How To Tell If Your Metabolism Is Fast or Slow & Top Tips to Rev It Up

People think a fast metabolism is like a genetic lottery: you’re either blessed with it or you’re doomed to a lifetime of weight gain and low energy. A slower metabolism is also considered an inevitable part of aging.

It’s time to ditch these metabolic myths for good.

Sure, we have less room for error as we get older. Time to crack the code on how to use diet and lifestyle strategies to stay young, lean, and strong!

Read on to find out if you have a fast or slow metabolism, then get my best tips on how to rev it up fast…

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Signs Your Metabolism Is Supercharged

When you have a fast metabolism, your mind and body are able to stay youthful and strong. You are able to burn fat and lose weight easily, while maintaining healthy muscle mass.

Other signs that your metabolic furnace is burning bright include a sharper mental focus and steady, sustained energy all day long.

If this doesn’t describe you, read on to find out more and how to fix it…

When Your Metabolism Is Slow

A host of health problems result when your body is sluggish and in need of a metabolic makeover. Here are the top four signs your metabolism is slacking:

Weight loss resistance

This is the frustrating condition where extra weight won’t budge, even if you’re doing all of the right things with diet and lifestyle. Worse yet, much of the fat is concentrated around your middle!

Gas, Bloating, and Heartburn

If you’re suffering from digestive discomfort after meals, you have plenty of company! In fact, recent studies show that 70 million Americans experience some form of gut issues, such as leaky gut and heartburn.¹

This can lead to a whole host of health problems, including joint and muscle pain, nutrient deficiencies, chronic inflammation, and a sluggish metabolism.

Hormonal Havoc

A slow metabolism can throw your hormones off balance. As a result, you may constantly feel cold, especially in your hands and feet. Dry, scaly skin and thinning hair are also signs of a slow metabolism.

Is your hairline receding? Are the ends of your eyebrows getting sparse? Yep, you guessed it: your hormones are sending more signals that your metabolism needs help!

Blood Sugar Imbalance

If you’re constantly hungry and find it impossible to get to your next meal without a hangry snack attack, your blood sugar is unbalanced.

More signs of a slow metabolism? Carb and sugar cravings rule your food choices before you crash around 3 PM, with brain fog and fatigue that sends you reaching for caffeine or diet soda.

If any of the above sound familiar, I’ve got you covered!

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Resetting Your Metabolism Fast

You might be surprised to know that dieting is NOT your metabolism’s friend!

I always say that your body is not a bank account, it’s a chemistry lab. This means you need to ditch the “calories in, calories out” dieting model if you really want to boost your metabolism.

It turns out that your lifestyle habits and the types of foods you eat send signals for your body to either burn calories or store fat. Once you know how it works, you’re on your way to dialing up your metabolism!

Here are six ways to get your metabolism revved up again…

Make sure you’re a fat burner

Instead of burning sugar for energy, your goal is to burn fat. One of the fastest ways to accomplish that is to close the kitchen down right after dinner, so you stop eating 3 hours before bedtime.

This gives your body a head start on a 12-14 hour fast it needs to dip into your fat stores. Read this blog to find out more about how to make the shift from a sugar burner to a fat burner.

Ditch your hidden food intolerances

Remember our discussion of weight loss resistance above? One of the most common culprits is food intolerance. (Find out the other common causes here…)

Drink more water

This metabolism-boosting tip is easy and free – my two favorites! Studies have shown that drinking water can increase your metabolism by 30 percent!² In fact, being just two percent dehydrated can make you less alert and decrease your energy.³

Are you drinking enough water every day? (That old “eight glasses a day” advice is outdated.) Find out exactly how much water you need with this handy widget.

Burst train 2-3 times a week

If you’re running to lose weight, this tip is for you. Endurance training like long-distance running actually causes your body to break down muscle, your biggest metabolic ally. Not good!

A better option is burst training (a.k.a. high-intensity interval training), especially first thing in the morning. It causes an oxygen deficit that causes your body to stoke your metabolism.⁴ Here’s how to build your own 8-minute burst training workout.

Address your stress

Stress is an unavoidable part of life, but chronic stress causes the stress hormone cortisol to work against you.⁴ As a result, your muscles begin to break down and you default to fat-storage mode.

So, if want to boost your metabolism, stress management is key! Meditation and a nice soak in the tub are my best go-to stress busters. I’m also a fan of EFT or tapping, which I like to call my “touch technology!” (Learn more about tapping here.)

Get Enough Sleep

Even the perfect diet and exercise routine can’t offset the metabolic fallout caused by lack of sleep. In fact, just ONE night of poor sleep can result in blood sugar imbalance and lower your metabolism.

Getting at least seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep is essential to boosting your human growth hormone, promoting fat loss, and silencing your hunger hormones so you’re able to make smarter food choices during the daytime.⁵

Great sleep is critical for metabolism and so much more! My brand new Best Rest Sleep Cheat Sheet gives you my top sleep strategies, so you get deep, restorative sleep every single night. Get your guide FREE here.

The views in this blog by JJ Virgin should never be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Please work with a healthcare practitioner concerning any medical problem or concern. The information here is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or condition. Statements contained here have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

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