One common misunderstanding I find is what most of us perceive metabolism to be.

Metabolism is one of those hot buzz words thrown around and there is really no understanding what it means. Usually when asked, “what is metabolism?” the first response is I get is, “well, that is how many calories we burn.”

Is that what you would have thought? Well, this is not true.

Where the confusion lies is that most people confuse metabolism for metabolic rate.

Metabolism is defined as the set of chemical reactions that happen in living organisms to maintain life. It is the functioning of your hormones and how your body talks with itself on a cellular level. This is why it is so important to eat organic fruits and vegetables, or free range chicken. Because genetically modified, hormone pumped, pesticide sprayed foods will disrupt that chemical, hormonal balance in your body. You are messing with your metabolism. Good thing is that you can restore your metabolism with exercise and by eating real, whole, clean, organic foods!

Your metabolic rate is how many calories your body burns. This is mostly based upon your weight, height, and age. So if you have gained a little weight over time, the crazy thing is, is that you are probably burning more calories than when you where younger because your body is working harder with more weight. So it should be easier to lose weight!

So the next time someone says that they gain weight because their metabolism has slowed down, let them know that their metabolic rate may have actually increased and they burn more calories than they used to. It is their eating and exercise habits they have created that have disrupted their chemical and hormonal balance, which have lead to weight gain.

Do you talk bad about your metabolism? Stop it! Do something about it!

In good health,

Jeff