Metabolism…
by Amanda Spencer
What exactly is it? It is often defined as the “chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life” (Oxford Dictionary). But simply, it is the way that our body functions to process and use the energy put into it. Having optimal metabolism helps with weight loss and maintaining healthy weight, as well as improving overall wellness. According to a study published in the American College of Cardiology, less than 7% of Americans have optimal metabolic health! The determinants used in the study included weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease status.
1 – Nutrition
Nutrition is by far the most important part of our overall health. It is the foundation of health and wellness, and we will never have optimal metabolism with poor nutrition. Hippocrates (400 BC) declared “Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” and this is a key part of preventing or curing diseases. With obesity rates climbing every year, Americans are overfed while remaining undernourished.
Our foods do not contain the same quality of vitamins and minerals as they did 2+ generations ago. Our soil is depleted of nutrients in many areas. We eat quickly and with convenience in mind for our busy lives resulting in increasing consumption of fast-food or highly processed foods. The current American diet results in obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and many other major health conditions.
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are prevalent and can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, depression, irritability, increased pain, sleep troubles, digestive issues, hair/skin/nail issues, neuropathy, palpitations, irregular heart rhythms, heat/cold intolerance, mouth sores, delayed wound healing, bruising, swollen tongue, and many others. Ways to combat deficiencies with diet are eating REAL food (not processed foods), eating a colorful diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, choosing lean meats, and consuming appropriate levels of healthy fats. In addition, you may need supplementation which will be covered in the next article.
2 – Exercise
The benefits of exercise go well beyond weight management. Regular physical activity can improve sleep, mood, metabolism, blood sugar regulation, hormone balancing, energy, strength, cardiovascular health, brain health, and reduces inflammation. Every year, Americans get more sedentary and spend less time outdoors leading to an increase in chronic health conditions across the age groups. It is recommended to get 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardio exercise and 2 days per week of strength training (Center for Disease Control). For fat-burning/weight loss try to shoot for a lower heart rate and for carbohydrate burning/cardiac health, aim for a higher heart rate. To determine your ideal HR, take 220 and subtract your age. Sixty (60) to eighty (80) percent of that would be “high intensity” exercise for carbohydrate burning and cardiovascular health. Fifty (50) to sixty (60) percent of the original number would be “low intensity” exercise for fat burning and weight loss. I know it sounds counterintuitive that you can lose more weight by going slower, but trust me, it works. Let’s take a 50 year old person as the example.
Let’s take a 50 year old person as the example.
220 – 50 = 170. High intensity would be a heart rate of 102-136.
Low intensity would be a heart rate of 85-102.
Some exercise tips from me are to keep it simple and do something you ENJOY. Walking is one of the best overall exercises for health and metabolism as it uses most muscle groups and can be done almost anywhere for free.
3 – Rest and Manage Stress
Poor sleep and high levels of chronic stress can lead to problems with fatigue, mood changes, pain, depression, anxiety, trouble focusing, hormone imbalances, and poor metabolic health. Sleep is when our body “repairs” itself from the work of the day and it is recommended to get 7-9 hours per night for adults (MAYO and CDC). Many people suffer from insomnia which can be caused by many things including blue light, stress, alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, medication side effects, vitamin deficiencies, sleep apnea, and other causes. Treating the underlying cause of your insomnia is the more effective at improving sleep than simply taking sleeping medications. Work with your provider to get to the root cause of the problem and practice good sleep hygiene (routine bedtime, reducing screen time before bed, appropriate lighting, having a relaxing/unstressful sleeping space, limiting caffeine in the evening, not eating heavy dinners too late, etc). To help with managing stress you can try natural things like going on a walk (also helps with sleep), yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, counseling, journaling, or deep breathing. Find what works best for you and be intentional in working that into your day.
Oklahoma Nurses Assoc – Nurse of the Day Spotlight!
Amanda Spencer, APRN, NP-C
Amanda is a nurse practitioner from Mustang/SW OKC. She graduated with her bachelor’s in nursing from OU in 2009 and with her master’s in nursing in 2015. She has worked for Oklahoma Heart Hospital for 16 years and currently is the only full time provider at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital Clinic for the Uninsured, which provides free cardiovascular care to patients without insurance. She is passionate about health promotion and disease prevention, and enjoys building long-term relationships with her patients.
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Dawn Corbett is a driven, self-motivated, elementary educator, and a molder of young minds. She has taught in public education for twenty plus years. Creating original content is something that she is passionate about and gets excited about. She knows the value of confidentiality, cooperation, and being a team player. Working as an editor and blog writer has given her a valuable opportunities to develop her own intellect and a different perspective on how to respectfully communicate with others in different styles.