Fine-Tune Your Metabolism

Adjusting over time will help you stay thinner – and healthier

Simple fixes to keep your body running seamlessly.

Danielle Payton’s metabolism was a mystery for most of her adult life. When she was 18, she weighed 75 kilograms, which made little sense to the 160- centimetre high school shot-put champion. “I was a very healthy eater – coming from a family of pescatarians and vegetarians – and an athlete, and I couldn’t lose a single kilogram,” says Payton.

Just before university, she was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which causes imbalances in the hormones that regulate both the reproductive system and metabolism.

That solved part of the mystery – women with

PCOS are prone to weight gain. But Payton continued to struggle.

By the time she turned

24, she weighed 95 kilograms and had developed prediabetes. Her search for a solut ion became more focused and urgent. “I had to find food and exercise that worked for my body,” says Payton, an online fitness and wellness expert. For her, that meant giving up processed and fried foods, eating more animal protein, doing short daily bouts of walking (30 minutes) and strength training (five to 15 minutes), and taking a probiotic supplement. She also takes doctor-prescribed medication for PCOS (metformin/ spironolactone), which seems to help keep her weight in check. It took her four years, but Payton ultimately lost about 41 kilos and now is fairly steady at 55 kilos. “Mentally, I am tougher because of this process of standing up for my body and figuring out what worked for me,” she says. “No one knows your body like you do, and listening to your body is crucial.”

Most of us have heard that a good metabolism is the golden ticket to weight loss, but that seriously underplays metabolism’s role in our bodies and in our health. Simply put, metabolism is the energy used by the physical processes that keep us alive. We burn up to 80 per cent of daily kilojoules while at rest (referred to as basal, or resting, metabolism) by breathing, digesting, maintaining circulation, and more. But while that fact inspires comparisons of your metabolism to a fire-burning furnace, it’s really more like a busy city transit system, delivering the right mix of chemicals to the right cells at the right times to extract energy from food and keep your body running seamlessly.

That’s why the first sign of a troubled metabolism may be the faltering of one of these systems manifesting as rising insulin, cholesterol, triglyceride levels or fat deposits around

KEEPING YOUR BODY RUNNING EFFICIENTLY MIGHT BE EASIER THAN YOU THINK

your waist – all markers of metabolic disorder, which heralds a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease or stroke.

But your biggest risk – the “most universal contributor” to metabolic decline according to an article cowritten by age-related diseases specialist Dr Nir Barzilai – is ageing. Ageing naturally causes metabolic decline and also makes us more likely to require medications to address issues such as high blood pressure or depression that could slow metabolism. While there’s obviously no fix for ageing, you can learn to fine-tune your metabolism as your body changes over time, priming it to deliver the right mix of hormones, much as Payton did. “Find what works for you – then do it consistently,” she says.

Here are some of the best small changes in habit that can help you boost your metabolism.

WATCH THE SUNRISE

“Simply basking in early morning rays can increase your metabolism naturally,” says Ken Ceder, executive director of the non-profit Science of Light. That’s because our circadian rhythms, or master body clocks, regulate the hormones crucial to metabolism and hunger control, including insulin, cortisol and leptin. Our circadian rhythms work best when in sync with the sun, receiving bright light in the morning and diminishing rays towards sundown. To get your daily dose, spend at least 15 minutes every morning outdoors in sunlight, without sunglasses so the sun reaches your eyes’ photoreceptors. You will get the benefits passively, so don’t stare at the sun.

SAFEGUARD YOUR SLEEP

Sleep is the reset button for your metabolism. Prepare your brain for bedtime by dimming the lights a few hours beforehand – turn off bright overheads and turn on bedside lamps equipped with warm or amber-toned bulbs. Also, “if your slumber is constantly interrupted by light snoring, then you are missing out on kilojoule-burning benefits,” says Dr Bindiya Gandhi, a family doctor. The fix may be as simple as using a breathing strip on your nose to help open constricted sinuses at night. Just ask your doctor whether you should be tested for sleep apnoea, since snoring is a common sign of the serious disorder.

TRY INTERMITTENT FASTING

If changing your diet is too overwhelming, try a form of fasting. A 2020 review in the concluded that intermittent fasting regimes can be a promising way to lose weight and improve metabolic health.

There are many approaches, such as overnight fasting (don’t eat between 7pm and 6am) or the 5:2

method (eat about 25 per cent of usual kilojoules two days a week). Ask your doctor first. Trying it even once or twice may jumpstart other healthy habits.

TRACK YOUR WATER INTAKE WITH RUBBER BANDS

Try this easy system: in the morning, put five rubber bands on your wrist. Every time you drink 475 ml of water, take off a band and put it on the bottle. German researchers found that metabolic rate jumped by 30 per cent for up to 40 minutes in 14 volunteers after they drank 475 ml of water. The researchers estimated that over a year, increasing your water consumption by two cups a day could burn an extra 2.2 kilograms. Since much of the increase in metabolic rate is due to the body’s efforts to heat the liquid, make sure the water you’re drinking is icy cold.

FEED YOUR GUT

“Healthy gut bacteria optimise your metabolism by helping your body extract nutrients from your diet more effectively,” says nutritionist Amy Gorin. A daily serving of probiotic-rich foods such as yoghurt, kefir and unpasteurised sauerkraut might help, though so far studies have been inconclusive on the total benefits. Yoghurt has an added advantage – dairy foods may lower the risk of metabolic disorder, according to an analysis in the British Journal of

Nutrition. Preliminary studies have found that some probiotic strains help with weight loss ( Lactobacillus

rhamnosus) and body fat reduction ( Lactobacillus amylovorus). “Ask your healthcare provider about a probiotic supplement,” recommends Gorin.

QUASH CRAVINGS WITH PROTEIN

A number of well-documented studies show that high-protein diets may help adults lose weight while maintaining lean muscle mass (one of the main drivers of a naturally high kilojoule burn), according to a 2020 analysis in Nutrition. Protein also