Christopher Columbus once said that it’s by “prevailing over obstacles that one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal.”
If exercise is the engine, and nutrition is the fuel for your fat-burning program, then you can grease the gears by reducing inflammation.
Grease your fat-burning engine!
Much of your ability to increase your metabolism is dependant on your removing obstacles to its proper functioning. Inflammation in the body is perhaps the most significant obstacle you’ll face.
First major concern. It interrupts hormones which are important for regulating metabolism and burning fat. The pathways of a normal and optimally functioning metabolism become restricted. Kinda like throwing an interception during a football game.
Second major concern. Cytokine activity connected to inflammation creates a new role for your fat cells, namely, cytokine storage! This encourages fat accumulation, as opposed to fat mobilization (which is much more desirable). It’s kinda like dousing the flames of your fat-burning furnace. Not good.
Third major concern. Inflammation is directly related to numerous health conditions, including (but not limited to) diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. In fact, the most recent research shows that inflammation of the arterial walls causes more heart attacks than high cholesterol levels.
Fourth major concern. People who are overweight tend to have more inflammation. Bit of a catch-22, huh? The person who needs it the most begins with a lowered ability to burn fat. The good news is we can intervene by modifying our lifestyle habits.
What are the major causes of inflammation?
Environmental factors, stress, lack of sleep, smoking, alcohol, sugar, hydrogenated fats, processed foods — all of these play a role. Inflammation is basically your immune system’s response to the above irritants.
How can we reduce inflammation?
Replace red meat with fish , 2-3 times per week, cut down on breads, starches and grains (replace with sweet potatoes – quinoa is also ok), get plenty of green veggies, nuts, blueberries, and a bit of olive oil with your salad. Wash it all down with a cup or two of green tea per day, and cut down on coffee.
Vigorous exercise also plays a key role in reducing inflammation. Refer back to my previous post on intensity (“Which Twin Are You”) for more details on how to make the best of your workouts.
Finally, develop the ability to manage stress better, and work on getting more and better quality sleep. Taking 300-500mg of magnesium before bed should be a great help. It’s a natural muscle relaxant.
I really can’t emphasize enough how much this plays into your fat loss success and your overall health. Grease those gears by reducing inflammation and you’ll obtain a higher-octane fat-blasting performance from your body.
Also, if you’d like me to share more breakthroughs on this topic, leave a comment below.
To Your Success,
Conor Kelly
