Losing weight can be a pain, and it usually isn’t easy. People often search for the key to speeding up their metabolism to aid in weight loss. What they may not realize is that some common mistakes may be slowing their metabolism down.
According to Nancy Moore, executive director of Legend Healthcare and Rehabilitation – Euless, it is natural for a person’s metabolism to change as they get older. “A slow metabolism can make it hard to maintain a healthy weight, and a person’s metabolism naturally begins to decrease as they age,” she says. “Sometimes, a few simple changes to diet and lifestyle can help improve a slow metabolism.”
If your weight loss plan has hit a snag, you could be working with a slow metabolism. Here are five things you may be doing that are slowing down your metabolism.
Not getting enough sleep
Burning the midnight oil could be doing more than making you tired the next day. Getting enough sleep is important for healthy metabolism, and consistently skipping out on sack time could get your metabolism out of whack. Aim for an average of seven to eight hours of sleep each night to keep your metabolism up.
Eating the wrong salt
You wouldn’t think you could go wrong with the kind of salt you put on your food. But if sea salt is your favorite variety, you might be missing out on the iodine your thyroid needs to keep your metabolism working correctly. There’s no need to stop using sea salt, but you’ll need to supplement your diet with some iodized salt or foods that contain iodine.
Keeping your house too warm
If you prefer warm temperatures, you may want to reconsider how high you set your thermostat. Research indicates that warm temperatures may slow your metabolism, and cool temperatures may speed it up. In a recent study, a small group of healthy young men lived in a clinical research facility. Their rooms were set to 66 degrees, 75 degrees, and 81 degrees during separate months. The study found that during the month with a cool temperature setting, the men’s metabolism improved, but the changes were reversed during the warm month. Although the study was small, it may be a good idea to stop turning up the thermostat.
Losing a lot of weight
Many people feel like they hit a plateau after their weight loss program has been going well. If you think you’ve hit a wall and you’re not burning calories like you used to, you may be right. When you diet, you can lose fat as well as muscle mass. Lean muscle mass is important for a speedy metabolism, so losing muscle mass with weight loss can slow down metabolism. This is a great reason to mix in some exercise with your diet plan.
Dealing with stress
Stress can get in the way of a lot of things in your life including, unfortunately, your weight loss. A recent study showed that women who experienced a high-stress event burned fewer calories than the women who did not report a stressful event. The women who experienced stress also had higher levels of insulin. Stress can not only lead to eating a poor diet, but it may also slow down a person’s metabolism.
A slow metabolism can be a major hindrance to a weight loss plan. While the problem could be caused by medical conditions or medications, it may also be due to lifestyle. Talk to your doctor if you feel your metabolism isn’t working the way it should, even with lifestyle changes.
Amy Osmond Cook is the host of Good Day Orange County and the founder of the Association of Skilled Nursing Providers. She is a healthcare consultant and VP of marketing at Simplus, a Platinum Salesforce partner.
Source: Orange County Register
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