What is Metabolism

Written By:

A video and article with Emily Rosen: What is metabolism?

Metabolism has been a hot topic for a long time now. So many people want to change their metabolism and make it faster and more powerful. But when someone says “I want to boost my metabolism,” what do they really mean? As it turns out, the term “metabolism” means different things to many different people, and some of the most common definitions you’ll hear from the scientific community may be a little out of date. In this fascinating new video from IPEtv, Emily Rosen, Director of the Institute for the Psychology of Eating, explores the classic understanding of metabolism and offers a fresh, contemporary and surprising update. Tune in and find out some unusual ways to keep your metabolism humming.

Here is a transcript of this week’s video:

Many people use the word metabolism, but few know what it actually means. If you asked a room filled with a hundred doctors and nutritionists, “What’s the definition of metabolism?” you’d likely hear a hundred different answers. It’s no surprise, then, that the rest of us would be confused! So let’s take a look at the old definition of metabolism, and see if we can build on it to find some fresh insights.

Here’s the classic textbook definition of metabolism:

Metabolism is the sum total of all the chemical reactions in the body.

Are you surprised it’s that simple? Of course, we can talk about the metabolism of individual organs and glands like the liver and thyroid. We can also talk about the metabolism of different body systems, such as digestive metabolism. People who say, “I want to speed up my metabolism” are usually referring to calorie-burning metabolism, also known as thermic efficiency.

With this understanding, if we wanted to “increase metabolism”, we’d do our best to kick-start our body’s chemical efficiency with exercise, drugs, or the magic combination of foods. And though these approaches have proven useful up to a point, they don’t begin to cover everything that we can do to get our metabolism functioning at its highest potential.

That’s because metabolism doesn’t occur in the body alone.

It happens equally and simultaneously in the body, mind, and emotions. Astounding research in the field of Mind Body Nutrition has highlighted the connection between what we think and feel, and the chemistry of the body. Science has revealed that the chemistries of stress, relaxation, pleasure, depression, and even interactions with pets or other people have profound impacts on our metabolic lives. Simply put, mind influences chemistry.

So taking all these elements into consideration, our new, more updated, and more scientifically correct definition of metabolism would look something like this:

Metabolism is the sum total of all the chemical reactions in the body, PLUS the sum total of all our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and experiences.

Chances are you’ve had many moments in which your metabolism was transformed by something other than food, drugs, or exercise. Can you recall a time when you were sitting at home feeling low energy and sorry for yourself, a time when if someone asked you “How’s your metabolism?” – you would have correctly observed that it felt sluggish and stuck? Then suddenly the phone rings and it’s someone reaching out to you with good news that you have been waiting for. Your mood instantly skyrockets. You feel alive and optimistic. And in that moment, if we asked again, “How’s your metabolism?”, you’d say it was humming. And you would be right.

So what happened? You had an enormous energy rush, yet you didn’t drink any coffee or take any drugs. It was a shift in your emotional world that ignited the chemistry in your body. And that’s how quickly metabolism can change.

The truth is, we are born metabolically powerful.

Dynamic Eating Psychology shows us that we have more ways to impact metabolism than we could ever have imagined. Yes, we need to eat in a good way and take care of our body chemistry. But we also need to remember that everything that happens in our inner world has an impact on our metabolism.

Claim your personal power more and more, be the person you’re meant to be in this life, and you claim a wealth of metabolic strength. It’s as simple as that. And it’s as profound as that. Personal power and metabolic power are one and the same. Improve one, and you improve the other.

I hope this was helpful.

In the comments below, please let us know your thoughts. We love hearing from you and we read and respond to every comment!

A video and article with Emily Rosen: What is metabolism?

Become a Mind Body Eating Coach

Make real, lasting change - in your life and the lives of others using eating psychology coaching tools.

Name(Required)

Subscribe to The Psychology of Eating Podcast

Get notified when new episodes go live.

Name(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Listen to The Psychology of Eating Podcast

Follow Us

Name(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.