Metabolism
is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in an organism. Simply said, metabolic processes convert food into energy that is needed for our body to function properly. I guess everyone knows what calories are. They represent the energy that the food gives us. That is why I used to regularly count calories. Every person’s body needs a certain amount of calories to function normally, and this amount depends on their metabolism speed. Which in turn is influenced by various factors – gender, age, physical condition, lifestyle, and more. If we consume less than the amount of calories we need, the body begins to get energy from our reserves, ie. fat and we start losing weight. And if we consume more calories than we need, the opposite happens – the body begins to store, and we gain weight.
Why it is so important?
In theory it sounds easy, but the reality is quite different. The energy our body needs is very difficult to be defined. There are thousands of calorie calculators on the Internet that supposedly measure the amount of calories we need, but they are very inaccurate. It is better not to trust them, because they do not take into account our metabolic rate.
And since I’ve already talked about what happens when you limit your food for a long period in this post, I decided that it would be better and healthier instead of reducing the calories, to increase my calorie burn. In other words, to speed up my metabolism. Everyone has at least one friend who eats a lot and yet is slim and looks great. The reason is his/her fast metabolism.
I’m not saying that anyone can become a supermodel just by speeding up their metabolism, but I think it’s possible for everyone to optimize it. Because if we want a stable weight that doesn’t fluctuate every day, it is extremely important to make our metabolism work for us. There are thousands of articles that say how to speed it up, but I want to share with you my experience.
Nutrition
I started eating regularly. The first and most important step for me was to show my body that the days of starvation were over. End of the diets, end of the restrictions. The hard part, though, was to fix the connection with my body. I used to have no idea when I was really hungry, how much to eat, what to eat, and when I was full. So I started following a few simple rules and tried to eat intuitively. You can read more here. Eating when I feel hungry and nourishing my body were my primary goals.
Sleep
I built good sleeping habits. It’s no secret how important sleep is. Some say that hunger can kill you in 2 weeks, while lack of sleep needs only 10 days. Not only the amount of sleep but also quality plays an important role in regulating metabolism. During sleep, many important metabolic processes and recovery processes take place in our body. Good sleep boosts immunity and lowers cortisol (the hormone responsible for stress).
It is recommended to follow the so-called circadian rhythm, i.e. our internal clock. That’s why I started going to bed early at the same time every night. By early I mean between 10-11 o’clock and I sleep at least 8 hours. It was difficult in the beginning, but after a while, I started to see the benefits. I am more vital, I have more energy, I feel healthy and my appetite for sweets decreased.
Water
Water, water, water. We hear this several times every day how important it is to drink enough water and stay hydrated. This is not a coincidence. The recommended amount is 30 ml per 1 kg of weight. For me personally, it has never been a problem to drink at least 2 liters of water a day, especially since drinking a lot of water is typical for people suffering from bulimia. However, I learned something important lately. It is important not to drink water 30 minutes before eating and 2 hours after. In this way, we are sure that we absorb every drop of water. Also, the intake of any juices, teas, and fresh juices does not count for water. In fact, diuretic drinks such as coffee, some teas, and alcohol require additional water intake to be absolutely hydrated.
Exercising
I exercise regularly. I was addicted to sports for a long time and the fear of stopping exercising was almost equivalent to my fear of eating a piece of chocolate. However, I did not stop working out, but I changed my goals. I stopped exercising to lose weight, but to increase my strength. My measure was no longer the scale, but how many push-ups and pull-ups I could do. Eventually, after a while, I dropped out of the gym and started horse riding and doing yoga. And it turned out that the important thing is just to keep moving. Even if I do not do serious and heavy workouts as I used to do before, it is ok. It is enough to move my body with yoga to be toned and to have a good metabolism.
Serotonin
I get my serotonin regularly. This is the hormone of happiness and it is extremely important for our body. Serotonin is a chemical that makes us happy. In other words, it gives us the feeling that everything is fine with us. In addition, serotonin is acting as a neurotransmitter in the brain, it can function as a hormone in the blood. Serotonin affects a number of basic physical and mental processes in the body and contributes to rapid metabolism.
The ways we can get serotonin are very different and they are all wonderful. Concerts, walks in nature, cultural events such as theater, cinema contribute to the production of serotonin. Taking care of yourself like sports, yoga, massages, meditation, and also shopping raises serotonin levels. Sex is among my favorites, also is the time spent with friends. It is no coincidence they say that laughter is healthy. Besides the feeling, it also speeds up our metabolism.
