Your metabolism is the rate at which you convert food to energy, and it is driven by energy demands from your body and brain. The amount of energy your body demands is measured in calories, and even at rest your body needs a certain number of calories to stay alive. If you increase your body's energy demands, you will also increase your metabolism. In most cases, speeding up your metabolism will cause weight loss.
How Your Metabolism Works
The food you eat is converted into sugar, or glucose. Structures in your cells, called mitochondria, convert this glucose into a fuel called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. Your body uses ATP to fuel every single function, from blinking to making new cells. Your body is always working, even when you are sitting still, so you need a constant supply of ATP. This means that the mitochondria in your cells are constantly converting glucose into ATP.
Metabolism and Weight Loss
When you speed up your metabolism, you force your mitochondria to work harder to make more ATP than usual. To do this, your mitochondria need more sugar to convert into fuel. If you do not have enough sugar in your bloodstream, or if you do not eat enough to make up the difference, your body will break down fat to make ATP. Over time, continually speeding up your metabolism will lead to weight loss as long as you do not increase the amount of food you eat to compensate for the increased energy demands.
Ways to Speed Your Metabolism
Exercise is the safest and most natural way to increase your metabolism. When you exercise, your heart and breathing rates increase, as does the activity in your muscles -- all of which speed up your metabolism. Exercise has the additional benefit of strengthening your muscular and cardiovascular systems for improved health. Illnesses, such as viral and bacterial infections, also increase your metabolism, because your body has to work harder to fight off the infection. Certain drugs, such as caffeine and ephedrine, speed your metabolism by increasing your heart rate. Increasing your metabolism with drugs does not condition your cardiovascular system the way exercise does, and it can actually cause damage.
Conclusion
Any increases in your body's energy demands have the potential to trigger weight loss. Some methods, such as drugs, have the potential to harm your body and should be avoided. Other methods, such as exercise, can provide lasting benefits beyond weight loss. If you wish to start an exercise program for weight loss, consult your physician.
References
- "Principles of Anatomy and Physiology"; Gerard J. Tortora, et al.; 2010
- "Physiology of Sport and Exercise"; Dr. Jack H. Wilmore, et al.; 2007
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