lifestyle

5 Habits That Are Killing Your Metabolism

Let’s talk about 5 habits that are killing your metabolism.

Metabolism is a chemical process in which the body coverts food into energy. However, you are probably more familiar with the term when it’s used as a way to figure out the rate in which your body burns calories.

Metabolism slows with age, but for many people, bad habits cause the metabolism to drain even faster. Let’s go over the 5 habits that are killing your metabolism most. Fixing these habits will improve your metabolism and energy levels.

Sitting too much

If you exercise for an hour a day, but spend the other 23 hours sitting or sleeping, your metabolism will slow drastically! Try to get up and move more throughout the day. Set an alarm on your phone or use an activity tracker as a reminder to get up!

Not eating enough

Food is a key part in your metabolism. Crash dieting actually slows down the metabolism. Eating too little makes the body think it’s starving, which will send it into survival mode. While in survival mode, the body will stop burning calories on its own. Make sure you eat enough calories and protein to continue burning at a normal rate.

Not drinking enough water

Dehydration can cause the body to burn up to 2% FEWER calories than normal. On the flip side, drinking an extra 2 cups of water can increase your metabolic rate. Stay hydrated!

Stress

I feel like I shouldn’t be allowed to point out that stress is bad for your body because I am always stressed! Nevertheless, stress can slow your metabolism down because of a little hormone called cortisol. Cortisol leads to an increased appetite, which can make you overeat. Too much cortisol in the body will also spike your insulin. Find a way to control your stress to improve your metabolism.

Only doing cardio

Steady state cardio is great. It burns calories and doesn’t strain the body too much. However, strength training helps your metabolism more. The more muscle you have in your body, the more efficient your metabolic rate. Follow along with my MFit workouts to build that muscle!

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