You can speed up your metabolism naturally by following these 10 steps.

Many people who are overweight are searching for natural ways to speed up their metabolism, which is defined as the sum total of the breaking down and building up processes in your body.

Ideally the equation should look like this:

Breaking down processes + Building up processes = Healthy metabolism

But more often the equation looks like this:

Breaking down processes + Inadequate cellular repair + Insulin resistance + Toxicity =Damaged metabolism

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of calories you burn at rest. Although there are equations you can use to estimate your BMR, the truth is that these mathematic equations don’t take into account your lifestyle factors.

These numeric estimations of your ideal calorie count may be virtually irrelevant if you are sleep deprived, over medicated, addicted to caffeine, alcohol, sugar, inactive, suffering from insulin resistance or burned out adrenal glands or G.I. problems and consuming a toxic diet.

Here are a few simple steps you can take to speed up your metabolism:

1. Get enough sleep. Go to bed by 10 p.m. Every minute of sleep before midnight is worth 10 minutes of sleep after midnight. Being sleep deprived can make you insulin resistant.
2. Research your medications and consider drug-free alternatives. A very long list of pharmaceutical drugs you may have been prescribed by your medical doctor are scientifically proven to alter your carbohydrate metabolism. On top of that, a very long list of medications may adversely affect your thyroid. If you are taking any prescribed medications, I recommend you look up individual medications on Rxlist.com and then plug in ALL the drugs you are currently taking to Epocrates.com, a website that can inform you about drug interactions. Since the average American adult is taking 4.1 prescription medications, you must take into account how all these pharmaceuticals affect your metabolism.
3. Get off caffeine. Although caffeine initially speeds up your metabolism, it also stresses your adrenal glands. The two factors that cause a damaged metabolism are A, insulin resistance and B, burned out adrenal glands. Many people rely on caffeine to keep going even when they are exhausted but the truth is you won’t be able to fully recover your adrenal health until you stop the cycle of racing and then collapsing. As long as you are suffering from adrenal burnout, your body will continue to struggle with both carbohydrate and fat metabolism.
4. Get off alcohol. Simply put, alcoholic beverages alter the way your body metabolizes carbohydrates as well as fat metabolism. As if that wasn’t bad enough,when you drink alcohol, your body secretes an enzyme called aromatase that shifts androgens to estrogens. That’s why men who drink too much tend to develop breasts like women and women who drink too much tend to accumulate extra fat in their hips.
5. Get off sugar. If you have a damaged metabolism, where you are either insulin resistant, are suffering from burned out adrenal glands OR you have both insulin resistance as well as burned out adrenals, you will have to limit your carbohydrate intake simply to maintain your weight. Sugar clocks in at 100 on the glycemic index, which means that your body burns it up very quickly. Compare that with Stevia, which clocks in at 0 on the glycemic index. If you don’t think you eat too much sugar, try reading every label of the food you eat and prepare to be shocked.
6. If you are insulin resistant or have burned out adrenal glands, limit your carbohydrate intake to 125 grams per day unless you are depressed or exercising regularly.  If you are unsure how many carbohydrates your body needs, set up an appointment with me by calling 678-612-8816 or emailing catherine@unlimitedenergynow.com.
7. Choose low glycemic carbohydrates. You can look up the metabolic effect of your carbohydrates at this link. A simple way to stay on the safe side is by focusing your carbohydrate intake on fruits and vegetables, which are loaded with phytochemicals in the seeds and fiber and will give your body the nutrients it needs to be radiantly healthy.
8. Exercise daily and choose weight bearing exercise. Exercise not only burns calories, it also helps you build muscle and maintain the muscles you already have. One pound of muscle burns between 7 to 13 calories. That’s why two individuals each weighing 150 pounds can have totally different metabolic rates depending on their lean mass. Consider that if you do not exercise daily, being sedentary is now scientifically considered worse than smoking. On the plus side, this awareness has led to a plethora of wrist gadgets like the iWatch or Fitbit that help you measure the number of steps you take every day.
9. Heal your digestion. Digestive disorders are an often overlooked cause of metabolic imbalance. That’s because if your G.I. system is constantly upset, your body is pushing out the stress hormone cortisol, which promotes weight gain. If you tend to suffer from G.I. upset, set up an appointment with me by calling 678-612-8816 or emailing catherine@unlimitedenergynow.com to learn how to heal your G.I. system and achieve your ideal size.
10. Stop eating fake food and eat real food. All you have to understand is one simple fact – your body stores chemicals in your fat cells. In fact, studies show that there are 20,000 chemicals your body can not metabolize. Give up artificial sweeteners that affect your blood sugar. Stop eating fake fats that your body can’t utilize to build healthy cells. EPA studies reveal that 100% of people tested have dioxins, PCBs, dichlorobenzene, and xylene in their fat cells, and carcinogenic benzene (89%) and percholoethlylene (93%) in their exhaled breath. When I ran a radio show, one of my favorite guests talked about how a study of rats showed that fat rats who consumed MSG and aspartame did not lose weight no matter how much exercise they endured every day. Eating a clean diet isn’t just a matter of being slim it’s also one of the top strategies you can take to avoid cancer.

If you have gotten through reading this list,  congratulate yourself on facing what it actually takes to maintain a healthy metabolism.

Did I say any of this was easy?

No, I didn’t and I would never say any of this is easy.

But I am telling you the truth.

Take these steps to speed up your metabolism and finally enjoy the slim and healthy body you have always wanted.

If you need help incorporating these 10 steps into your lifestyle, set up an appointment today and find out what you can do to speed up your metabolism naturally by calling 678-612-8816 or emailing catherine@unlimitedenergynow.com.