Ladies Start Your Engines: Revving Your Metabolism

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By Mia Bolaris-Forget

It’s likely that most of us, at least at some point have those extra five or ten pound that we just can’t seem to shed. And, for some of us we can’t seem to even pinpoint how they got there. But, having a desk job, other obligations in life than hitting the gym after work, I’m sure hasn’t helped most of us. Factor in being out of our twenties and well into and past our 30’s and we can add to that the notion of a metabolism that may not be quite what it use to be.

But, what exactly is metabolism, and why or how is it to “blame”?

Metabolism, according to experts is an intricate pathway of hormones and enzymes that help turn food into fuel and determine how well your body burns that fuel, establishing the rate at which each of us burns up our calorie intake and how quickly or slowly we gain weight or lose it. And, metabolism is unique for and to each everyone, affected by age, gender and proportion of lean body mass (or the amount of muscle you have); as well as by heredity. Plus, thryroid function can affect how you burn or don’t burn calories. And, ironically, the more weight you carry, the faster your metabolism is running, forcing your body to work harder and sustain itself at rest; which is why it’s always “easier” to lose weight when you first start your diet, rather than when you’ve lost a good amount of weight and experienced significant success. At this new stage, you need to work out more and actually eat less, especially if you want to keep the ratio of muscle to fat ratio proportionate for keeping you fit and thin.

Still, there are ways, say experts, to enhance your metabolism, and exercise rates as number one.

Pros suggest aerobic exercise for burning calories in the immediate and short term, then a series of weight training to help strengthen and build muscle to help boost your lagging metabolism. Remember, the more muscle you have the higher you metabolic rate, even at rest. And, more good news; more muscle means you can eat more without (necessarily) gaining weight.

Also, while eating less (overall) is what the experts suggest, they also suggest eating more often, but making healthy choices when you do. Eating several small meals each day keeps your “furnace’ working burning all those calories you are (frequently) taking in. They add that when there’s too much of a lapse between refueling your body actually goes into starvation mode, slowing down and holding on to calories consumed. Furthermore, healthy, frequent snacks helped ensure healthier choices and smaller portions when it came to regular meals.

As far as foods that rev your metabolism, experts say that almost any food will give your metabolism a boost with the first hour of consumption, when your system is most pumped. In addition, protein typically required about 25 percent more energy to digest, so, at least in theory, protein may help boost metabolism just a bit more, especially when compared to high carb foods with the same calories. Some studies also suggest that hot spicy foods can also jolt your metabolism (a bit). They note that these hot spices cause the body to heat up, increasing metabolism. But, the effects were most noticeable when eating high fat foods. And, this metabolic boost may also be true of green tea which contains EGCG, a potent antioxidant that some suggest can also affect metabolic rate.

Overall, however, experts suggest a combination of exercises including muscle building exercises, “frequent” low calorie snacks, and high protein foods cooked in spices and washed down with green tea.

Long Island Weightloss Articles > Ladies Start Your Engines: Revving Your Metabolism