Metabolism is a term used to describe the chemical reactions that allow you to derive energy from the foods you eat and maintain normal body function. The efficiency of this chemical process has a significant effect on your body's ability to burn calories. By increasing your metabolism, you can increase your calorie-burning capacity and more easily lose extra pounds or maintain a healthy weight.
Metabolism Basics
When you eat, your body begins the process of metabolism by breaking down the energy-rich components of food, according to the Nemours Foundation. Carbohydrates in your food get broken down into sugars such as glucose, while proteins get broken down into amino acids. Fats you consume get broken down into fatty acids. Depending on your current needs, your body will either designate these energy sources for immediate use or store them for future use. Common places for energy storage include your liver, body fat and muscles.
Resting Metabolism
When you are at rest, your body only requires a certain daily food intake to maintain proper metabolism, the Nemours Foundation says. This baseline measurement of resting energy consumption is called your basal metabolic rate, or BMR. In addition to your BMR, your overall metabolism is influenced by factors that include your level of physical activity and your body's relative proportions of fat and muscle.
Metabolism Effects
Your BMR can significantly affect your ability to gain or lose weight, the Nemours Foundation notes. If you have a low BMR, you will burn calories at a relatively low rate; as a result, you will gain weight fairly easily. If you have a high BMR, you will burn calories at a relatively high rate. As a result, you will maintain or lose weight more easily. Even if individuals with a low BMR eat the same foods and have the same activity level as individuals with a high BMR, they will generally gain more weight when compared with their high-BMR counterparts.
Increasing Metabolism
You can increase your resting metabolism by increasing your muscle mass through strength training, according to SpineUniverse. Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat, and when you increase the size of your muscles, you also increase your body's calorie-burning capacity. As long as you continue strength training, the boost in your basic metabolism will remain permanently active, even after the end of a given exercise session. You can also boost your metabolism with aerobic exercises such as cycling or walking, SpineUniverse notes. However, because these exercises do not affect your muscle mass, your metabolism will return to normal shortly after you finish a given aerobic activity.
Considerations
You may develop low BMR and weight gain as symptoms of a metabolic disorder called hypothyroidism, according to the Nemours Foundation. This condition is characterized by lack of activity in your thyroid gland, which normally releases a metabolism-regulating hormone called thyroxine. If your thyroid gland is abnormally active, you may develop a condition called hyperthyroidism. The high BMR resulting from this disorder may make it difficult for you to maintain a healthy weight.
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