The Mysterious Metabolic Test

Remember when I won a metabolic test at my first wine tasting? When I won this prize, I had no idea what a metabolic test even was. Now I've experienced one!

For most twenty somethings that read my blog, you've probably never heard of this mysterious metabolic test either. It sounds like a science experiment, but if you think about it, you can probably connect the dots to thinking about your metabolism.

Metabolism is a crazy thing. We don't often think about it, but it affects the way we live. If your metabolism is fast, you're lucky. You can pretty much eat what you want and not gain any weight. This isn't a great plan for staying healthy, but it works out when you're young. Unfortunately, some people have a slow metabolism which makes weight a tricky issue.

I found out that your metabolism has a few different rates: when you're at rest, when you're doing general things like walking, sitting, shopping, and when you're full on exercising.

During a metabolic test, you must not eat at least five hours beforehand, no exercise, no caffeine, basically no stimulants. The test is pretty fast: ten minutes plus results. You must sit or lay in a relaxed position while you have your nose plugged and breathe into a tube connected to a machine for ten minutes. An interesting task. Luckily I was able to relax and control my breathing and not, um, hyperventilate due to the weird flow of oxygen.

My results were much like I anticipated: my metabolism is in the normal range, but faster than normal. If I were lying in bed all day, I have to eat 1,512 calories to maintain my weight and of course eat more if I do normal tasks or exercise. Unfortunately, I don't really keep track of my calorie intake or how much I burn when I exercise. It got me thinking about eating healthier calories than just eating whatever is in the house.

But I think if you're interested in gaining or losing weight, the metabolism is a factor we often forget about. A metabolic test is a very cool way to take a peek at how your amazing body runs and can give you a unique look into your health goals.

If you live in the Michigan area like me, check out Gail Posner Healthy Ways Nutrition Counseling, where I got my metabolic test done. It was free for me because I won it but it is normally $90. Gail is extremely nice and is also involved with ASKinyourface.com.