Health

Metabolism is a household word but we might not fully understand how it works. What it isn't is something boosted by a fad diet, so alternative health expert Bryce Wylde explains the factors behind our individual metabolisms and some of the natural ways we can improve it.

Metabolism is improved by increasing your lean muscle mass, optimizing your hormones (like your thyroid, hormones, and insulin), and eating, moving, and sleeping right. But because metabolism varies by hormonal levels, differences in genetic variability, and of course lifestyle, it means you can affect it! Age has a lot to do with everything including energy and metabolism. The one most important variable to slowing aging and preventing disease is to maintain muscle and lean mass and avoid sarcopenia (muscle loss). 

Intake

• It's not all about counting calories and measuring the amount of energy output. For example, 500 calories worth of spinach would be much better metabolized (especially due to all the micronutrients) than 500 calories of "dead" white bread.
• Avoid liquid calories, like sodas, fruit juices and alcohol, as they can hugely impact your goal of leaning out. Instead, take your calories from foods like yams and lean poultry to replenish your muscles.
• From specific foods to friendly gut bacteria, probiotics and prebiotics enhance a healthy metabolism. Probiotics — live bacteria found in yogurt, dairy products, and pills — can aid in improving metabolic activity. Prebiotics — a special form of dietary fibre — aren't digested by the body but instead promote the growth of good bacteria already in the gut.

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Boosters

• Restful sleep is optimal for maximum metabolic yield and oxygen flow is essential to getting good sleep — the better you sleep and the deeper you stay asleep, the better your metabolism! If you are slightly congested or your air flow isn't ideal, try working out or sleeping with a drug-free nasal strip to open your airway naturally.
• Mindful meditation: Busy lives often mean high stress, which can lead to high cortisol levels — this is what causes  fat to store in the abdominal areas. Meditation can help you to manage stress to allow for muscle gains.
• Lastly, lift weights to lose weight! Train your muscle tissue to produce positive changes in your metabolism. Activate your engine with multi-joint training, along with purposeful exercise selection and stretching to produce lean results.

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Fats

• Eat fat to lose fat! Omega-3 fatty acids work by enhancing cell function and cell-to-cell communication and improves the flow of blood to the muscles during exercise. This helps to stimulate enzymes which transport fat to where it can be used up for energy.
• Eggs are the most inexpensive and pure forms of protein and latest research shows that they do not contribute to cholesterol elevation.
• Use l-Carnitine, an amino acid, and pu-erh tea that both work to pull out fat tissue and turn it into energy during exercise.

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