Despite what many will say, our metabolism is a core part of our health. A strong, fast and high running metabolism will be benefiting you in more ways than you know. However, most people forget to pay attention to their metabolism when experiencing certain symptoms like those we’ll be covering shortly. Instead they opt to treat the symptom over the root cause. 

In this article we’ll not just cover the potential signs that your metabolism is little slow but also tips to boosting metabolism and supporting your body’s burning furnace. 

1. Cold hands and feet 

Most people dismiss cold extremities as just bad circulation or cold weather. But when temperatures rise and still your hands and feet are cold, the issue is more than just circulation, it’s your core body temperature.

When our metabolism is running at a higher level, our body temperature will also be higher, meaning that our hands and feet always stay warm. When metabolism starts to drop on the other hand and our core body temperature becomes low upon waking and even low at midday, we are more likely to experience the feeling of cold hands and feet even in mild or warm weather.

This is all down to the metabolism acting as the fire within us, the more we fuel the fire and support its burn, the warmer our body temperature will be. This isn’t to be confused with having an abnormally high body temperature such as a fever but a midday body temperature of 37 degrees celsius.

Tip #1 - Eat more carbs! Our bodies preferred fuel source is carbohydrates, every organ in our body runs off carbohydrates and when we limit our intake we restrict the fires burn. Add more carbs into your diet such as potatoes, rice and fruit.

2. Unexplainable weight gain 

Weight fluctuations are entirely normal, our weight can even fluctuate a couple of kilograms during the course of just a couple of days or even hours. But when weight starts to rise despite nothing really changing in your day to day life or your diet then your metabolism may be starting to slow. 

One of the biggest causes of obesity in modern society is the prevalence of seed oils, that is vegetable oil, rapeseed (canola) oil and sunflower oil being the most common. These oils are a polyunsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fats suppress metabolism and thyroid function, which is why animals who hibernate in the winter, live off nuts and seeds. Their metabolism becomes suppressed and therefore they lose little weight during hibernation.

However, as humans we do not hibernate and do not go through long periods of heavily reduced food intake (or shouldn’t anyway). So when these oils become part of every single meal we eat, it is no wonder obesity grew to record numbers and is still rising today.

Tip #2 - Avoid polyunsaturated fats (main source is seed oils). As mentioned above polyunsaturated fats suppress thyroid function and impact the speed of carbohydrates being used as fuel, instead they are stored as fat. 

3. Lack of “get up and go” 

Feeling lethargic and having a general “cannot be bothered” attitude can sometimes be linked back to a sluggish metabolism. When we have energy, we naturally want to do things but we also want things to be done well. A clean and tidy home isn’t easy to maintain, rarely do people want to put in the effort but they know it must be done. 

Leaving things untidy and putting cleaning off can show you are lacking that “get up and go” that comes with a fast metabolism and therefore more energy. 

Of course this isn’t the only factor in a “get up and go” attitude but if you’ve been finding that lately you have been gaining a tendency to stay sedentary then that’s a sign your body is in a low energy state and therefore being more protective of that little energy you do have. 

As you give your body the nutrients and carbohydrates it needs, as well as removing what is slowing down your metabolism, you may well see this get up and go attitude return.

Tip #3 - Ensure nutrient bases are covered. Most thyroid issues develop due to the thyroid not getting the nutrients it needs to function properly. As with all hormones when nutrient intake drops their potency drops too and we pay the price in our mood, energy and body composition, eat nutrient dense meals and ensures bases are covered.