St. Pete Personal Trainer Reveals 7 Habits That Wreck Your Metabolism

There are probably a few things in your life that you’d like to slow down but I suspect your metabolism isn’t one of them.

After 28 Years as the leading Personal Trainer in St. Petersburg for Over 50 and senior fitness, I’ve seen many sneaky ways people slow down there metabolism.

Today I want to talk about the 7 most common metabolism wreckers I’ve seen and give you the tools to correct them and have your metabolism running like it did 10 or more years ago!

If you’re like most people, the day after Labor Day marked the end of summer and you getting “back on track” with your fitness and nutrition after chaotic summer schedules may have thrown you off. If you’re like a lot of folks who came into our Metabolism Reboot Program, you might have even put on a few pounds.

There are plenty of sneaky ways we slow our metabolisms down and don’t even realize it. Today I want to address the 7 most common ones and some tools to have your over 50 metabolism running at at full speed!

Metabolism Wrecker #1: 

You Don’t eat enough: 

Your body is smart! When you regularly eat less fuel (AKA calories) than you burn, your body makes itself even more efficient by lowering how many calories it needs to function (AKA metabolism).

This can happen if :

1) you exercise a lot and don’t ramp up your food intake to match it; 

2) you under eat every day, or 

3) go on a lot of calorie restrictive diets.

I put this one first because it packs a double whammy. Muscle is the easiest thing for your body to burn if it needs energy which means, not only are you slowing down your metabolism by not eating enough, but your body is burning metabolism boosting muscle for energy. OUCH.

MORE FROM FAT LOSS U: How To Eat To Speed Up Your Metabolism

Metabolism Wrecker #2 

You Skip Meals:  

Research shows that eating regular meals throughout the day is linked with a greater “thermic effect of food” – Here at FSP, we call TEF our “secret” fat loss weapon and it’s the cornerstone of
all of our nutrition programs. If you want more info about TEF, hit the blue title link above for my full blog post.

And here’s the thing, eating on a regular schedule helps your body manage its blood sugar levels, which is a biggie when it comes to your health and hunger levels.

More From Fat Loss U: 
On The Go High Protein Snacks For Weight Loss

Metabolism Wrecker #3:You Don’t Lift Weights:

Strength training helps boost your metabolism in a couple of different ways.

Over the long run, it helps build muscle, and muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue.

It also has an immediate benefit: it raises your metabolism for hours after your workout is finished. THIS is called EPOC and it can be 24 -48 hours when you do the RIGHT type of weight training.

Metabolism Wrecker #4: 

You Slack On Your Sleep 

Not getting enough sleep is like a triple whammy on your metabolism.

● When you’re tired you’re not as active, which means a lower daily calorie burn
● You tend to eat more when you’re sleep-deprived because it messes up your hunger hormones and makes you crave high-calorie foods
● Your body has a harder time managing blood sugar levels when you’re low on sleep, which can make you store fat

MORE FROM FAT LOSS U: 5 Tips For Better Sleep

Metabolism Wrecker #5: 

You Sit All Day 

Being sedentary  (i.e., not getting up to move around every half-hour or so) is linked with a slower metabolism.

Personally, I set my timer for 50 minutes and get up and stretch or take the girls outside for 10 minutes or so. Or, a lot of our members opt for standing desks!

Metabolism Wrecker #6: 

You Don’t Get Enough Protein:

Not only does protein keep you feeling full after you eat it, but it also helps you build metabolism-boosting muscle.

It burns more calories being digested than carbs or fat. (There’s that TEF thing again.)

Some guidelines: aim for between .73 and 1 gram of protein for every pound of your weight (1.6 and 2.2 grams per kilogram of your weight).

MORE FROM FAT LOSS U: Foods That Boost Your Metabolism

Metabolism Wrecker #7: 

You Get Stressed Out:

Yep! Stress can LOWER your metabolism.

An Ohio State University study found that women burned fewer calories after they ate a high-fat meal when they were stressed.

Just another reason it’s so important to have a plan to regularly blow off stress, like working out, meditating, or relaxing hobbies!

How many of those rang a bell for you? Drop a comment below and let me know. Hearing from my readers are the best part of my day!

SOURCES: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10939877
https://news.osu.edu/news/2014/07/14/weighty-issue-stress-and-high-fat-meals-combine-to-slow-metabolism-in-women
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27305952
https://blog.nasm.org/nutrition/how-much-protein-should-you-eat-per-day-for-weight-loss
www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-guidelines/why-sitting-too-much-is-bad-for-us

I look forward to helping you be the best YOU can be!

Committed To Your Success & Awesomeness

Dianne Villano, THE Expert For YOUR Over 50 Body

P.S. Have you met our Member Of The Month and Total Body Transformation 2017 Winner, Leanne the almost 50 full time working mom who was ready to accept lack of energy, slowing run times and aches and pains as a “part of getting older”? Check out her inspiring transformation story