We’ve all heard them- the complaints about someone’s metabolism holding them back in their weight loss. Maybe we’ve even felt like this at some point- that maybe it’s just our slow metabolisms that are preventing us from meeting our weight loss and fitness goals. However, recent studies have shown that our metabolism actually has surprisingly little to do with our weight loss. Curious? We’re here to teach you and tell you how to move forward.
This week’s Train Station Fitness Show with George DiGianni brought in Dr Tim Church to discuss the role that our metabolism plays in our fitness and how we can develop healthy habits for weight loss.
So you might be asking- how do I identify if my metabolism is slow?
Turns out, the question itself is irrelevant! It is incredibly, incredibly rare for someone to have a slow metabolism. Even when you think your metabolism might be slow, it is more likely to be nothing at all or a thyroid disorder. This can be hard to hear, since we often blame our metabolisms for a lot. But sometimes we all need some tough love.
Your metabolism isn’t holding you back. In fact, it’s almost never an excuse. Diet and physical activity have more to do with how you’re losing weight than your metabolism ever could. So just remember- it’s probably your habits that are actually interfering with your weight loss. Create healthy habits so that you can finally reach your weight loss goal!
As adults, we mostly overeat to meet an emotional need that isn’t being met in our daily lives. It’s important to look at our habits and assess whether our “vital needs,” such as enough sleep and low stress levels, are being met. If they are not, we often turn to food and overeating to compensate. In terms of exercise, it’s more important than ever to get a little bit of activity on a daily basis. There is no “best machine” to use at the gym- the best machine is the one that you use!
There is also a growing trend in the health community that can help you reach your goals more directly than you ever thought possible. This is personalized medicine! We no longer need to rely on the one-size-fits-all approach to medicine. Improvements in genetic testing have allowed us to begin to pinpoint how your individual body responds to different medicines, fitness regimes, and weight loss plans! In fact, in 2012, President Obama pledged to donate $218 million to developing personalized medicine.
It’s important to identify genes that determine how your body responds to different exercises and foods, as well as how different programs work for you. With GxSlim, your personal genetic profile dictates which foods and which exercises we focus on to help you lose weight. This takes the guesswork out of weight loss and allows you to pursue a diet and fitness plan that will actually help you, without bringing your poor metabolism into it!
