There are a lot of people who would give a lot to increase their metabolism. Having a high level of metabolism enables one to maintain burn fat and lose weight fast with the least amount of activity. Metabolism is the rate by which the body produces and consumes energy and calories to support life.
There are several factors that affect the metabolism of a person, such as the amount of muscle tissue, the frequency of the meals one consumes, genetics, stress levels, personal diet and activity levels. Metabolism slows done due to the following: loss of muscle because of not enough physical activity, the tendency of the body to cannibalize its own tissue because there is not enough food energy to sustain it, and the decrease of physical activity that comes naturally with old age.
Here are several ways to rev up your metabolism. Build up on lean, mean body mass. It is only natural that metabolism decreases along with age, but it is possible to counter the effects. The amount of muscle a person has is a very strong determinant in the ability to burn calories and shed fat. So it goes without saying that exercise is essential. Build strength and resistance by working out at least twice a week, preferably with weights.
Do easy exercises in between workouts. Simple tasks such as walking the dog and using the stairs in place of the elevator can already take off calories. The key is to match the amount of eating to the amount of activity one has. Here are some guidelines in getting the right exercise:
For strength training
Increase the amount of repetitions of a particular exercise. Add the level of resistance. Utilize advance exercise techniques if possible. For cardiovascular training insert intervals between exercises, perform cross training and combine the exercises, add up on resistance and speed.
Eat breakfast. A lot of people are ignoring the fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Surprisingly, the ones who eat breakfast are thinner than the ones who do not. Metabolism can slow down considerably if breakfast is taken during mid-morning or if one waits until the afternoon to eat.
Avoid sugar. Sugar enables the body to store fat. It is recommended that a person consumes food that helps sustain an even level of blood sugar. Additionally, progressive execerise 2 to 3 times a week should be in order to stabilize blood sugar.
Eat spicy foods. Hot cuisine with peppers can increase metabolism.
Sleep more. According to research, it is riskier for people who do not get enough sleep to gain weight. Also, muscles are regenerated during the last couple of hours of slumber.
Increase water intake. Water flushes out toxins that are produced whenever the body burns fat. Majority of bodily functions involves water, and lack of water causes the body system's operations to decrease its speed, and produces unneeded stress as a result.
Eat smaller meals. It is advisable to consume 4 to 6 small meals that are timed 2 to 3 hours apart.
Never skip meals. People tend to skip meals in order to lose weight, which is a big mistake since it slows down metabolism.
Plan meals in detail. Always prepare the right amount of food to be consumed at the designated intervals. Do not commit the mistake of eating meals in sporadic patterns.
Ditch the stress! Stress, be it physical or emotional, triggers the release of a steroid called cortisol, which decreases metabolism. Also, people tend to eat excessively when stressed.
Guzzle up on green tea. It can be used as a substitute for coffee. Tea has the ability to stimulate metabolism, and unlike coffee, it has no undesirable side effects when too much is consumed.
Include more energy foods in the diet, such as fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains.
Achieving the desired body weight is never impossible if one has the determination and patience needed to stabilize the metabolism level, which plays an important role in weight loss. A person needs to realize that eating right and working out is not just a passing fancy, but a way of life.
High Metabolism Boosting Foods
Many people are in endless pursuit of an effective method for the loss of excess body fat. A lot of people that have the proper discipline and that get enough exercise fail regardless of their efforts. There are several reasons for failure, some of them are obvious and some are very confusing. I am hoping to debunk some myths and uncover some truths about losing excess body fat. Additionally, I will outline some exercises that I have found to be invaluable to weight loss.
The first misconception about weight loss is that you must eat light foods in order to lose fat, foods such as; leafy vegetables, fruits, etc. Although these foods contain a wide array of vitamins and minerals, they should not be a substitution for high-protein foods, because this will inevitably lead to muscle loss and metabolism slow-down. Vegetables should be eaten in addition to high protein foods, not in substitution of them. Fruits on the other hand should be avoided altogether, when trying to lose fat, because they are full of sugar.
Another huge misconception about weight loss is that cardio vascular exercise will lead to overall fat loss and muscle increase. On the contrary, cardio coupled with a negative calorie deficit will lead to the loss of lean body mass. This has been observed in long distance runners in several longitudinal studies. In order to prevent excessive muscle loss, you must do two things; train with heavy weights and eat lots of protein. Training with heavy weights will maintain muscle mass, and high protein intake will prevent muscle catabolism. You will lose muscle when you lose fat, no matter what! However, with proper technique and diet, you will be able to minimize muscle loss.
Proper nutrition can make or break any weight loss plan. If you eat poorly, not even the most intense training regimen can save you. Before you begin dieting, I recommend gaining some lean body mass. You must consume more calories than you metabolize, in order to build muscle. In other words, you must overeat when trying to gain muscle. But, you must over-eat the right types of foods. These foods should be the same as the foods that you eat on your fat cutting diet (below), however in larger quantities. Below, I have recommended some great exercises that you should perform, while eating lots of high-protein foods.
A few exercises that I recommend performing before beginning your diet are; bench press, pull-downs and squats. These are great exercises to pack on large amounts of muscle before you take the plunge and start cutting fat. They are compound exercises, which mean that they require the movement of more than one joint in the body to complete. Between these three exercises, you will work nearly every muscle in your body. When you feel comfortable performing these major exercises, you may begin to include cardio vascular exercises. But, I would not recommend doing cardio until you have a solid foundation of lean muscle mass. Otherwise, you may lose muscle, leading to metabolic slowdown, and weight gain.
Whence you have gained significant muscle mass, you must switch gears to cut excess body fat. In order to accomplish this, you must eat high protein foods, while limiting fat and calorie intake. This can be very difficult. However the foods should be the same as when you were gaining muscle, foods such as; tuna salad sandwiches on multi-grain bread, eggs, protein bars, chicken breast, etc. In order to be successful, you must have the perspective that food is fuel, and not for enjoyment. After one or two weeks of cutting, you will be regularly hungry (because you body will try to maintain your current weight) and probably bored with your food selection. Hang in there, because results will come quickly if you train hard and eat right
As a precaution, note that a weight loss program is a temporary dietary change. Long-term negative calorie deficits will ultimately lead to feelings of lethargy and weakness. Whence you have achieved your desired weight loss goals, I recommend immediately increasing calorie intake back to the maintenance level.
In conclusion, the steps towards successful fat loss and lean body mass gain are; gain muscle by exercising and eating lots of healthy, high protein foods then; continue to exercise and eat lots of protein and cut calories, and finally; increase calories to maintenance level (neutral calorie intake, i.e. no weight gain or loss) and continue exercising. These steps are very easy to understand, but they are very difficult to perform. Good Luck!
Both Phoenix Delray & Rick West are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Phoenix Delray has sinced written about articles on various topics from Hair Styles, Cars and Hair Styles. Always consult with a a professional fitness consultant like the before you begin a new training regimen.. Phoenix Delray's top article generates over 450000 views. to your Favourites.
Rick West has sinced written about articles on various topics from Build Muscle, Metabolism and Build Muscle. Written by Rick West. Find more of his work here: . Rick West's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.
