Metabolism Rescue

May 14, 2016

Metabolism Rescue

eat in a way that manages blood sugar and therefore insulin. Insulin is the major player in the management of fat storage.
do cardio bursts rather than sustained high intensity to increase metabolism without raising cortisol (cortisol raises blood sugar which raises insulin which tells your body to store fat and interferes with testosterone and growth hormone). Read The New ME Diet by Jade and Keoni Teta, ND, CSCS or the article “Bad News For Cardio Junkies” found on Mark Sisson’s website – MarksDailyApple.com)
what to do to increase metabolism and burn more fat changes with menopause/andropause. The eat less/exercise more model that worked so well in our youth seems to no longer work as effectively and may actually backfire once estrogen and testosterone are no longer tamping down the cortisol response. Exercises geared more towards strength, stretching, and short cardio bursts as well as casual cardio are more effective as well as deliberate stress reduction techniques like massages, tai chi, and meditation. Go to MetabolicEffect.com where Jade and Keoni Teta will keep you abreast of the latest research as well as provide exercise tools (check out Metabolic Aftershock for the current science and age related programs)
since stress elevates cortisol which raises blood sugar and therefore insulin and therefore promotes fat storage (especially around the midsection), do anything and everything you can to reduce stress in your life whether physical or emotional. Your body can’t distinguish which it is. It still responds with the fight-or-flight response. I know that in my life I make the “to do” list and if I can’t handle the stress of the schedule I create (if I hit a single red light my whole schedule could be thrown off!), then perhaps I can do something to change that.
if you must be an exercise warrior, take a look at Beyond Endurance by Ben Greenfield and learn to protect your body from the stress that this extreme exercise creates
build muscle – muscle burns calories, sugar and fat. Your body becomes what you ask it to do. Ask it to burn, not store!
starvation dieting generally decreases muscle mass and regaining increases body fat percent with each regain, so yo-yo diet cycling leaves the well intentioned dieter with a lower metabolism after each round from sheer loss of muscle and its calorie burning capacity
to burn specifically belly fat do moderate intensity exercise like walking
get out in nature to do your exercise. Studies show as significantly greater decrease in cortisol from a walk taken in greenery than one taken in a city
don’t repeatedly starve all day which potentially tells the body to slow down your calorie burn
however, do try short intermittent fasting periodically (16 hours ideally) to allow body to normalize blood sugar and insulin (read The 8-Hour Diet by David Zinczenko)
get adequate sleep (read The Hormone Reset Diet by Dr. Sara Gottfried) and learn the association between your lifestyle habits and your hormones. Lack of sleep increases a hunger hormone called ghrelin and increases leptin resistance
consider evaluating micronutrient status with a Spectracell nutritional profile– i.e. a deficit in vitamin C will decrease the calories burned during exercise by 25%*, or the fact that calcium and magnesium deficiencies will increase cravings for sugar, while eating sugar will create calcium and magnesium deficiencies. (read The Micronutrient Miracle by Mira and Jayson Calton).
live within the calories you have after the weight loss like Erin does and make the most of your food choices (read Picture Perfect Weight Loss by Howard M. Shapiro or Volumetrics by Barbara Rolls Ph. D). See “You Can Have Your Cake and Not Wear It Too” and “Stop Dieting And Act As If” from Surviving Myself blog