Volume 11 Issue 1 » 71
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H O W T O S P E E D YO U R M E TA B O L I S M
Zoom, zoom, zoom. Each day running to get the kids ready and off to
school on time, race to work, get through an overwhelming workload
so you don’t need to take it home. Get dinner ready, put the kids to bed,
collapse on the sofa. Hit the sack, sleep if lucky, and start the race all
over the next day.
Zoom, zoom, zoom. Zooming through each day on the outside; yet on
the inside feeling exhausted, sluggish, and putting on weight?
Do you want your metabolism to zoom on the inside, too, so you have
the energy to manage your busy life? It IS possible to feel better with
diet and lifestyle modifications!
TRIM LINES
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Wellness
by Vreni Gurd
Our body chemistry works best at 37
degrees Celsius or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit,
and if the temperature isn’t right, enzyme
and catalyst activity is compromised. Our
thyroid is responsible for keeping our
body temperature right, and ensuring our
metabolism is cruising along.
We hear, “That person has a high
metabolism – they can eat anything and
won’t gain an ounce.” Or we hear people say
they have “sluggish thyroids,” and frequently
they have difficulty controlling their body
weight.
Other symptoms of hypothyroidism or slow
thyroid include:
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very dry, scaly skin generally
“chicken skin” on the upper arms
and legs
fatigue
depression
osteoporosis
infertility
muscle weakness
too cold or too hot (temperature
dysregulation)
hair loss
memory problems
constipation
inability to sweat
slow heart-rate
thick, tight skin that is hard to
pinch
puffy sometimes bulging eyes
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lots of flesh around the neck
area
high cholesterol levels (at one
point in the 1940s, testing
cholesterol levels was how
hypothyroidism was diagnosed)
joint and back pain
Evaluate your thyroid function by logging
your temperature and pulse before getting
out of bed in the morning, before each meal,
and before bed. If it is frequently below 36.5
degrees Celsius or 97.7 degrees Fahrenheit,
you are not running hot enough. If your
pulse rate is regularly below 70 beats per
minute, your metabolism could use some
help.
The idea that a consistently low pulse is not
desirable may seem controversial, as athletes
think a low pulse indicates high fitness
levels. Yes, if the heart is stronger and can
pump more blood with each beat, it would
not need to pump as often. But if you are
not an endurance athlete and your heart rate
is low, the reason is likely a slow metabolism.
What can we do to zoom our cellular
metabolism? First, we must avoid the things
that impair thyroid function.