3 Silent Metabolic Killers

Synopsis: While there are many obvious actions that can kill your metabolism, read on to learn about 3 lesser known reasons you might not be seeing the results you want.

Metabolism can be a funny thing, especially since every individual's metabolic rate is a little bit different.  That being said, maybe you're following the best tips you can find.  You're eating 5 smaller meals a day instead of 3 big ones.  You stopped skipping breakfast and enjoy a high intensity workout every few days, but for some reason your metabolism just isn't cooperating.  This happens to a lot of people, so don't get frustrated because you're not alone.

Even after cutting out bad habits and replacing them with good (or at least better) habits, some people find that they hit a weight loss plateau and just can't seem to get around it.  If there aren't any obvious factors as for why your metabolism isn't taking off, then there are some things you will want to consider that might be inadvertently affecting you.  Remember the body is a machine, so when everything is running efficiently it's great, but it only takes one or two things being off to through off everything else.

First, keep track of how much sleep you're getting.  While some people naturally have sleep cycles of only 6 hours, this is extremely rare.  Most people need 8 hours of sleep a night on average or a little bit more.  If you're not getting enough sleep at night, this could affect your metabolism.  In fact, many studies show that individuals who get 8 hours of sleep a night or more on average will have a higher metabolism than people who do not.

Second, check how much protein you've been eating.  Protein is the building block of muscle growth, and not having enough protein in the system is the surest way to make sure your metabolism isn't working up to its full potential.  No excuse for vegetarians here.  There are eggs, dairy, nuts, and other sources of protein that can more than make up for a lack of meat.  If you're metabolic process isn't picking up the slack, try feeding it a little more protein and see what happens.

Third, consider some evening exercise.  By nature, the far majority of people have their highest metabolism early in the day, and experience a quick crash at night.  One way to help change this pattern is to exercise even a little bit in the evenings to kick the metabolism back up and keep your system burning on all cylinders throughout the evening as well as the day.

Those are 3 things to look at to help make sure the actions you're taking lead to a more active and healthier metabolic rate.