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"Metabolism" can be both friend and foe, and is all too often blamed for our failures in the diet department. All of us with a few pounds to shed wish we could do it as "effortlessly" as the people who attribute their slim physique on a high metabolic rate.
While the word "metabolism" is thrown around a lot, not everyone knows what it really means. Basically, metabolic rate refers to how fast you burn calories by going about your daily life. Everyone has a different metabolism, and as a result one person can eat anything they want without gaining a pound, while the other gains weight as soon as something hits their taste buds. The rate at which you burn calories is directly related to the amount of lean muscle mass you have. People with more muscle than fat burn more calories, during both rest and exercise.
Good News & Bad News
There is some good news, but also some bad news when it comes to metabolism. The bad news is that you cannot blame just your genes anymore; only because your family is a little heavier does not mean you are genetically destined to have a slow metabolism. The good news then is that you can directly influence your own metabolic rate, and consequently speed it up!
Speeding up Your Metabolism
Now that we know we are actually in control of our metabolism, lets look at some ways we can speed things up a little, and shed pounds without breaking into a sweat.
1. Eat More... Often!
Two people, Judy and Alice, who eat the exact same amount every single day but Judy does not gain weight while Alice has been struggling with diets for as long as she can remember. While the amounts both people eat are identical, Judy eats smaller portions six times a day and does not eat after 8pm. Alice does not eat breakfast, and then "rewards" herself with a big lunch, starves the rest of the day until dinner time and subsequently indulges in "mid-night snacks". Judy doesn’t get hungry, and her body is used to fixed portions throughout the day, as a result Judy does not store the energy from her food as fat because it is being used up between meals. On the contrary, Alice’s metabolism is out of wack because her body never really knows when it will be fed. As a result, it lowers its metabolic rate and has an ongoing "fat savings account", storing energy as fat for the times it is being starved.
If you want to increase your metabolic rate, it is a good idea to divide your daily food intake up into smaller but more frequent portions. You will feel more satisfied and more energized as a result!
2. Love Your Water
Drink water! It is becoming a health cliché, but it is true! People who drink at least two liters a day will more easily burn fat and calories than people who dehydrate themselves. A German study showed that drinking 500ml of water increased the resting metabolic rate of the test subjects by 30%! This effect reached a maximum around 30-40 minutes after drinking the water.
3. Supplement Your Efforts
Still relatively an unknown parameter, but certain vitamins and minerals play a key role in the breakdown and metabolism of food. If you have a deficiency in one or some of them, your metabolism will not work at its optimal speed not matter what you do.
- The most important vitamins in metabolism are the B-vitamins. Especially B12 has shown to play a vital role in determining your basal metabolic rate. It is easiest to take these vitamins as a B-complex, because that will provide you will all B-vitamins you need.
- Recently, studies also showed that vitamin C has an influence on metabolism, especially in people approaching middle-age as well as young adults. Vitamin C has a positive effect on the cells and helps combat something called "oxidative stress", which is believed to slow down your metabolism. Oxidative stress increases with age, as your body becomes less capable of fighting free radicals itself. At the same time, other studies show that individuals with marginal levels of vitamin C intake have a 25% reduced fat oxidation compared to individuals who consume higher levels of vitamin C. This basically means that your body is less capable of burning fat when your vitamin C intake is inadequate.
- Unlike other vitamins, excess and unused amounts of vitamin C are automatically excreted in the urine. This means you do not have to be tremendously careful with the amount you take, because it is almost impossible to "overdose". One of these studies showed that adults taking vitamin C supplements increased their basal metabolic rate by 100 calories per day.
- Chromium is a metal that, when consumed in trace amounts, can greatly help people lose weight by improving the metabolism of carbohydrates and sugars. It is frequently included in multivitamin supplements and because chromium should only be taken in trace amounts it is best not to take it on its own.
- If your thyroid is not functioning properly, you may have more trouble losing weight. Kelp normalizes thyroid function, and can thus be an additional support in your weight loss goals. Similarly, calcium, green algae, green tea and wheat grass boost energy by revving up your metabolic engine. Another compound that can make a difference is Papaya Enzyme, which helps digest proteins faster.
A commonly overlooked part of nutrition and diet is detoxification: in our modern world we are continuously exposed to harmful toxins which prevent our body from working efficiently. We are also more concerned with the obvious junk we feed ourselves than the microscopic waste that finds its way into our system. Simple algae such as chlorella have strong detoxifying effects, but most supplements on the market contain multiple ingredients. If you are planning on using a supplement, I recommend purchasing it at your local health food or drug store. A good example of a comprehensive solution is the "Natural Factors Detoxitech Detoxification and Cellular Cleansing", which contains a full spectrum of mineral and vitamins.
Losing weight and boosting your metabolism depends on changing more than just one aspect of your life style. However, by committing to multiple small changes you are in for some big benefits!
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