Super Charge Your Metabolism the Right Way

We have all had a friend who blames a slow metabolism on their weight problems. In fact we have probably convinced ourselves that if only we could increase our metabolism then all our weight problems would disappear.

Well first let's understand what metabolism is. When your body carries out its normal biological functions it combines Oxygen with nutrients to release energy can repair itself. This energy demand is measured in calories so in short if we increase our energy demand then we also increase our calorie demand.

Our bodies look to glucose as its first source of energy, but once this has been depleted it will turn to fat stores which contain incredible amounts of stored energy. If we take too many calories in then those in turn will be stored as fat increasing our weight.

If we want to increase the rate of our metabolism then we need to consider some important stats. These factors are gender, age, the amount of lean muscle tissue on the body, how active you are on a daily basis and of course your current physical condition.

An important factor in metabolism is your resting metabolic rate also known as RMR. This is the number of calories needed at rest to maintain normal bodily functions (such as respiratory, digestive or filtration functions).

One of the major players in effecting metabolism is our diet. A well-constructed and organise diet will increase and speed up your metabolism. Skipping meals is definitely something to avoid and starvation of any form whether that be fasting or detoxing is not a good idea when considering metabolism. Eating six small meals a day with healthy snack will maintain a stable metabolism. This frequent healthy eating will increase your metabolism due to the constant influx of controlled calories.

If we start skipping meals and starving our bodies of nutrients then out survival functions kick in which make it a lot easier for our bodies to store fat.

This of course is not good when trying to lose weight. So, fasting and skipping meals, although on paper you feel you will eventually lose weight, when actually eating this way, the body stores more fat than normal due to its adapted functions.

Once we have made the necessary changes to our diet, we must then look at exercise.

With exercise we increase the demand for energy and therefore calories. Unfortunately, as this activity level is not constant then our demand will also not be constant. So how do we use exercise to increase our metabolism but also maintain it whilst not active?

The answer lies in strength training. Strength training is the act of putting the muscles under controlled stress to which they have not before been exposed. This will promote an adaptive response to improve and grow stronger which is a process which can take up to 10 days.

The process can be broken into three simple but important metabolic demands.

These are-
1. The workout itself
2. Post-training Oxygen consumption following the workout
3. The growth phase of adding lean muscle tissue.

Firstly, the workout session. When the muscles are contracting to lift heavy loads this require a tremendous amount of energy. If you increase the amount of muscle involved in the contraction then you will increase the metabolic demands. This will be connected to muscle groups, such as the large muscle leg group or back muscle group. The larger muscle groups demand more metabolic energy in intense contractions.

Second is the amount of Oxygen consumption possible post exercise. With strength training the increase of Oxygen consumption post exercise is far more than other exercises such as cycling or running. With this increase post exercise Oxygen intake increasing along with high demands from worked muscles the effect will be an increased metabolic rate.

Lastly is the growth and adaptation phase. When you train muscles under stress which they are not used to it damages them in response to this new challenge. The body will not stop there though you will have created a demand for calories which will last well past the workout session itself.

With the increase in demand for nutrients to repair the damaged muscles your metabolic rate will match this demand. It is now where the regular controlled meals will become massively important so your body uses the correct nutrients to repair muscle whilst preserving your already hard gained muscle tissue.

More muscle mass means higher metabolic rate at rest. There we have it, a metabolic increase which is maintained for periods of time well past your exercise session. When it comes down to it, strength training one well will be your answer to shifting that stubborn weight and improving your all round well-being.