If you're dieting, you may wonder how much metabolism affects weight and how to increase your metabolism. The term metabolism refers to your body's process of turning food and drink into energy to run your biological functions and maintain your weight. Individuals vary as to how fast or slow their metabolism runs and how many calories they need each day. Some variables related to metabolism, including your genetics, age, body type, frame size and gender, cannot be changed. However, there are other aspects of metabolism that you can influence and control.
Step 1
Start your day with breakfast. Eating breakfast every day gets your metabolism going after a long period of rest. Skipping breakfast cues your metabolism to slow down to conserve energy.
Step 2
Eat frequent small meals during the day. Skipping meals causes metabolism slow-down, but five or six small meals at regular intervals throughout the day keeps your metabolism constantly humming.
Step 3
Engage in aerobic exercise as often as possible. Aerobic, or cardiovascular, exercise is intense activity that raises your heart rate and burns lots of calories. Examples include running, brisk walking, swimming, bicycling, stair-climbing and dancing. The University of Arkansas states that aerobic exercise raises your metabolism both while you are exercising and for up to three hours afterward.
Step 4
Strength train. Strength-training workouts, which build muscle mass through weight-lifting and resistance exercises, is an effective way to dramatically increase your metabolism. Muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat, meaning that the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism and the more calories you will burn each day. Engage in strength-training exercises two to three times per week for best results.
Tips and Warnings
- Use your own body weight as resistance, or common household goods as hand weights, if you don't have access to strength-training equipment. Push-ups, sit-ups, lunges and squats can be done with no extra weight at all, and full water bottles or canned goods can stand in for free weights.
- Always consult with your physician for medical clearance before beginning any new fitness regimen.
Member Comments