Diet and exercise are two of the main pillars of a healthy lifestyle, and while eating healthy and working out regularly will keep your body in good shape, there are many small mistakes you could be making from day to day that may impede on the efficacy of your wellness routine. Although you don’t need to live the perfect life and follow a healthy diet to a T in order to feel great in your body, regularly making small mistakes could be what’s standing in your way of reaping the benefits of your positive habits.
We spoke with certified nurse practitioner Sarah Anderson, and Dana Ellis Hunnes, PhD, MPH, RD, author of Recipe for Survival to find out what pitfalls in your routine should be remedied to feel even better in your body, improving your metabolism and preserving healthy fat burn.
Eating Highly Processed Foods
While a well-balanced diet does hinge on eating in moderation and finding ways to include the foods you love alongside more nutritionally dense options, when you’re basing too much of your diet on processed foods it can pose an issue for your metabolism. “Eating too many processed foods slows your metabolism because your body doesn’t have to do any work to digest the nutrients, and there’s a lot of calories often in processed foods for the volume,” explains Hunnes.
Processed goods generally offer less nutritional value to the body, leaving you less satiated and more likely to mindlessly snack. Therefore, prioritizing higher fiber, natural ingredients will better benefit your body.
Skimping on Protein
Protein is one of the most important nutrients for fueling healthy muscle growth which will in turn amp up your metabolism. Without proper protein intake, your body will stay less full after eating and lose out on the ability to increase fat burn. “Proteins increase your metabolism because of the thermic effect of food, which requires more energy to digest and absorb those nutrients,” notes Hunnes.
If you follow a plant-based diet, getting protein from nuts and beans, tofu, and tempeh are all excellent options. Lean meats such as turkey and chicken are also great sources of protein for carnivorous diets.
Not Staying Hydrated
Drinking enough water throughout the day has a number of wide-reaching benefits on your overall health, but skimping on hydration can impede on your weight loss capabilities and even damage your metabolism over time. “This is similar to not eating enough calories,” explains Anderson. “Your body is comprised of approximately 60% water. It needs adequate hydration to process foods properly. Instead, make sure to drink enough water that you are urinating 6-8 times per day.”
Doing Only Cardio
If your goal is fat loss you may be more inclined to stick to cardio only in the gym. However, Anderson notes, you may be missing out on a valuable opportunity to boost fat burn when you do this. “While [cardio] is necessary and an important part of exercise, it is important to add strength training and muscle building exercise into your routine,” she says. “By increasing your muscle mass, it increases your basal metabolic rate, which means you burn more calories while you are resting.” With this, one to three days of strength training each week will be plenty to notice muscle changes, naturally giving your metabolism an increase.
