Metabolism has many definitions and explanations, but it essentially is the chemical reactions that are needed by your body to sustain life. Metabolism is split into two parts: catabolic (the breaking down of organic matter to create energy) and anabolic (the use of that energy to create organic matter.)
The speed at which your catabolic metabolism breaks down substances is decided in large part by your genetics, but there are many things you can do to speed that process up.
Exercise
The most important and prominent aspect of speeding up your metabolism is exercise. Regular exercise burns calories immediately but it also increases your body's muscle mass. Think of muscles as your body's furnace and your calories as your firewood. The bigger your furnace the more firewood you burn on a regular basis. Now the more muscle mass you have, the more calories to be burned to sustain that muscle, thus raising your metabolic rate. One other thing to remember is that workouts must be changed every now and then to keep your body from getting too comfortable with any workout. Splitting workouts during the day is also beneficial for example running in the morning and weightlifting in the evenings.
Diet
Another way you can speed up your metabolism is by having a proper diet. A proper diet must include a healthy amount of protein consumption. Eating 100 to 200g of protein a day can help speed up your metabolism. Supplementing the coffee in your diet with green tea is another way of giving your metabolism a boost.
Eat several small meals a day after a decent breakfast. Having a decent breakfast is very important to speeding up your metabolism. It also helps you avoid overeating.
Alcohol should be removed from your diet because it disrupts the digestive process by causing the body to concentrate on digesting the ingested alcohol, causing all other ingested calories to be reverted into fat. The calcium in dairy products causes an increase in the body's fat burning.
Stress Reduction
Stress is a great way to slow your metabolism down. When stress hormones are present in your bloodstream, your body is in a panic mode, which may cause you to overeat.
Sleep
If want to have a fast metabolism you must get a decent amount of shut-eye. Research has shown that a healthy adult needs at least eight hours of sleep at night. Those who do not get enough sleep are at risk of raising their body mass index.
References
- Elsevierhealth.com
- American Dietetic Association
- 2004-Physiology 5th Edition by Robert M. Berne, M.Levy, B. Koeppen, and B. Stanton
Member Comments