Dr. Keila Roesner ND
  • Home
    • Services >
      • Conditions Treated
  • Work with Me
    • About Me
    • Case Studies
    • Contact
  • Articles
  • Media & Events
  • Patient Portal

Keep Your Metabolism Strong and Hormones Balanced Over The Holidays – A Naturopathic Perspective

12/18/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture

Do you have big plans for January?
Many of our patients say they’d like to take control of their health in 2020 (New Year, New You, right?). That often includes losing some extra pounds.


However, it’s always important not to get caught up in the numbers on the scale. Instead, a good alternative goal is to focus on lowering your body fat (but only if that would help your general health) and raising your energy levels. In other words, your goal should always be to improve your overall quality of life, not to chase after an often-elusive number on a scale.


No matter why you want to lose weight, it’s important to approach your New Year’s resolution with a strategy. That will raise your odds of success. (Here’s a sobering fact: About 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned by February.)


The Run-Up to the New Year
Think about it. We often coast through December, eating, drinking, and neglecting our usual fitness routine. Then January arrives and we expect our body to adjust to an austere new regime. It’s no wonder that many people give up.


Believe it or not, it’s possible to prime your body to get ready for January’s resolutions/yourreallife while still enjoying the holidays. That includes revving up your metabolism so it’s ready to deal with dietary changes. And it’s even possible to do this during the busy month of December. Here are some steps that can help.


7 Ways to Avoid Packing On Extra Pounds This Holiday Season
  1. Watch What You Eat. This is not just about how much you eat. The macro and micronutrient choices you make when selecting your food can change how efficiently your body metabolizes fat. In particular, include a source of protein with every meal. One reason for this is that it helps your body maintain muscle tone. (You can lose muscle when you lose weight, which slows your metabolism.) 
  2. Don’t Cut Back On Sleep. Since we’re not technically moving during our sleeping hours, it doesn’t seem like that time should impact your base metabolism. However, researchers have found that getting adequate sleep, which for most people is around eight hours, is essential to good metabolism. 
  3. Develop a Herbal Tea Habit. While you’re celebrating the holidays, consider switching some of that eggnog and champagne for herbal tea. Not only is it lower in calories, you will be consuming more water, one of the main catalysts for weight loss, and warm water is soothing to your digestive system which improves metabolism. Peppermint tea is particularly good for a stomach that’s complaining about the extra food, whereas Chamomile sets you up for a good night’s sleep, and Rooibos tea is full of antioxidants as well as being a natural energy booster.
  4. Get Enough Vitamin D. During the winter, and especially before you make any dietary changes, it’s a good idea to check your Vitamin D levels. In addition to its many other health benefits, new studies have found that vitamin D can help with weight loss. In one study, women with adequate levels of vitamin D in their bloodstream lost more weight than women who were deficient in vitamin D. Note that it can be difficult to get enough vitamin D through diet alone. And at this time of the year, we often don’t get enough sun exposure to generate our own vitamin D. Supplementation is key this time of year. At our office, we offer vitamin D testing, and while not covered by OHIP for most, it gives us valuable insight into your immune function, mental health and digestive health. It is absolutely worth your time to know your number so that you can strategically supplement, as most general guidelines for vitamin D dosing are not enough to get you to optimal vitamin D status.
  5. Top Up Your Magnesium. Magnesium helps with many processes in your body, so many that a deficiency of magnesium is quite common. Although it may not directly impact weight loss, having adequate levels of magnesium can help you sleep more deeply, regulate your moods, and control your blood sugar. Those are all important elements to maintaining a healthy metabolism. Good sources of magnesium include leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, and dark chocolate as well as magnesium glycinate supplements. We can help you with this too! 
  6. Get Eat Probiotic Foods. Before you even start ramping up your healthy eating routine, get your gut in shape (from the inside!). Healthy gut flora can help with weight control. In fact, the makeup of the gut bacteria of overweight or obese people is typically different than that of people of healthy weight. In addition to fermented foods like kimchi or yoghurt, taking a high quality probiotic supplement in December can boost your gut bacteria levels. Not only can probiotics pave the way for better digestion in January, they also boost the immune system which makes for a healthier social season.
  7. Stay Active. Yes, it’s hard when you’re busy. However, continuing to stay active will make it easier to hit the gym when you’re ready to ramp up your routine. Not only will your muscles stay limber, but you’ll also be taking steps to prevent your mind from slipping into a winter funk, which can impact your motivation. The good news is that it doesn’t take too much to maintain your base fitness levels. Remember: It’s better to do a bit, every day, then to be a weekend warrior. So fit in some 20-minute workouts, try a short YouTube cardio video, or meet some friends at yoga (or even walk around the mall!). Your metabolism will be grateful that you did come January. If you’re focusing on sustaining your metabolism so that you can crush those New Year’s resolutions in 2020, make sure you include strength training. Simply put, the more muscle you have, the more efficient your metabolism will be. Even when you’re just sitting still, you’ll burn more calories.

Yes, improving your metabolism can feel like a daunting task this time of the year. However, taking a few simple steps now can help get ready to meet your New Year’s resolutions head on!  

 If you’re not sure how to begin with all these tips, the best plan is to speak with an expert! We’d be happy to help you create a unique plan that suits you and would love to have a complimentary Health Discovery Session with you.

Sources:
  1. Leidy HJ, Clifton PM, Astrup A. et. al. The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Jun;101(6):1320S-1329S. Epub 2015 Apr 29.
  2. ​Diepvens K,Westerterp KR, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. Obesity and thermogenesis related to the consumption of caffeine, ephedrine, capsaicin, and green tea. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2007 Jan;292(1):R77-85. Epub 2006 Jul 13. 
  3. Hruby A, Ngwa JS, Renström F et al. Higher magnesium intake is associated with lower fasting glucose and insulin, with no evidence of interaction with select genetic loci, in a meta-analysis of 15 CHARGE Consortium Studies.J Nutr. 2013 Mar;143(3):345-53. doi: 10.3945/jn.112.172049. Epub 2013 Jan 23. 
  4. Turnbaugh PJ, Hamady M, Yatsunenko T et al. A core gut microbiome in obese and lean twins. Nature. 2009 Jan 22;457(7228):480-4. doi: 10.1038/nature07540. Epub 2008 Nov 30. ​

Picture
Picture
Dr. Keila Roesner BHSc ND
Your Health & Wellness Cheerleader
Book your complimentary Health Discovery Assessment with one of our associates for 2020 here.
1 Comment

    ​Top 75 Naturopath Blogs & Websites For Naturopathic Doctors

    Get Your Copy

    Author

    Dr. Keila Roesner is a Naturopathic Doctor. When not treating patients she is also an enthusiastic barefoot-strolling, music-loving, yoga-doing kitchen wiz - who also happens to be a wrestling fan.

    Categories

    All
    Acne
    Allergies
    Anxiety
    Asthma
    Autoimmune
    Bioidentical Hormones
    Bloating
    Blood Pressure
    Canada
    Canadian College Of Naturopathic Medicine
    Cancer
    Chronic Disease
    Cold & Flu
    Constipation
    Depression
    Detox
    Diarrhea
    Digestion
    Diy
    Earthing
    Eating For Health
    Eczema
    Energy
    Environmental Medicine
    Exercise
    Family Health
    Fatigue
    Fertility
    Food Sensitivity
    GERD
    Healer
    Health Care
    Health Policy
    Healthy Aging
    Heartburn
    Hemorrhoids
    Herbal Medicine
    Holidays
    Home Remedies
    Homesteading
    Hormones
    IBS
    Inflammation
    Insomnia
    Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    Keila Roesner Nd
    Keila Roesner Nd
    Keto
    Lab Tests
    Menopause
    Mental Health
    Migraine
    Migraines
    Natural
    Nature
    Naturopath
    Naturopathy
    On
    Pain
    Pediatrics
    PMS
    Poll
    Primal/Paleo
    Recipe
    Self Care
    SIBO
    Skin
    Stratford
    Stratford Perth Centre For Business
    Stratford Wellness Centre
    Stratford Wellness Centre
    Stress
    Success
    Sun
    Supplements
    Thyroid
    Traditional Chinese Medicine
    Vitamins
    Weight Loss
    Welcome
    Wellness
    Weston A Price/ WAPF

    RSS Feed

Let us take you from hormonal to whole.
​Dr. Keila Roesner, BHSc ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Hormone Warrior and Your Wellness Cheerleader


247 Church Street, Stratford ON N5A 2R7
(519) 273-0900
drkeila@roesnerwellnesssolutions.com

Let's Connect

  • Home
    • Services >
      • Conditions Treated
  • Work with Me
    • About Me
    • Case Studies
    • Contact
  • Articles
  • Media & Events
  • Patient Portal