Wonder why you have trouble maintaining or losing weight? Here are a few things that may be impacting you: 1. Age: As you age, there is a natural slowdown in metabolism due to loss of lean body mass. A reduced metabolism means your body is burning fewer calories than it used to. Incorporate some resistance training to help prevent loss of lean body mass. 2. Sleep: Multiple studies have shown that inadequate sleep (less than 7.5 hours a night) disturbs the balance of leptin and ghrelin hormones which control feelings of hunger and fullness. Sleep deprivation can also play a role in insulin resistance and often causes poor judgment around food. Hit the hay a little earlier – it feels great! 3. Stress: If you’re under a lot of stress (mental, physical and/or emotional) your body pumps out excess amounts of cortisol, the stress hormone, which has been linked to increased fat storage, especially around your middle section. Find ways to decrease stress and don’t feel guilty taking some relaxing time to yourself! 4. Exercise: When is the last time you switched up your workouts? If you have been doing the same exercises day in and day out, your body has likely trained itself to burn fewer calories during that workout session. Try some weight training or high intensity interval training to increase your metabolism and burn more fat throughout the day. 5. Beverages: Most of us don’t realize or consider how quickly the calories from our drinks add up. Beverages also don’t provide much satiety. Note: This is not an ok to use sugar substitutes. :) 6. Bacteria/Gut Health: Studies have shown that our gut flora is linked to weight and weight gain. Improving your diet by eating whole foods as well as incorporating pre and probiotics will help support your gut flora, reduce inflammation, and boost your immune system. Approximately 70-80% of your immune system is in your gut, so what you eat greatly impacts your immunity. 7. Inflammation: Inflammation is part of the body’s natural defense system. But chronic (long-term) inflammation which can be caused by poor food choices, allergies and sensitivities puts stress on the body (See #3). One easy way to help decrease inflammation is to eat a good amount of omega-3 fatty acids which are found in foods such as fish, fish oil, flax and chia seeds, and walnuts.
Posted on: Mon, 26 May 2014 01:05:00 +0000
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