How Does My Metabolism Work?
Metabolism is the process whereby your body breaks down the carbohydrates, protein and fats that you take in through your food in order to convert them into energy. How fast your metabolism is depends on a number of factors that you can change, including the food you eat, when you eat it, the exercise you take part in and your current weight. Your genetics also play a very small part – but they are only responsible for 5% of your metabolic rate. When your body burns off calories, it burns them off from the fat, protein and carbohydrates that you take in, according to John Berardi, president of Precision Nutrition. But a calorie is a calorie, and so your body will burn calories off from whatever you put into it whenever it needs energy.
Your metabolism will also naturally slow down with age. According to Berardi, at age 25, your metabolism starts to slow down by between 5 and 10% per decade, so your metabolic rate could potentially halve by the time you hit 75 – it’s therefore super important that you put the effort into boosting your metabolism through your younger years so that you’re not stuck with a weighty problem in your elder years.
Boosting Metabolism with Exercise
Exercising is probably the single most effective way of boosting your metabolism, whatever your age, size or weight. Strength training or training with weights can ramp up your metabolism for up to 72 hours after the exercise, according to researchers at Wayne State University, and this is because your body uses energy that you put into it to repair your muscles. Not only will this boost metabolism, but it will also improve toning. The more lean muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be as your body needs to use extra energy in order to support that muscle – so it’s a win-win! Exercising in the morning will boost your metabolism throughout the rest of the day, and research has shown that over 90% of regular exercisers do so in the morning, rather than in the evening – showing that exercising in the morning is also easier to stick to.
Eat Breakfast to Rev Up Your Metabolism
It might surprise you, but it’s actually really important that you eat breakfast – and a good, hearty breakfast at that – every single day. Research by the American Journal of Epidemiology showed that individuals who regularly skipped breakfast were nearly 4.5x more likely to be obese than those that ate a decent breakfast every morning. Skipping breakfast puts your body into starvation mode, meaning that your metabolism slows down to a snail’s pace to conserve energy – just in case you don’t put any food into it. Eat a breakfast rich in carbohydrates and lean protein to keep you full until lunch – try a bowl of oatmeal scattered with raspberries with a side of scrambled eggs. Ever heard the old saying, “Eat like a king at breakfast, like a prince at lunch and like a pauper at dinner”? It might be worth a try!
Get Plenty of Sleep
Not getting enough sleep can play havoc with your metabolism, according to Sanjay Patel, assistant professor of medicine at the Case Western Reserve University. Not getting enough sleep, between 6-10 hours per night depending on your needs, or not getting enough high quality sleep, can drastically lower the amount of calories that you burn off at rest. This means that the calories needed to perform basic functions could well decrease, lowering your metabolism and lowering the amount of calories you burn at rest which could potentially lead to a weight gain. According to Patel, the amount of calories that you burn every day at rest represents up to 75% of your daily calorie burn – so don’t slow it down by skipping sleep. If you find it difficult to get to sleep, or to stay asleep, try these sleep tips.
Keep the temperature between 60F and 68F – this is optimum for sleeping.
Switch off all electrical devices at least 1 hour before sleep, including your e-reader, as these devices can play havoc with your sleep wake cycle.
Try lavender in your pillow. It’s a natural relaxant and will instantly make you feel calm and relaxed.
Eat Little and Often to Boost Metabolism
New research by Georgia State University shows that those who eat small, light meals every 2-3 hours are more likely to have faster metabolisms and less body fat than those who restricted their meals to just 2 or 3 per day. But the science behind this is simple – if you eat more frequently, your body gets the reassurance that it needs that you’re not going to starve. You’ll be feeding your muscles, and because you’re eating more often, the body doesn’t feel the need to lay down fat stores. Eat 5-6 meals per day instead of 2-3 and you might just find that you kick-start your fat loss.
Eat the Right Foods
It’s not just about how you eat, it’s about what you eat. Research by the University of Utah showed that those who drank 8-12 glasses of water per day had speedier metabolisms than those who only drank 4 – and some evidence suggests that if you drink cold water only, you’ll boost your metabolism by heating that water up to your core temperature after you’ve consumed it. Kristine Clark, director of sports nutrition at Pennsylvania State University says that spicy foods can also increase metabolism – not by much, but every little helps, right? Include spices in your everyday cooking, or take a supplement such as the Pure Saffron Extract Appetite Suppressant Supplement to boost metabolism, reduce appetite and boost weight loss.
Boosting your metabolism is all about revving it up – rev up your energy, rev up your workouts and rev up your diet by eating more frequently and by including spices in your meals. A healthy diet and exercise regime is key to boosting metabolism and weight loss, and a natural appetite suppressant could go a long way in helping that.
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