How to Boost Your Metabolism - 3 Tips for Mastering Food Timing
Are you one of the many people who skip breakfast? Or maybe you go for hours without eating during the day? If so, it's time to start rethinking your eating habits, as you might just be sabotaging your efforts at a healthy lifestyle! As a certified health and fitness coach, I have seen firsthand the effects of “food timing” on my clients’ progress! Today, I want to share with you just how important it is to fuel your body regularly throughout the day. I will give you 3 best practices for taking advantage of your body’s natural rhythms so you can capitalize on the benefits of food timing!
Most of my clients come to me with similar eating patterns - skipping breakfast and going for long periods without eating. It's a common mistake that can have a negative impact on your health and weight loss goals. That's why I recommend the following eating guidelines to all of my clients, and now I’m sharing them with you, too!
3 Food Timing Tips
1. Eat within 30-45 minutes of waking up, unless you're going straight to the gym. If you're working out in the morning, it's okay to wait and eat after your workout as long as it’s within 30 minutes.
2. Never go more than 4 hours without eating. Keeping your body fueled throughout the day helps your metabolism to run faster, not slower. It also helps keep your blood sugar stable, which can prevent cravings and overeating.
3. Eat your last meal 2 hours or more before bed. Eating too close to bedtime can affect your sleep because your body is trying to digest your food. You might not get as good of sleep as you need, which can impact your overall health.
So, why are these guidelines so important?
First off, when you sleep, your body goes into a fasting state. When you wake up and you don't feed it, your metabolism slows down and your body holds onto more fat because it thinks you're starving it. By eating right away in the morning, you jump-start your metabolism and get your body running like a machine!
Eating regularly throughout the day keeps your metabolism going strong, helps prevent binging or overeating, and can even help prevent cravings. When you go too long without eating, your body can start to crave sugar and other unhealthy foods. And once you’re tired and over-hungry, it’s all the more easy to give in to those cravings or reach for easy convenience foods instead of fueling your body with whole foods. By keeping yourself fueled throughout the day with healthy, nutritious foods, you're setting yourself up for success!
And finally, when you sleep, your body is in a resting state, and being forced to digest food could disrupt it. Dr. Uma Naidoo, MD, a Harvard-trained nutritional psychiatrist, professional chef and nutrition specialist says, “During sleep, the gastrointestinal system slows down, most of the time, salivation is decreased and the primary esophageal contraction is not frequent, a fact causing a prolongation of acid clearance during sleep. In English? It’s harder and takes much longer and much more effort for your body to digest while sleeping.” Allowing time for your body to digest your meal before bed can help you absorb the nutrients more efficiently, prevent acid reflux, and even improve the quality of your sleep.
So, if you're someone who tends to skip breakfast or go for long periods without eating, it's time to start making some changes. By following these three “food timing rules”, you'll be well on your way to better health and a faster metabolism!
Need some meal inspiration? Get our FREE Warrior Fit starter guide!
It has everything you need to start you on the path to success, including…
Recipes
Grocery lists
Workouts
Mindset tools
And more!
