Metabolism

Are You Guilty of These Metabolism-Sabotaging Habits?

Emily Lockhart

Published on February 24, 2014 Updated on March 12, 2014

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Many of us are vying to rev up our metabolisms—either for increased energy, weight loss, or perhaps both! However, unbeknownst to you, these eight metabolism-sabotaging habits may be slowing your efforts.

Are you guilty of the following decelerating metabolism offenders?

1. You Have a Desk Job

Sorry desk monkeys, if you sit in a desk for the majority of the workday you live what’s known as a sedentary lifestyle, and that’s even if you get to the gym for an hour each evening. Not only is your desk life decreasing your metabolism; it’s diminishing your muscle mass. However, you can attempt to add more activity to your day by walking to and from work, exercising at lunch, and doing something active after work as well.

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2. You Are Iron Deficient

Iron is an essential mineral that boosts oxygen deliver to your muscles. However, those who are prone to iron deficiency—particularly menstruating women—suffer lower metabolism as well. You can however, fix the lack at that time of the month by adding iron supplement or iron-rich foods to your diet (i.e., beans, spinach, lean beef, shellfish, and artichokes.

3. You Yo-Yo Diet

Yo-yo diets that drastically cut your calories might seem like a quick fix weight loss method. However, depriving your body of food and essential nutrients—like fats, complex carbohydrates, and vital proteins—will make your body believe it’s starving, and as a result, your metabolism will slow to a halt to conserve vital energy and nutrients for survival.

4. You Drink Too Much

It doesn’t matter what your poison is—fancy cocktails, wine, beer, or straight up liquor, drinking is hard on the body, particularly the liver and the metabolic processes. Why? Because consider each drink an obstacle that turns the metabolic process sluggish. The moral of the story—try to limit your alcoholic beverages to one to 2 per day at most.

5. You Fast or Cleanse

I know, I’ve always pondered a juice cleanse myself. And while it turns out that a few days of cleansing or fasting won’t do any damage, fast or cleanse for any longer and your body will believe its starving. This means your body will stall your metabolism in order to survive, which means it will promptly stop burning energy and stockpile all fat and energy.

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6. You Are Dehydrated

You already know that adequate hydration leads to better hair, clearer skin, and more optimal bodily processes (i.e., digestion). Well it turns out that you metabolism is also impacted by how much water your drink. A University of Utah College of Medicine linked individuals who consumed 8 to 12 glasses of water to having a faster metabolism. Conclusion—if you’re dehydrated; you’ll burn calories much more slowly.

7. You Don’t Do Any Resistance Training

Maybe you don’t work out at all, or maybe you only do cardio style cycling, running, or aerobics classes. Yes, you are doing your body a service cardiovascularly by getting your heart rate up. But you aren’t doing your metabolism any favors. Your metabolism requires strength training in order to fuel your body and burn calories. You don’t have to be afraid to bulk up like a bodybuilder—just stick to light hand weights or body weight exercises like crunches, push-ups, squats, and lunges.

8. You Get Inadequate Sleep

If you don’t get your proper beauty sleep, your metabolism may be taking the brunt. A group of researchers out of the University of Chicago Medical Faculty linked inadequate sleep to a boost in cravings for empty carbohydrates. So if you’re reaching for a bag of chips in the afternoon, you’re likely not getting adequate zzzzzz’s.