| What is Metabolism ? |
Metabolism is a collection of chemical reactions that takes place in the body's cells. Metabolism converts the fuel in the food we eat into the energy needed to power everything we do, from moving to thinking to growing. Specific proteins in the body control the chemical reactions of metabolism, and each chemical reaction is coordinated with other body functions. In fact, thousands of metabolic reactions happen at the same time ,all regulated by the body ,to keep our cells healthy and working.
Body composition is the primary factor that determines your BMR , or the number of calories your body burns at rest. The more total fat-free mass you have (including lean muscle, bones, organs, etc.), the higher your resting metabolic rate will be. This explains why the average man has a 10-20 percent higher metabolism than the average woman. Likewise, the BMR of a plus-sized woman (whose total body mass, including both fat and fat-free mass, is significantly greater) could be up to 50 percent higher than that of a thin woman. Heredity and hormones such as thyroid and insulin are the other important factors that dictate metabolism--though stress, calorie intake, exercise and medications also can play a rote.
But if ,you have a naturally slow metabolism, weight gain is by no means inevitable--and though it may be harder to shed body fat, it's nearly always possible. You can raise your BMR to a certain extent by exercising and building lean muscle.
| Ways to Boost Your Metabolism |
- Dont skip your breakfast.
If you don't eat breakfast, you slow down your metabolism and send the body into "hoard mode," thinking it's starving because you're going a long period of time frequently 8 to 10 hours or more, without food. - Eat the majority of your food earlier in the day.
Dinner should be your lightest meal, and some experts recommend you don't anything after 8 p.m., or any later than 3 to 4 hours before bedtime. This helps your body process and burn the food when you're aware and moving around and burning more calories per hour. - Don't starve.
Dropping your calorie intake below 1,000 calories a day will signal to your body that you are in starvation mode, and will slow down your metabolism. - Eat smaller meals more frequently.
Smaller, more frequent meals keeps your blood sugar stable and provides a steady source of energy to fuel metabolism. - Get enough aerobic exercise.
Get as much aerobic exercise as you can is really a help for your metabolism, and if you do it in the morning, you'll raise your metabolism all day. - Build muscle with weight training or resistance exercise.
Add weight training or progressive resistance exercise that builds muscle. Muscle burns more calories than fat, and the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest! - Water, water, water!!
The energy burning process of metabolism needs water to work effectively.So drink at least 8 cups of water everyday. - Get enough B vitamins. Make sure that you are getting enough B vitamins. Vitamin B-12 in particular is one that is essential for energy. To ensure you're getting enough B vitamins, consider taking a B complex, plus a separate sublingual B-12.
- Try a supplement for fatigue. Supplements in this category include: CoQ10, L- Carnitine,NADH and Green Tea extract.
- Try Chinese Herbs. Avoid ephedra and ma huang stimulants, ask your practitioner about schizandra--a Chinese herb that is used for fatigue. Ginseng is also popular for energy. Before trying any herbs, supplements, or vitamins, you should of course consult with your practitioner to ensure they are safe for you.
- Try mate tea. Mate is an herbal tea native to South America. Mate is considered far more nutritious than black tea or coffee, and though it also has some caffeine, its effects are energizing, rather than making people jittery.
- Consider Energy Work. Energy and bodywork , such as yoga, tai chi, qigong (pronounced chee-gung), and Reiki, can all help in adding and balancing energy. In qigong, tai chi, and yoga, gentle movements are used to move energy along the energy pathways of the body. In Reiki, a practitioner helps open up energy channels.
