Speeding up your metabolism will help you lose weight by burning more calories, even while you're asleep or watching television. You can permanently rev up your metabolism by building muscle and losing fat, eating enough calories, eating on a regular schedule and consuming a high-fiber, high-protein diet. Your metabolism is influenced by your age, gender, weight and activity level.
Components of Metabolism
Your metabolism can be broken down into three parts: your BMR, or basal metabolic function, which is responsible for all the chemical process that keep you alive; your physical activity; and your digestion. All three components can be boosted to speed metabolism. You can speed up your BMR by increasing your ratio of muscle to fat. Muscle tissue requires more energy. even at rest, than fat. Building muscle mass and losing excess body fat will permanently speed up your metabolism.
Physical Activity
The more active you are, the more calories you burn -- and the higher your metabolism will be. On average, physical activity accounts for about 20 percent of your entire metabolism. But if you exercise more -- especially strenuous exercise -- you may use 50 times more energy -- burning 50 times more calories than at rest during that time. And the effects linger -- your metabolism stays elevated for a period of time, even after you've stopped moving. If you are building muscle by strength training, you'll be raising your metabolism in both the short and long term.
Digestion
Some of the calories in the food you eat go toward digesting your meal. Called "thermogenics," it's the role digestion plays in metabolism. Fats are easy for your body to assimilate and raise your metabolism by only 4 percent. Carbohydrates use more energy -- especially high-fiber carbohydrates. But protein requires a significant portion of its calories just to be broken down and processed -- about 30 percent. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests that at least 18 to 20 percent of your daily diet come from protein.
Hormones
Some aspects of your metabolism are easier to control than others. Your thyroid, a gland located at the base of your throat and part of your endocrine system, helps control the speed of your metabolism by releasing hormones that tell your body how many calories to burn and how much oxygen to use. It's common for thyroid function to slow down, especially in women over 40 years old. A sluggish thyroid, called hypothyroidism, can slow your metabolism and cause weight gain. Fortunately, there are medications that can help balance and counteract a sluggish thyroid. Talk to your doctor if you think you may have a hormonal imbalance caused by an under-active thyroid.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Metabolism and Weight Loss: How You Burn Calories; October 2009
- American College of Sports Medicine: Metabolism Is Modifiable with the Right Lifestyle Changes; March 2009
- Better Health Channel: Metabolism Explained
- NBC Today Health; Diet Mistakes that Slow Down Your Metabolism; May 2010
Member Comments