6 Bad habits that decrease your metabolism and how to avoid them
Our body’s metabolism is responsible for burning off excess fat and helping us lose weight. Unfortunately, many people sabotage their metabolic functions and slow down their weight-loss process because of common mistakes and unhealthy habits. In the end, people who are struggling to lose weight just struggle even more and don’t see any results for a long time. What’s worse is they could even damage their metabolism and end up gaining even more weight. Here are 6 unhealthy habits that negatively affect your metabolism and how you can avoid doing them.
1. Not Consuming Enough Protein
Protein is known to significantly trigger metabolism and help your body burn fat. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not including enough protein in your diet. To kick start your body’s fat-burning process, you need to make sure you’re eating enough lean meat, beans, fish, and other foods that are rich in protein and low on fat and carbohydrates.
2. Poor Sleeping Habits
Lack of sleep or poor sleeping habits are proven to drop a person’s metabolic rate, making them more likely to gain weight. You should make sure to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night to maintain your body’s circadian rhythms and avoid damaging your metabolism.
3. High Stress levels
Stress can contribute to increasing your weight even if you’re following a healthy diet. Cortisol slows down your metabolism, while higher insulin levels, or hormones produced as a result of stress, cause your body to store more fat. It’s not easy to tell when you’re stressed, but there is so much you can do to avoid it.
4. Not Lifting Weights
Strength training increases your muscle mass and helps you burn calories during your exercises. It also allows you to burn calories when you’re not exercising as it significantly increases your metabolism, causing you to lose weight rapidly in a healthy manner.
5. Lack of Movement
Living a sedentary life is very bad for your health. When you don’t move enough, you burn very few calories every day. Gradually, your metabolism drops, and you start putting on weight instead of losing any. Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise or movement into your everyday routine to keep your metabolism up and stay in shape.
6. Not Eating Enough Calories
While reducing the number of calories you eat every day is necessary for a weight-loss plan, too few calories can be counterproductive. When you deprive your body of food, it starts alerting your metabolism to drop in order to slow down the rate at which your body burns calories. Eat enough meals every day to maintain a healthy calorie intake and avoid slowing down your metabolism.
Weight loss requires a huge amount of motivation and persistence. The last thing you want to do when you’re trying to lose weight is damage your metabolism. Make sure you avoid these common mistakes, and instead of giving up on your weight-loss goals, you’ll start seeing great results!
