2. Add Strength Training
Strength training can give your metabolism a boost by increasing your basal metabolic rate. Muscle tissue naturally burns more calories throughout the day than fat and other tissue in the body, even when at rest.
What’s more, you burn more calories after a rigorous resistance-training session as the body utilizes more oxygen to return to rest, a concept known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC).
Strength training has also been shown to improve fasting blood glucose levels, an indication of how well blood sugar is being regulated. “Glucose control is a window into the body’s metabolic machinery,” Dr. Kothari says. “When the body starts losing its ability to manage blood sugar efficiently, a process driven by insulin resistance, it is often an early signal that other metabolic systems are under strain, too, from blood pressure to cholesterol to how the body stores fat.”
3. Log Enough Sleep
Poor sleep may elevate levels of the hormone cortisol throughout the day. This can cause insulin resistance and encourage the body to accumulate unhealthy belly fat. Frequently running on little sleep also affects your hunger hormone ghrelin and your “feel full” hormone leptin, and makes you feel hungrier overall. Ultimately, the risk of metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes increases.
To avoid these negative metabolic changes, aim for quality sleep. Adults need between 7 and 9 hours each night.
4. Find Ways to De-Stress
A stressed body enters fight or flight mode, where it releases the hormone adrenaline and sends extra sugar to the bloodstream. This sugar spike can lead to issues with blood sugar control over time.
Blood sugar control is closely linked with metabolic health as high blood sugar can lead to type 2 diabetes.
Tactics to de-stress include:
- Exercise
- Deep breathing
- Meditation and mindfulness exercises
- Sharing what you’re going through with close confidants
5. Manage Your Blood Sugar
To further manage your blood sugar, consider nutrient sequencing, which calls for eating foods that the body digests slowly at the start of a meal, such as fiber and protein, before refined carbohydrates. This can help reduce blood sugar spikes.
Moving after a meal can also help. One small study involving healthy young adults found a quick 10-minute walk after eating lowered peak glucose levels and can help with blood sugar control. The muscles use the glucose from the meal immediately as fuel. “When muscles contract during walking, they act like sponges for blood sugar, pulling glucose out of the bloodstream and into muscle cells,” Kothari says.
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