Do you feel like your metabolism has slowed down?
Like after you reached a certain age everything just came to a screeching halt?
According to a study out of Duke, the metabolism doesn’t really slow down as was previously thought.
But you might be thinking, “ok then why did I start putting on weight so much easier than when I was 20??”
Or “why is my body in menopause so much different than before?”
The researchers found that between the ages of 20 and 60 the body’s metabolism is actually quite stable.
This is good news!
If you’ve been struggling with your metabolism or feel like your experience just doesn’t line up with that study, I have some ideas that can help you!
It feels easier to blame symptoms like weight gain, low energy, sleep problems, etc. on a slowing metabolism that just comes with age. In that case we’re just victims to the natural process.
But because this study shows us that the metabolism doesn’t just automatically slow down, that means there IS something we can do about the symptoms YOU have that DO indicate your metabolism is affected.
You’re not a victim after all!
Metabolism Busters:
The symptoms you feel are not just part of getting older. You’re not just along for the ride with no control. I know it feels that way but that’s just because you haven’t yet addressed the root issues that DO affect the metabolism.
Issues like:
- Underlying gut infections
- Imbalance of good and bad gut bacteria
- Inability to digest dietary fats well
- Nutritional deficiencies and imbalances
- Thyroid hormone imbalances (usually a result from the above reasons)
- Increased intestinal permeability (AKA “leaky gut”)
We can do something about all of these issues. We just have to break the steps down into manageable parts and chip away at them!
First, we have to determine what your body seems to be experiencing. See this post for my list of blood work I like to run to see what info we can glean.
Assess and take some steps!
These labs help us see if your immune system might be working hard to combat some underlying stealth infections.
We can see what is happening with iron in your body, which can feed these infections.
They can indicate what’s going on with your thyroid gland and hormones, which plays a huge role in your metabolic rate.
And we can determine if there is some underlying inflammation and oxidative stress that is also going to affect your metabolic rate.
All of these factors can put the breaks on your metabolism. Your body is smart. If there is inflammation and oxidative stress, your body is going to try to slow things down to inhibit these processes.
Insulin sensitivity is also something that gets affected by many of these underlying issues, and that also slows down the rate at which you will burn energy
So, once we have a better idea of what might be going on, we simplify the steps to take action! We address it systematically.
Improving your metabolism
First, we obviously have to take the diet into account. The foods we eat absolutely affect the way our bodies function. If there are imbalances in the gut, with hormones, and just down to the cellular level, we must work on removing foods that exacerbate those problems and increase foods that build a healthy body.
We also likely need to take a more therapeutic approach. Depending on what your body needs will determine the steps we take here but this often involves:
- Utilizing antimicrobials to balance out gut bacteria
- “Bandaid” supplements to improve hormone and gland function while working on the root issue
- Improving gut lining integrity to prevent problems in the future
- Improving the body’s ability to deal with the buildup of oxidative stress and inflammatory compounds.
- Improving the terrain of the gut by bringing in friendly bacteria and feeding them to keep them flourishing
Basically, we get you eating in a way that encourages healing while working through a tailored-to-you supplement protocol until we get you to a maintenance phase where you’re chugging along and feeling good! Wouldn’t it feel nice to feel like you’re 30 again??
