3 Habits That Can Sabotage Your Metabolism

When we’re having trouble losing weight, it can be tempting to place the blame on our metabolism. However, what we eat, how we move, and how we sleep – all of these have a significant effect on our metabolism, but it can be easy to unknowingly sabotage ourselves in these areas.

Here are three common mistakes that can keep you from optimal metabolism:

Not Enough Eating

If you’ve not heard it before, LISTEN UP: starving yourself will not help you lose weight!

When you drastically reduce your food intake, your metabolism is sure to drop. It is better to focus on making wiser food choices. Give the processed stuff a miss – these foods cause inflammation and hinder weight loss – and try to increase your intake of food and drinks that burn more energy, including lean proteins (like chicken breast or turkey), ice cold water, or an iced cup of java.

Smart food choices are key, since weight loss results in fat loss and muscle wasting. And finally, stay hydrated with water, water, and more water! 

Not Enough “Work” in Your Workout

Whilst it is true that all exercise burns calories, all workouts are not created equal and exercise will only have an effect on your metabolism if done correctly.

Make a decision to push yourself harder during every exercise session and diversify your workouts as much as possible. It takes determination – and you most certainly will get uncomfortable – but repeating the same routine over and over won’t enable you to get the results you want.

High intensity interval training (HIIT) is a great way to push your limits. Do two or three 30-minute sessions a week; you’ll burn more calories and boost your metabolism. 

It’s a good idea to invest in some sort of fitness tracker. It will show you how much you’ve worked, the calories you’ve burned and the max heart rate you’ve reached. You can use all of this information to hack your metabolism and monitor the effects of your workouts.

Not Enough Rest for Your Body

It is a fact that depriving your body of rest does your metabolism more harm than good. As humans, we need sleep to help our bodies make the right amounts of hormones that drive our metabolism. Without a sufficient amount of shuteye, your metabolism takes a plunge.

Plus, when it comes to overall health, sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your mind and body. So aim to get the recommended amount of sleep for adults – 8-9 hours of restful sleep.