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Tips for Boosting Your Metabolism
Obesity is on the rise along with it's accompanying health problems. Risks of heart disease, stroke, arthritis, cancer and diabetes all increase with added weight.
Even a small amount of 'middle-aged spread' interferes with your health and raises the chance of future problems. This is why learning how to increase your metabolism makes sense when you want to get healthier.
The result? You can lose as much as 10 pounds in a week by taking a simple approach that removes the two worst offenders that slow your metabolic rate.
But don't take my word for it. Instead, do an experiment for one week to prove it to yourself.
The Benefits
When you boost your metabolism you'll see both immediate and long term improvements in your health. These include:
- Increased energy
- Reduced swelling puffiness in your face, eyes and other parts of your body (ankles, hands, etc.)
- Better sleep
- Improved mental focus
- Less joint and muscle pain
- Better digestion and elimination
- Overall increased feeling of well being
If that sounds appealing, read on!
The Deadly Duo
Before going over the details of the week-long plan, it will help if you understand the two biggest factors contributing to slower metabolism.
Both of these factors come from changes in the world over the past 100 years. And both can be eliminated to a large degree with a few changes.
The first of these is toxic overload. You might think I'm referring to chemical pollutants in the air and soil, and these certainly play a role. However, there are other sources of toxins most people take into their bodies daily. These include:
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If you're eating any of the above, your body has to work overtime to clear out their negative effects.
Add to that the food additives, pesticides, preservatives, hormones and antibiotics in many foods and you have major toxic overload. In addition, stress, negative thinking and toxic heavy metals multiply the impact of these.
Recent scientific data indicates that both environmental and internal toxins interfere with your body's weight regulating mechanisms. This might explain why some people do everything right and still can't lose weight. It could be their toxic load.
Here are some of the known ways that these toxic substances interfere with your metabolism:
- Toxins reduce thyroid hormone function. Since efficient thyroid hormone activity keep metabolism strong, this slows everything down. The result is you tend to gain weight more easily.
- If your body is dealing with a toxic overload your appetite control feedback loop can be blocked, which leads to overeating and inefficient digestion.
- When your body is busy detoxifying, it affects energy production in your cells. Your metabolic resources are diverted from energy production to detoxification. As a result, you'll tend to be more tired.
- Toxic foods increase oxidative stress and free radical production, both of which result in your body slowing metabolism and increasing insulin resistance.
- Toxins in your body promote insulin resistance by increasing inflammation. In turn, this increases fat storage and disruption of the internal signaling system that tells you when you're full.
The second metabolism squelcher is inflammation. All of the foods on the above list contribute to inflammatory responses in the body. In particular, most people get excessive amounts of Omega-6 fatty acids and not enough Omega-3 fatty acids. This imbalance promotes inflammation.
The One-Week Metabolism Boosting Test
Here is how to reduce your toxic load, decrease inflammation and ramp up your metabolism. As I mentioned above, don't take my word for it. Give yourself one week to follow this plan and see if you feel better.
- Increase your intake of high quality protein.
Most people don't get enough protein in their diets. And most of the protein they do get comes from lower quality sources. Even people who need greater amounts of carbohydrates in their diet tend to get less protein that they need.
The reason this is part of the program to boost metabolism is that amino acids, particularly glutathione, play a key role in supporting your body's detoxification pathways.
Sources include grass-fed beef, naturally raised chicken, wild salmon, eggs, whey protein, nuts and beans.
- Eat your veggies.
Fresh, organically raised vegetables increase glutathione production as well as reduce inflammatory responses by lowering free radical activity in the body.
The more colorful vegetables are especially good this way. Broccoli, kale, watercress, artichokes, berries and Brussels sprouts are all good for this.
- Break a sweat.
Your lymphatic system acts like the 'sewer system' in your body. And in addition to releasing toxins through the bowels and kidneys, it can let them out via the skin.
Obviously exercise is one way to increase this activity. Another is warming the body using a sauna, particularly an infrared sauna.
For this plan, take a sauna daily for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Alternatively, engage in exercise that causes you to sweat for at least this long.
By following this plan for one week you will help your body lower its toxic
load, decrease inflammatory responses and speed your metabolism. If you do this
don't be surprised by having more energy, less stress and a better outlook on
life.
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