A healthy metabolism means that your body is working efficiently to process food into energy.
How our bodies regulate and manage energy - our metabolism - greatly impacts our body's ability to defend against intruders and pathogens. This is why our immunity is closely linked to metabolic health, because a strong immune response relies on energy.
Also, the delicate balance between our metabolism and our body’s immune response, has critical implications for a range of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
For this reason, you should pay special attention to your metabolism in order to support your ongoing health, energy and resistance to disease.
What is Metabolic Health?
Your metabolism is the process by which your body burns calories and processes food into energy for basic bodily functions such as movement, heartbeat, digestion, brain function and breathing.
There are two main components that make up a healthy metabolism:
Catabolism - the speed with which your body breaks down food into energy
Anabolism - the process by which energy is used for bodily functions, including for growing and repairing cells in your body
Most people are metabolically unhealthy, particularly in the middle and later stages of life because our metabolism naturally slows with age.
Therefore it is important to practice certain habits that proactively will help to keep your metabolism performing optimally.
Learn more in Boost Your Metabolism With These Diet and Lifestyle Tips.
Signs of Poor Metabolic Health
Common signs that you may have poor metabolic health include:
- Constant Fatigue
- Sugar Cravings
- Irregularity of Bowel Movements
- Weight Gain
- Problem Skin
- Frequent Hair Loss
- Regular Bloating
- Ongoing Headaches
Common Causes Of Poor Metabolic Health
Some of the main causes of poor metabolic health are:
Thyroid Dysfunction - the thyroid is a gland that secretes hormones which regulate your metabolism. An under active or over active thyroid can disrupt this hormone release causing you to feel sluggish and either lose or gain weight
Lack of Movement - the quickest way to slow down your metabolism is to stop moving your body
Unhealthy Diet - A diet that is heavy in processed foods will eventually lead to the accumulation of toxicity and plaque in the digestive system which will slow metabolic function
Medications - Synthetic medications are designed to suppress symptoms, however they generally create side-effects and toxic residues to accumulate inside the body, disrupting metabolic efficiencies
Learn more in 8 Signs You Could Have a Weak Immune System.
Tips For Boosting Your Metabolic Health And Immunity
A robust immune system is dependant on healthy metabolic function.
Tips to help you boost your metabolic health include:
1. Exercise - move your body at a moderate level for at least 30-45 minutes each day. Studies show that even brisk walking is beneficial to supporting healthy metabolic function. For better results, add 2-3 sessions of movement with resistance each week as well. This will help to preserve muscle mass which is vital for maintaining a healthy metabolism. Examples include, hill walks, cycling, pilates and circuit training.
2. Add More RAW Foods - By adding more raw whole plant foods to your diet, you will speed up your body's ability to process nutrients and in turn your metabolism. Remember, that plants speak directly to your body's cells, so it's important to make them a significant part of your diet. Eat plenty of locally sourced fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes and cold-pressed plant oils such as extra virgin olive, macadamia, flax seed and raw coconut oil. Of course, it should go without saying that you need to minimise products that contain processed and refined sugars and grains.
3. Heal Your Gut - For a healthy metabolism and immunity, it's vital to have a healthy gut microbiome. This means, you need to ensure that you have sufficient good bacteria in the gut to keep the bad bacteria at bay, which will support disease resistance and healthy body function. Do a "Cleanse Me" colon cleanse and/or 7-10 juice fast.
Eat fermented foods such as olives, kimchi, sauerkraut, tempeh, miso and kumbucha, several times each week to help cultivate healthy gut bacteria. Learn more in our FREE eBook download, Gut Health 101. To learn more about juice fasting, get your hands on our FREE ebook, Juice Fasting 101
4. Boost Hydration - Ensure that you're drinking at least 1 litre per water per 22 kilos of body weight every single day. Try to drink cold water whenever you can on an empty stomach as it is known to increase metabolic rate by 10-30%. Begin by drinking 500ml-1 litre of chilled filtered water when you rise in the morning. Feel free to add the juice of a fresh whole lemon or lime and a pinch of celtic sea salt or himalayan salt for an electrolyte boost and for digestive support.
5. Reduce Stress - A healthy metabolism and immunity is intertwined with your level of stress, so it's important to practice a few minutes of calming activity such as deep breathing, meditating or earthing.
6. Get Fresh Air and Sunlight - Fresh air and sunlight provide fresh oxygen and vitamin D which your immune system needs to thrive. Get outside into the fresh air and sun for at least 30 minutes in the morning whenever you can.
The Main Take Away
Your metabolic health determines how efficiently your body produces energy from food.
By supporting your metabolism with the right foods and lifestyle habits, you will automatically have a big impact on the performance and strength of your immune system over time.
The reason to pay attention to your metabolic health now, is not only to ensure you maintain great health and vitality in the short term, but also to make you less susceptible to sickness and disease over the long run.
In addition to the lifestyle tips shared here, a few products in our store that can help support your energy and immunity are the Joule of Thor Aloe Vera tonic with medicinal gold flakes and our Nature’s Silver Bullet Immunity Booster.
Tolman Self Care.
