I remember the biology classes during my school days, we were gradually introduced to certain terms and functions essential for a healthy body. I often revisit those learnings once in a while as now they carry a bigger meaning in our lives. One basic function we were all told about is metabolism, as these days everyone keeps talking about boosting metabolism, so let us find out about metabolism once again.
What is Metabolism?
Metabolism is the process by which your body converts all your food intake into energy. Food components are broken into the
building blocks needed for the growth and repair of your body.
Metabolism is a series of chemical reactions that take place
inside your body to keep you alive, kicking and functioning all day. These
reactions break down all the nutrients from your food into smaller particles,
which are then used by your cells to produce energy or build new tissues. But
metabolism is different from person to person and depends on factors such as
age, gender, genetics, and lifestyle.
If your metabolism is okay, you will feel healthy and energetic, but the problem of slow metabolism leads to weight gain, lack of energy, and digestive issues.
Signs of slow metabolism
A slow metabolism can lead to many problems. Actually, these
problems are common but when extensively discussed then we get to find the role
of slow metabolism in them. Some of these problems are:
Weight gain:
Weight gain is one of the biggest problems faced due to slow
metabolism. Gaining weight is often accompanied by difficulty in losing weight due
to metabolism issues. This problem is due to the burning of fewer calories by your
body in comparison to the calories consumed through food.
Fatigue and low energy
Feeling tired and weak with sluggishness all through the day without any apparent reason can be due to low energy levels caused by slow metabolism. Low energy levels are caused by the body if it is not efficiently converting food into energy.
Cold intolerance
Often people with slow metabolism find t difficult to live in colder places. The feeling of a slight chill in the body or feeling cold at the slightest dip in temperature and especially cold intolerance can be experienced
due to slow metabolism. It can lead to a lower body temperature, which can make
you feel cold even in warm environments.
Digestive problems
People with slow metabolism often have slow digestion. With slow digestion, food takes a long time to travel through the gastrointestinal tract causing constipation. Slow
food digestion can cause constipation, bloating, and other digestive issues. These digestive issues can cause problems.
Hormonal problems
A slow metabolism can affect hormone levels, leading to
irregular periods in women and a major cause of hormonal imbalance. Hormonal changes and slow metabolism go hand in
hand and can trouble you for a long time and these problems must be discussed
with the physician properly.
Dry skin and hair:
We often treat dry skin and hair with different external
applications like oil, cream and moisturizers. But the real problem is slow metabolism which can affect the body's ability to produce enough moisture, leading to dry skin
and hair.
How to increase metabolism
Several factors can increase metabolism in our body:
Exercise
Regular physical activity, particularly
high-intensity exercises like weight lifting, can increase metabolism by
building muscle mass. In fact, anything which gets your heart pumping is best to increase metabolism, cardio exercises like running jumping and aerobics can help you increase metabolism.
Eating protein-rich foods
Protein requires more energy to
digest compared to other macronutrients like carbohydrates and fat, so
increasing protein intake can boost metabolism. You can burn more calories when you eat protein-rich food as this will make your body work harder to digest that food. This will increase the metabolic rate.
Drinking water
Drinking water can help to increase
metabolism temporarily by enhancing the body's ability to burn calories. Drinking water helps stimulate the metabolic rate as the body needs to expend energy to warm water inside the body and bring it to the level of body temperature.
Getting enough sleep
Though sleep has no direct role in increasing metabolism but lack of sleep can disrupt hormones
that regulate metabolism. So getting enough restful sleep can help to maintain
a healthy metabolism. Poor sleep can make your metabolic system go out of balance and make you eat more whereas a person who sleeps more can eat less due to more self-control and better decision-making.
Consuming caffeine
Caffeine found in coffee, tea, and some
supplements can increase metabolism temporarily by stimulating the central
nervous system. Any tea or coffee drinker can tell you the effect of their first cup of morning tea or coffee. Caffeine increases the metabolic rate instantly and provides metabolic energy.
Eating spicy foods
Spicy foods containing capsaicin can
increase metabolism by raising body temperature and boosting calorie
expenditure. Capsaicin is thermogenic which causes body temperature to increase. It also makes the body break down fat and burns more energy.
Eating smaller, more frequent meals
Eating smaller meals
more frequently can help to keep the metabolism going throughout the day, rather
than having large meals that can cause a drop in metabolism. But precautions should be taken to avoid overeating or consuming too many calories, the target should be to increase metabolic rate.
Managing stress
High levels of stress can lead to hormonal imbalances that can slow down metabolism, so managing stress through techniques
like meditation, yoga, or deep breathing can help to maintain a healthy
metabolism. Stress plays a role in weight gain, while it reduces your appetite first later chronic stress can actually boost your hunger.
Having one or two of these signs does not necessarily mean that you have a slow metabolism, and it's always best to talk to a healthcare professional if you're concerned about your metabolism. While the above factors can increase metabolism, they won't necessarily result in significant weight loss unless combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise.
More on hormonal imbalance
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