Did you have a faster metabolism when you were younger? Do you know people who seem to be able to “eat anything” and never gain weight? Would you like to crank up your metabolism or turn back your metabolic clock? Here are my 7 favorite personal methods that keep my body fat percentage in the single digits 24/7/365.

1.) Detox/Eat clean. Eating clean is actually a detox of sorts, but even clean eating, militant Nazis like me still need to detox from time to time. There are simply too many environmental toxins nowadays and the body’s natural detox ability just can’t keep up with all of them. There are some effective, organic detox kits you can get at your local supplement store, made from products like liposomal cbd, but that’s only the half of it. The other half is getting those toxins out of you, once the detox kit has released them from your cells.

The best way to do that is through colon hydrotherapy, but most people would rather not go down that road, so the next best way is through sweating it out. Just make sure you are doing both at the same time, because using a detox kit without a way to get those toxins out will just make you feel crappy and then those toxins will mostly get reabsorbed back into the tissues they came from. Eating clean is the biggest part though because most people think they can detox and then get away with the standard American diet, but that’s just not the case because the standard American diet introduces even more toxins into your body than the environment.

2.) Drink enough filtered water. How much is enough? Just take your body weight in pounds, divide that by two and that’s how many ounces you should be drinking per day (as long as you weigh between 100 – 250 lbs.). The liver has over 500 huge metabolic functions, so it has to be happy and healthy in order to do all of those huge metabolic jobs for you. When you’re dehydrated, it’s not happy or healthy because it has to help out your kidneys, which is an even bigger job, so while it’s doing that, guess what it’s not doing?

The reason for drinking filtered water is to avoid drinking tap water, which can be fattening, due to all the chemicals and toxins it contains. The best filters I have found are the Zero brand filter and the Berkey filter. I actually have both because I use the Berkey filter first (with the fluoride filter canisters) and then I pour that water through the Zero filter in my fridge for the taste I enjoy.

3.) Mind your mitochondria. The more mitochondria you have, the higher your metabolism will be. The mitochondria are the little energy engines and your cells and the best way to increase their number is with exercise, namely HIT like we do at the X Gym.

4.) Get up off your butt. I’m sure you’ve heard by now that, “sitting is the new smoking” as far as your health is concerned, but it’s also true in regards to your metabolic rate. Just changing from a sitting desk to a standing desk can raise your metabolism by at least 10%, so you would be remiss to not consider a stand up desk! I have one at home and both X Gyms. I even have a treadmill underneath my standup desk at the Alki X Gym, so I can walk at 1 mph while I work, which can boost my metabolism another 30%!

5.) Eat your fat, veggies and protein (in that order). If you’re eating clean, organic food, you won’t really have to worry much about what kind of fat, veggies and protein you’re eating, just that you do and that you eat enough – especially fat. If you’re still eating a low fat diet, you’re still misinformed and that’s why you’re having a hard time with your metabolism. 70% of my calories every day come from fat, mostly in the form of coconut oil, butter from grass fed cows and avocados. Most of the coconut oil I eat is from my fitness chocolate recipe, as I eat about half a pound every day!

6.) Check your attitude. If you believe you can and will increase your metabolism, you will be more likely to make the big and small changes necessary to make that happen (conscious and unconscious). If you don’t, or your are doubtful, your subconscious will sabotage you and make failure your reality instead. It’s actually this simple: If you can’t believe it, you won’t achieve it!

The quickest way to improving your attitude is to practice gratitude. This also helps get you out of chronic stress states, which when left unchecked, increase levels of a hormone called cortisol. That hormone is just too powerful to fight and it’s the primary fat-storing hormone, so reducing its levels in your body will go a long way towards boosting your metabolism and increasing your ability to burn body fat.

7.) Get quality sleep. Sleep deprivation, or simply just not getting enough sleep (because of poor lifestyle habits or choices) will sabotage your metabolism every time because of the buildup of cortisol in your system. Other fattening hormones and chemicals will also contribute to reducing your metabolic rate as you deprive yourself of valuable sleep, but cortisol is certainly the biggest problem. Most people need 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep every night. Getting a sleep app to track the quality of sleep can also be quite helpful because that will show you the effect of adjusting factors like light, EMFs, etc. to maximize your sleep time and quality.