going to burn. The reason why I love doing high intensity interval training is because it burns the most fat & Calories in the shortest amount of time! Essentially, h.i.i.t is doing short bursts of intense exercises for 30 seconds or 1 minute at a time with 30 seconds or 1 minute of rest period. This form of exercising can really skyrocket your metabolism.

Hopefully, I’ve given you some insight as to what will help boost your metabolism. Be mindful of what you eat and drink… eat often, read the labels on your food, & get off the couch and exercise. If you start getting into a routine of doing those 4 things, your metabolism will be burning like a furnace before long! If you dont belong to a gym, check out my fitness must-haves below for great products you can use at home!