7 Easy Ways To Reset Your Metabolism & Enhance Whole-Body Health

Have you ever wished you could press a “reset” button on your metabolism to improve your overall metabolic well-being? If so, you aren’t alone—according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, over 90% of Americans have suboptimal metabolic health!

While we think of our metabolism as how quickly we metabolize food or burn calories, it’s so much more than that. In fact, when you hear someone saying they have a “fast” or “slow” metabolism, they’re really referring to their metabolic rate.

An individual’s basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories an individual needs to carry out basic physiological functions (again: breathing, digestion, blood circulation, etc.). Their resting metabolic rate (RMR), aka resting energy expenditure (REE), is the actual number of calories they burn at rest. A person with a “fast” metabolism has a higher REE than someone with a “slow” metabolism.

Like all aspects of wellness, there’s no magic solution to reset your metabolism (not in a push-a-button-and-poof!” kind of way, at least!). The only way to truly optimize your metabolic rate and effectively “rev up” your metabolism is to incorporate certain healthy habits and lifestyle changes into your everyday life.

Yes, you really can start to reset your metabolism by simply drinking more H2O. Water is critical for metabolic reactions in your cells, from energy production and immune pathways, to hormone signaling and other essential physiological processes.

It may seem obvious, but eating a whole foods-laden, nutrient-rich diet filled with healthy macro- and micronutrients is key to supporting a healthy metabolism. 

This multidimensional formula features four clinically researched botanical extracts (capsaicin, veld grape, and caffeine and EGCG from green tea) that have been shown to promote healthy weight and body composition, balance energy and appetite hormone levels, support energy expenditure, increase thermogenic calorie and fat burn, and enhance overall cardiometabolic health (including blood pressure, blood sugar, and lipid levels).*

The more you move, the better! This means adding workouts to your weekly routine, as well as taking small but intentional measures to increase your physical activity throughout the day (think: parking further from the store when running errands, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and getting up to stretch and move around in between work tasks at your desk). 

When it comes to working out, be sure that some of your physical activity includes strength exercises that help build and preserve muscle—if you recall, your percentage of muscle mass directly impacts your metabolic rate (i.e., the higher your muscle mass, the more calories you expend while resting). 

Integrative registered dietitian Whitney Crouch, RDN, CLT recommends lifting heavy weights two to three times a week. “Start with weights that feel like you're putting in effort (we're not talking circa 1980 Jazzercise!) and that you can still maintain good form while lifting,” she previously shared with mindbodygreen. “Then, work your way up over time with both the weight and frequency per week of your sessions, and work with a trainer if you're new to the lifting world and your budget allows." 

To truly give your metabolism a reboot, consider scheduling designated times for calorie intake. Evidence suggests multiple forms of fasting can help promote metabolic health2 and overall longevity. 

“As long as the person is not underweight or malnourished, the single most powerful intervention to improve metabolism is to go without food for a period of time—or, at least make your body think that it is," Harvard psychiatrist and author of Brain Energy, Chris Palmer, M.D., previously explained to mindbodygreen. 

“You can think of these processes as a 'clean cycle' and a 'reboot' for your cells,” he says. “[Fasting] forces your body to burn fat, increase autophagy, and increase the health and number of mitochondria in your cells. All of these can have a powerful and beneficial effect on metabolism.”

In a 2018 CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics study, healthy adults saw an overall improvement in their metabolic profile (specifically, a significant decrease in total cholesterol, triglyceride, and blood glucose levels) after eight weeks of meditation.

This is because your stress (cortisol) levels can impact your metabolism. As such, researchers have found that introducing a mindfulness practice (such as meditation) can help decrease your baseline stress levels and support your overall metabolic well-being.

A quality sleep routine is absolutely essential for metabolic (and whole-body) wellness. In a 2021 observational study, better sleep health (i.e., superior regularity, satisfaction, alertness, timing, efficiency, and duration) was associated with greater weight and fat loss3 in adults with overweight or obesity. 

From fasting and nutritional strategies (like mindbodygreen’s metabolism+) to weightlifting and meditation, there are numerous ways you can optimize your metabolic and overall well-being.*