A Slow Metabolism? Causes and Solutions

Here is my "tongue-in-cheek" list of ways to slow your metabolism. Of course, we all want a faster metabolism. It's easy to blame one's genetic makeup for a slow metabolism and not realize that how we live every day can slow down or rev up how we burn calories. Here's the list of what not to do:

1. Sit around. Enjoy long hours of screen time with the computer or television. Those screen-time hours slow your metabolism more than reading a book or working a crossword puzzle.

2. Stay indoors, preferably in darkened rooms. Just being in the sun boosts your metabolism and enhances hormonal function.

4. Eat high-glycemic starches – especially those made with wheat and potatoes. Don't eat a balanced diet. Avoid eating proteins (meats, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese) and fats – they actually can help boost your metabolism.

5. Don't have an exercise plan. Avoid the fitness center, exercise classes, and home fitness videos.

6. Don't do recreational exercise. Don't hike, fish, hunt, take a walk, play tennis, swim, or snowboard.

7. Hire others to do your household work for such activities as mowing the lawn, gardening, and spring cleaning.

8. In place of an exercise program, enjoy activities that require little physical movement, such as billiards, video games, bowling, and cards.

9. Don't take vitamins, vitamin D, or fish oil. Instead, assume that you receive all the nutrition you need from those high-glycemic "enriched" carbohydrates.

10. Drink tons of sodas, either diet soda or those sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup. Both slow your metabolism.