Nikki Cheak (00:01.752)
Hey friend, let's just be honest for a second. Have you ever felt like your body is just working against you? I know you're doing all the right things. You're eating less, you're walking more. Maybe you're even skipping meals and still just nothing. The scale's not budging. Your energy is a disaster and you feel like you're doing everything everybody is telling you to do and everything that you used to do and it's just not working anymore. And what's worse?
you start maybe wondering if it's just you. Maybe you're broken. Maybe your metabolism is just shot, but I want you to hear me. You're not broken. You've been honestly handed the wrong strategy for this season of life. No more long runs, no more just trying to eat less and burn more calories because I'm going to tell you right now, it's not here. It's not going to work. So today I'm going to walk you through the five things that might be quietly slowing your metasible.
metabolism right now, especially if you're in your thirties, forties and fifties. And I'm not going to just give you some checklists. Okay. I'm going to explain the why behind each one, how it shows up in real life and kind of what to do about it. Because when you understand what your metabolism actually needs, everything is really going to start to get easier. So what you want, honestly, it's not complicated, complicated. Okay. It's you want a body that's going to work for you. You want one that you don't have to fight every day.
You want to wake up and you want to have a clear head. You don't want to be exhausted. You want to feel lighter and not bloated and not foggy and not frustrated. You want the effort that you are putting in to matter. You want to feel like your metabolism is finally back on your team and not somebody that's standing in the corner because you're being perfect, but because you're finally understanding what works now. Okay.
And so inside of my six week resub, that's honestly exactly what we do. We don't guess and we don't follow trends. We don't punish your buddy, your body into submission because that's not going to work long-term, right? We build a sustainable rhythm that is going to reset your metabolism using macro balanced meals, strength training workouts, hormone supportive habits, because that's so important and simple real life structure.
Nikki Cheak (02:25.614)
But we're going to start small because I want you to understand these five things that might quietly be slowing your metabolism right now and how to shift them. Okay. So let's talk about these five metabolism blockers. One, you're fasting without fuel or you're fasting the wrong way, or maybe you're not fasting at all. Okay. I personally follow a 14, 10 intermittent fasting rhythm. It works well for me, my digestion and my hormone balance, but
There's a lot of things that people get wrong about fasting. They think it's about skipping meals, but then they break their fast with coffee and a granola bar. They push through their morning and they may, the first thing they might eat is like a salad at two after they had coffee first thing in the morning. And they wonder why they're feeling bloated and fatigue and honestly just totally unmotivated by the time they get home at dinner. And here's what's actually happening. Your cortisol, which is your stress hormone, it's going to stay elevated.
And when it stays elevated, your body thinks that you're in danger. Okay. Then your blood sugar is going to crash mid morning and you lose muscle instead of fat because you're not feeding your body the post fast way that it needs to burn fat. Okay. You're just giving it a bunch of sugar and calories and not something that's actually going to fuel your body. Fasting is a tool, not a diet, not a magic trick and nothing. Okay.
because if you're not breaking your fast the right way, then you're doing it wrong and you're gonna actually make things worse, okay? And at the end of the day, even if you're not following a strategic fasting system, that's fine. But what you do when you break your fast, when you have breakfast, that first meal matters way more than you think. So it's your body's first cue of like, I safe?
Am I supported? So you wanna make sure that you're getting in your protein, your healthy fats, your fiber, all at breakfast, okay? So you wanna get some eggs maybe and some avocado, greens. I always put a scoop of protein powder in my coffee. That gives me, know, one, I drink my coffee when I break my fast, not before I break my fast, because you know, can't, unless you're having black coffee.
Nikki Cheak (04:53.354)
it will break your fast, okay? Two, I'm having things that constantly are going to fuel me. I make breakfast boring because here's the thing, I don't wanna think about it. I just wanna know that what I'm having is gonna support my daily goals and I might eat the same thing every single day for four days because guess what? I know that it works and I know that it's gonna help me, okay?
And so if you need some examples of how to break your fast the right way with a lot of good protein, you can grab my mom's guide to protein packed meals in the show notes, okay? And it's gonna be easy, high protein recipes that don't require a ton of thought, don't require a ton of time in the kitchen and things that you can actually make. All right, so the second thing that is going to slow your metabolism
is not eating enough protein. I have mentioned this before on other episodes, but so many women are not eating enough protein. you know, back in the nineties, back way back when a lot of pro, a lot of people thought protein was just for bulking up. Okay. But the more and more that comes out about it, the more and more people are understanding, especially when you hit 35 plus, that protein is actually your metabolism's best friend. And it's going to help you with.
You're regulating your hunger and your fullness hormones, right? Your ghrelin and your leptin. It's going to help you preserve that lean muscle mass, which honestly, that's your metabolic engine. That's gonna help keep your metabolism going. It supports your thyroid and your estrogen functions, okay? So that's really important, especially as moms. And it's honestly, it's gonna help keep that blood sugar steady so you're not spiking and dropping like you're on a roller coaster at Six Flags.
But when you start your day with too little protein, your blood sugar is going to crash and your cravings spike, right? So think about that. Think about the ride at Six Flags. I think in St. Louis, it's called the screaming, you'll write, go up, up, up, up. And then all of a sudden you drop and that might be due to not having enough protein in your body in the morning. Okay. And then later your cravings are going to spike. So you see yourself wanting to snack more. You want to.
Nikki Cheak (07:15.662)
your brain feels foggy, maybe you can't focus and like you're super snacky because nothing is satiating you. Nothing is satisfying you. So look, most women that I coach need to understand that like they're under way under eating protein. Okay. And they need to understand how to get their protein really in the first, a lot of their protein in the first part of their day. So you could be getting
breakfast, I would love for everybody to get at least 30 grams of protein. Okay. And that comes in so many different forms. Same with lunch and same with dinner. You know, my original goal for everybody is to always get to like 90 to a hundred grams of protein because first that's, you just need to get used to eating it more. And then second, you want to start to get to your macro protein goal that you need for you. And inside of that protein, protein packed meals guide,
There are so many different recipes that you can use that will help you get to that goal. Okay. The third thing that is probably slowing your metabolism right now, and this might sting is doing too much cardio and not enough strength training. And this is where I see so many women fall into the trap of more equals better. They are walking a ton, which walking is so good. And I wouldn't tell anyone not to walk.
But if you're not doing, if you're doing walking plus cardio and you throw in a HIIT workout and your body is still feeling puffy and soft, like I get it because that was me, right? I was doing all of the cardio, but none of the strength training. and I can say like, I went through phases where I was doing all strength training, but I wasn't focusing on nutrition. So, you know, it all works together synergistically, but I was doing too much movement and seeing no change.
And then I started focusing on building my muscle instead of just burning calories. Okay, because here is why strength training works. Muscle burns more at rest than fat, okay? So it is also going to increase your insulin sensitivity, and that's honestly so important for your hormone balance and fat loss. It's gonna help reduce that belly fat, okay? Not just water weight.
Nikki Cheak (09:33.928)
and it is going to improve energy, mood, and your metabolism long-term. And if you're anything like me, I want to be here when I have great grandkids. I want to see them grow up a little bit at least, right? That might make me really old, but that's okay. So the things that I'm doing right now to set me up for that long-term, I am getting at least three good strength training workouts a week, 30 minutes or less at home, okay? I think everybody can do that.
I'm not driving to a gym all the time. I do Pilates or yoga at least once a week, so I'm doing low impact. I am walking every day, okay? And my walks might be, and honestly, they're not even just to burn calories, they're to manage stress and boost energy. My walks are different every day. Sometimes I get in a couple small short walks throughout the day. Sometimes I get in one long walk.
it just kind of depends on my day and how I'm, how I'm doing, but typically I try to aim for seven to 10,000 steps a day. Okay. Just because I know that honestly, it helps me manage my stress and it makes me feel better, especially if I'm outside or if I'm on my walking pad watching a good show. All right. Another one that is probably slowing your metabolism and really will probably hit home for you. it's.
a lot less sexy than foods and workout, but it's chronic stress and not enough sleep. And here's the thing. If your nervous system is fried, your metabolism slows, period. Okay? Full stop. And if you're constantly in that fight or flight, the last thing that it's going to do is release stored fat. Okay? If it's trying to survive, it's going to hold on to that fat. So signs that this might be you.
is you wake up tired, even if you've slept for seven plus hours. You are craving sugar or salt mid afternoon. You're feeling puffy in your face or in your belly and you're irritable, you're anxious and like you're snappy. You're snappy at like people for no reason. Okay. Some of these are just perimenopause symptoms in general, but honestly, a lot of it has to do with this chronic stress. Okay. And you can't fall asleep or stay asleep. So here's the thing.
Nikki Cheak (11:58.016)
There's a few things that you can do to help yourself be able to get good restful sleep. Okay. And they're kind of simple. And one is to get some sunlight before 10 AM. Ideally, usually within the first hour of waking is best, but this is really going to help set your circadian rhythm so that when you go to sleep, you're feeling better and your body is ready to wind down. Line down for time before bed. Honestly, like
Even five minutes helps, but longer would be preferable with no screens. and just really allow yourself to relax, try and put it away. Maybe read a couple of pages of a book, maybe just, you know, talk to your partner or spouse or listen to a calming meditation. Okay. And I know some of that sounds kind of woo woo. I get it. But honestly, all of these things are so important for your central nervous system and ultimately your stress and your sleep. aim for seven to nine hours of sleep.
Even if that means letting a load of laundry wait, try and get that sleep. It's super important. And then eating enough during the day because under eating spikes that cortisol. Okay. And that's really, really important. So making sure that you're really hitting the macros that you need for you. And that's why I talk about that so much because every person is different and it's not about being perfect. Okay. Because look,
Like we're moms and we are always, you know, we've got kids that wake up in the middle of the night or, you know, maybe we're in a different stage where we're waiting for our kids to come home from a date or from being out with our friends. And so, you know, sometimes it's really recognizing that being in rest state, being in sleep is a fat loss strategy and making sure that we're taking care of ourselves in that way. Okay. The fifth thing that might be slowing you down.
Right now is some of those little extras that sabotage the big picture. And honestly, this sneaks past so many women, myself included sometimes, right? Like a few crackers while you're cooking, a couple of bites of your kid's mac and cheese, that quote unquote healthy granola bar that honestly leaves you starving because it's likely filled with more sugar than it is actually real ingredients, and a glass of wine most nights just to wind down. Okay?
Nikki Cheak (14:21.238)
Individually, it's like not a big deal, but when your metabolism is already more sensitive and your hormones are trying to find their balance, those little extras actually start to matter. Not because they're bad, okay, but because they're stealing your energy and they mess with your blood sugar and crowding out that fuel that you've been working so hard and that your body actually needs. So instead of, you know, grabbing little leftovers or little bites,
and tastes from your kids or having that glass of wine, I want you to think about this. I want you to anchor each meal with protein, fat, and fiber. Okay. And that's going to help you really a lot. Also check in with yourself. Like I know that this has been true for me in the past, but are you hungry or are you just overwhelmed and stress? Because I have definitely been known to stress eat. And if you want something sweet, have it with your meal and not alone.
but that sweet thing that could also be fruit. Okay. That alone has the natural sugar to help curve your cravings for sugar. But I want you to know that this is not about restriction. It's about awareness because when you're aware of what's going on, that's where everything really starts to shift. So if you want help building some protein packed meals that are going to actually keep you full, I want you to grab that mom's protein guide.
And if you're nodding in your head thinking, yeah, this is totally me. And you want a structure that actually works. The six week reset is where we're going to make this simple and sustainable and you don't have to do this alone. So let's zoom out for a second. You're not stuck because you're lazy. You're not broken and you're not doing it wrong. You're just using a metabolism playbook that wasn't built for the life that you're living now or the body that you have now.
And the good news is you get to rewrite that script and it starts with simple doable shifts like these. They're not hard. You just want to be consistent. Okay. So grab that free protein guide to get you started. And if you're ready for more support, check out the six week reset and Hey, text this episode to a friend who might be feeling stuck and need to hear these five things too, because let's be honest, we all need to make some changes and
Nikki Cheak (16:43.136)
If this hit home or if there's something in this episode that you were like, yeah, this is great. Please leave a review. It helps more women find this message and make sure you're subscribed because next week's episode is going to be so great. So this is your season to feel better and we are going to do this one thing at a time so that you are revving up that metabolism and feeling better every single day.
