Health,
fitness and weight management is all about balancing the number of calories you
take in (eat) with the number of calories your burn (metabolize). In general, fit people have higher metabolic
rates. Just what is metabolism? Your metabolism is the process by which your
body converts food into energy and then puts that energy to use. You need
energy for rigorous activities like jogging or biking, but you also need those
calories to fuel bodily processes such as breathing and keeping your heart
beating.
Scientifically
speaking, there are four components that make up your total daily metabolic
burn rate: 1) your resting metabolic rate (RMR or the number of calories your
body burns at rest) 2) TEF or the thermic effect of metabolizing food 3) The
amount of calories you burn when going about your daily activities and 4)
physical activity which includes lifestyle activities as well as the planned
exercise you partake in (aka PAL - physical activity level). Each of these areas can be tweaked to boost your total
daily calorie burn rate.
Here are 6 tips for staying lean and fit by igniting
each of these metabolic areas in different ways:
Boost your
calorie-burning furnace by strength-training. The only scientifically proven method of enhancing the number of
calories your body burns at rest (RMR) is to change your body composition
meaning adding more muscle mass. Muscle is more metabolically active than
fat (one pound of muscle burns approximately 9 times the calories as a
pound of fat) so by increasing muscle mass through intensive strength
training, you can increase RMR to a small degree. Strength-building
exercises also help maintain your bone density and balance, two important
factors in healthy aging.
Daily cardio adds to
your burn. Here is where you have the greatest daily
control over your total burn rate. When done properly (intensity at or greater than 75% target heart rate) cardio is the greatest calorie burner
in the least amount of time. Combine a daily cardio expenditure of a few
hundred calories with your strength training workout calorie burn and you
have a one-two punch which will guarantee to fire up your metabolism.
Power up your
protein intake. Eating a small amount of lean protein at every
meal is also an effective metabolism booster. Protein takes more calories
to assimilate thereby raising your TEF to a greater degree than carbs or
fat.
Eat small, frequent
meals. And don’t forget to eat small frequent meals
throughout the day (another proven metabolism booster) rather than
consolidating your entire food intake into just one or two large meals.
Eating metabolism-raising foods in small quantities, spread throughout the
day, will also provide you with a stable blood sugar level and a constant
source of energy needed for metabolism. It is also important that you do
not skip breakfast or drastically reduce your calorie intake as it will be
interpreted by your body as potential starvation and lead to a slowdown in
your metabolism.
Get enough Z’s. Sleep deprivation actually has been shown to harm your body’s
endocrine function and capacity to metabolize carbohydrates. Translation:
when you don’t get a good night’s sleep you decrease your calorie burning
potential. Aim for at least 7 solid hours per night to help your
metabolism run more smoothly.
Practice stress
reduction. Stress triggers the release of cortisol, the
primary stress hormone. When cortisol bathes your body’s tissue it
stimulates fat storage, particularly around the middle (the more dangerous
location). Cortisol also slows metabolism.
Practicing healthy stress reduction techniques such as exercise (strength and cardio),
listening to music, gardening or any other relaxation technique will lower
the amount of cortisol and help you maximize your metabolic rate.
Remember,
you can take action to enhance your total daily metabolic rate. Targeting your
calorie burn from multiple angles using the scientifically proven strategies
outlined above, is an effective way to control your metabolism.
Follow these 6
tips with the support of Fitness Together and you can and will ignite your
inner inferno! A Fitness Together
trainer will develop a strength training routine designed to meet your specific
goals. You’ll also receive nutritional
counseling through the Nutrition Together program, which will complement your
workouts. To find
the Fitness Together studio nearest you, please visit fitnesstogether.com.
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