Boosting Metabolism Through Traditional Methods and Chiropractic Care

What is Metabolism?

Traditional medical science does not hold all of the keys to boosting metabolism. Chiropractic may be able to provide assistance to patients in this matter. In technical terms, metabolism refers to the chemical transformations in cells that allow organisms to reproduce, grow, and respond to the environment which surrounds them. This includes digestion and transportation of substances throughout the living organism.¹

BMR

Humans have a basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the energy spent when the body is at rest. BMR decreases with age and increases with muscle mass. The BMR is also affected by the patient’s intake of food and their surrounding temperature and it is something which is taken into consideration for weight loss. Glucose, fats, and proteins are all involved in providing energy to the body. Aerobic fitness levels seem to have little impact on BMR; however anaerobic exercise, which includes the likes of weight lifting and similar forms of exertion, which builds muscle, can increase the basal metabolic rate. There is some evidence that cardiovascular exercise can raise the BMR temporarily. Muscles need to be allowed to properly recover after exercise, so that is why the BMR increases afterwards.

Very restricted calorie diets would actually lower the BMR because the body would recognize its need to conserve energy due to the lack of caloric intake. Stress, diabetes, illness, and menopause all affect the basal metabolic rate.² It is common for the patient’s metabolism to be at blame for difficulties in losing weight. How efficiently the fuel of food is burned, hormones, and enzymes are all at work in metabolism.

People under the age of 40, men, and those with a higher lean body mass have a higher rate of metabolism. Heredity is also a factor. Being overweight boosts the metabolism. It takes an increased amount of energy to move more weight, and people who are overweight lose weight faster at the beginning of the diet for this reason. When the body is at a lower weight, it requires less energy; therefore, it becomes easier for the patient to gain weight after having already lost it.³

Traditional Methods of Boosting Metabolism

Aerobic exercises with the addition of weight training are the traditional methods used to boost the rate of metabolism. Additionally, eating more often, in the form of more frequent but also smaller meals, will help with weight loss. Skipping meals or taking too many hours between meals will slow the metabolism because the body will want to retain the remaining calories, which is why fasting is not the safest or most effective method of weight loss. Special foods are not necessarily needed since any food increases metabolism within one hour of consumption. Protein requires more energy in digestion, though. There is some thought that spicy foods may also be helpful in increasing metabolism, at least temporarily. There is a small benefit from green tea, which contains EGCG, an antioxidant, as well.⁴

Boosting Metabolism Thru Chiropractic Care

Food and Exercise

The brain controls the various functions of the hormones, sending signals from the spinal cord to every cell in the body. Being out of alignment can block these signals, therefore chiropractic adjustment can assist with maximizing the regulation of hormones and bodily functions.⁵Chiropractors also promote proper nutrition, regular exercise, and an overall healthy lifestyle. It is important to have breakfast, eat about four times a day to keep the blood sugar level, have protein at each meal, such as that which comes from lean protein and vegetarian proteins, exercise about 20 minutes a day, and avoid processed and junk foods.

Chiropractors could make recommendations to their patients about the type of diet and exercise routine would likely be effective for each patient. Chiropractors work to treat the individual, and that attitude does not stop after specific adjustments have been performed to fix misalignments. Additionally, some patients might need to follow certain styles of workout routines in order to maximize their healing potential for certain conditions or injuries.⁶

Sleep and Hydration

Staying hydrated with water and getting enough sleep are critical to the patient’s overall health and well-being. Water helps to flush toxins out of the body, allowing the liver to metabolize fats. While there is not a specific amount of water a patient should drink per day, they should rehydrate when they begin to feel thirsty and increase intake of water during exercise or on a hot day. Soft drinks and many other types of beverages are not good replacements for the purely hydrating function of water. People who have deficient sleep gain weight. Sleep is necessary to allow to the body to regenerate. Patients who do not get a proper night’s sleep will experience difficulty with physical and mental functioning the following day.⁷ Some patients may also want to ingest enough omega-3 fatty acids, which could reduce cravings and help burn fat.⁸