METABOLISM
Do you want to be in shape and immediately jump to calories? Perhaps you hold your metabolism responsible for your body? Both are understandable, but not always true.
For those that also care about our health, how our bodies function and how awesome we are in other areas of our life, we need to care about our metabolism.
A lot of people talk about their metabolism without actually knowing what it is.
We often only associate it with weight.
You may credit someones athletic shape to having a ‘fast’ metabolism, and likewise see your struggle to shift some fat on account of having a ‘slow’ metabolism.
This is actually may to be the opposite of what’s going on.
When actually the health of your metabolism determines a great deal more than weight. When we understand this, we put ourselves in a better position to make better decisions.
Metabolism is essentially the sum of the reactions that occur to keep our body functioning.
Things like the processes that allow us to breathe, our blood to flow, our food to digests and absorb, our injuries to heal and an extensive variety of other functions that we take for granted.
You are made up of trillions of cells that carry out these tasks for us whilst we concern ourselves with other things. The healthier our cells are, the healthier our metabolism is. In turn, this means that the functions are carried out without compromise.
Unfortunately we often compromise our metabolism with the quality and quantity of our food.
Cells need nourishment to thrive. For example, if you go on a drastic diet and aggressively cut calories, your cells may not have the energy to best carry out a functions. This can result in poor skin and hair quality, digestive issues, reduced concentration etc. It’s not ideal for a modern day lifestyle.
If we choose poor quality foods, we have a lower availability of nutrients to interact with our cells and influence them to do a stellar job!
Yes, weight and metabolism is a factor. Those with higher bodyweight tend to have higher metabolisms as there is more reactions occurring to accommodate the larger mass. This means smaller people have fewer calories to play around with,
Reducing calories may mean losing some weight, but at what cost?
As some general rules, there are a few things that can help you with your metabolism. They are incredibly general as the specifics will vary from person to person.
Be patient, there are no quick fixes to your goal.
If you want to lose fat, eat as many calories as you can whilst achieving the desired results. In other words, if you can lose fat by eating 2000 calories a day, don’t drop down any further for quicker results.
Get a good balance in your diet, with consideration to vitamins and minerals. All will aid in ‘nourishing’ the cells.
Associate calories with more than just food, they provide energy for your body to function without compromise.
As always, if you have any questions, do not be afraid to ask.