SHMEC (pronounced “shmeck”) stands for sleep, hunger, mood, energy, and cravings – the main biofeedback clues we use as Metabolic Detectives 🔍

These clues provide a peak into the metabolism 👀 They are signals for what your hormones are doing, and whether or not you are hormonally and metabolically balanced. In essence, these biofeedback clues offer a way to decode the language of hormones.

Remember, to burn fat and keep it off you need a caloric deficit and a hormonally balanced system. If you’ve hit a plateau or your results never seem to stick, it’s time to notice and name the clues that your hormones are sending.

Let’s get into metabolic detective mode to uncover your unique biofeedback.

Think about your daily habits and lifestyle behaviours, and how they might be impacting your SHMEC. One way to think about lifestyle factors is through the 4Ms of Metabolism. They consist of:

✅ Meals (nutrition & eating habits)
✅ Movement (walking, R&R, and activities of daily living)
✅ Metabolics (structured exercise), and
✅ Mindfulness (stress buffering activities)

The 4Ms represent key lifestyle factors that can shift the metabolism in significant ways. SHMEC is the hormonal outcome of your daily lifestyle choices.

✏️ Begin to tune into your biofeedback signals (SHMEC) with these prompts:

❓ Which lifestyle habits impact SHMEC positively? In what ways are they supporting your SHMEC? For example, does taking a morning walk support your mood for the rest of the day?

❓ Which lifestyle habits impact SHMEC negatively? In what ways are they contributing negatively to your SHMEC? For example, does getting to bed too late make it more difficult to regulate your cravings the next day?

❓ If SHMEC is not in check, where can you make small changes to shift your SHMEC today? Consider common underlying threads like stress and sleep, also known as big rocks. Prioritizing these key areas is likely going to have large and beneficial trickle-down effects on the rest of your SHMEC.

Body cues or signals like SHMEC can be rather simple, or complex. Keep it simple by asking yourself “is my SHMEC in check?” If not, what’s your best guess about what’s going on? What do you think your body is trying to tell you through the lens of sleep, hunger, mood, energy or cravings? From that place, make a change by adding something supportive to your daily routine. Pro tip: Instead of building new habits from scratch, consider replacing old habits with new ones that help to balance your SHMEC. It’s much easier to make swaps in the beginning stages of change.

SHMEC is a window into your metabolism’s hormonal function. Take a peak, and see what you uncover.

Photo by Mohammed lak on Unsplash