What Is Metabolism?

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Metabolism is a word that gets tossed around a lot. It usually appears in conversations about weight loss, energy levels, or someone’s ability to “eat whatever they want.” However, our metabolism is a lot more nuanced, and works a lot harder, than most people think.

From the moment you wake up to the second your head hits the pillow (and even while you sleep), your metabolism is working behind the scenes. It’s converting the food you eat into the energy you need to think, move, repair, and just be alive. While metabolism is often misunderstood as being solely governed by your genetics, it is actually a system that you can actively support through lifestyle choices.

In this blog, I will break down what metabolism really is, what impacts it, and how to support it naturally through nutrition, movement, and smart daily habits.

What Exactly Is Metabolism?

Metabolism is the sum of all the chemical reactions that occur in your body to keep you alive and functioning. It’s how your body turns food into energy and uses that energy for everything from breathing and digestion to thinking, walking, and sleeping.

It includes two main processes:

• Catabolism: the breakdown of molecules to produce energy
• Anabolism: the building of molecules your body needs, like muscle tissue or enzymes

The speed at which your body burns energy is known as your metabolic rate. This metabolic rate is influenced by multiple factors like age, sex, muscle mass, activity level, sleep quality, and genetics (not completely, but yes, you can blame mom and dad for part of your metabolic rate).

Your Metabolism Isn’t Just About Weight

While metabolism does affect how your body stores and burns calories, it’s not the only reason for weight gain or loss. Your metabolism is incredibly busy with multiple other critical bodily functions like:  

• Blood sugar regulation
• Hormonal balance
• Brain function
• Immune health
• Energy levels

This makes supporting your metabolism one of the smartest strategies for long-term health, not just body composition.

What Impacts Your Metabolism?

Our lifestyle choices play a massive role in our metabolism, and this should be encouraging because it means that we can play an active role in our health. The small choices that we make every day can either support or hinder your metabolism. Here are some key factors:

1. Muscle Mass

Muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat, meaning the more lean mass you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest. Muscle mass is an excellent predictor of longevity and independent living, making it even more important to build muscle. Sometimes the hardest part can be getting started. So, if you are new to resistance training then check out our Beginner’s Guide to Resistance Training in Your Living Room or our Beginner’s Guide to Exercise for Metabolic Health. They have sample workouts and explain the basics of resistance training and exercise for metabolic health.

2. Hydration

Even mild dehydration can reduce your metabolic rate. Water is essential for all metabolic reactions in your body. While it is common to hear the recommendation to drink 8 cups of water per day, that number was not developed with a science backing. Additionally, by the time we feel thirsty, we are already slightly dehydrated. So a good guide is to pay attention to your urine steam color (that means before it hits the bowl). A clear or slightly yellow urine stream means that your water intake is ideal. A dark yellow means that you need some more fluids.  

3. Sleep

Lack of quality sleep can negatively impact your hormones, insulin sensitivity, and appetite regulation, all of which affect your metabolism. Adults should shoot for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. If you really want to dial in your sleep, then pay attention to your proportion of deep sleep. Not getting enough time in this specific stage of sleep can be the reason that you wake up feeling groggy and not well rested.

4. Blood Sugar Stability

Fluctuations in blood glucose can lead to energy crashes, irritability, and food cravings. Stable blood sugar, on the other hand, helps to support the many metabolic functions that I mentioned above, and promotes metabolic flexibility (the ability to switch between burning carbs and fats for fuel).

Consistent exercise and hydration can help to promote blood sugar stability. Our food and beverage choices are some of the easiest changes that we can make that will produce the greatest improvement in our blood sugar control. Consuming foods that are high in protein, fiber and healthy fats, while minimizing foods that are high in simple sugar, can help to stabilize blood sugar. Adding a GOOD IDEA to your meal or snack has also been scientifically shown to help lower post-meal blood sugar by an average of 25%. Drink 1/3 of a can of GOOD IDEA before your meal and finish the can with your food. The patented blend of five essential amino acids and chromium picolinate work together to lower post meal blood sugar and increase GLP-1 naturally.

Learn more about how GOOD IDEA supports blood sugar health →

5. Daily Movement

You don’t need to train for hours each day to boost your metabolism. Taking multiple small activity breaks throughout the day can accumulate the time you need to meet your physical activity goals. Current recommendations suggest 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of high-intensity physical activity each week.  However, this is likely an underestimation so if you can fit in some more exercise time then your metabolism will thank you.  

Can You “Boost” Your Metabolism?

There’s no magic “boosting” switch, but the good news is you can support a healthy metabolism through small, consistent habits:

• Prioritize protein (it takes more energy to digest and helps build muscle)
• Stay hydrated
• Get 7–9 hours of quality sleep
• Move throughout the day
• Support blood sugar balance with smart food choices and functional drinks like GOOD IDEA

Final Thoughts

Metabolism is your body’s engine. It is constantly working to keep you energized, balanced, and thriving. It can be understood and supported to help you be your healthiest self. By taking simple, science-backed steps each day, you can help your metabolism do its job.

Author: Dr. Colleen Gulick, Ph.D. (ExPhys), MS (ExPhys), BS (BioE), EIT (ME), CSCS

Knowledge Bites

A Beginner’s Guide to Exercise for Metabolic Health