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5 Easy Steps to Help Boost Your Metabolism

March 12, 2010 By Narina 2 Comments

I think before we talk about easy ways to increase metabolism we should first define metabolism and get a better understanding of what metabolism is and how it can be affected by lifestyle choices.  Wikipedia defines metabolism as:

“the set of chemical reactions that occur in living organisms to maintain life”  Whole textbooks could be written about metabolism and all the different chemical processes that occur.  But, basically for the purpose of this article we are concerned about the body's ability to convert the food we eat to energy to be used during activities of daily living or in some cases to be stored as fat.  We all know people who for whatever reason seem to be able to eat whatever they want, however much they want and never seem to gain an ounce.  These people may not even be that active either.  These people are blessed with what we all refer to as a “fast metabolism.
On the other hand there are those individuals who must be very aware of what and how much they eat to maintain a healthy weight.

There are some things that will cause your metabolism to slow.  One major cause of a slower metabolism is aging.  This we can not prevent, but some of the other causes of a slow metabolism are preventable.  They are:

  • Extreme fasting
    Excessive dieting
    Lack of physical exercise
    Skipping meals
    Poor sleeping habits
    Too much of a gap between meals
    Eating too many foods that are loaded with sugar

If you notice the list above, 5 of the items all involve food and meals.  It is well known and documented that those successful in their weight loss endeavors have all included breakfast.  As we sleep our bodies are in a fasting mode.  In order to “kick start” our metabolism it is essential to eat breakfast. Without food, our metabolism slows and to start your day off on the right foot and waking up your metabolism, then breakfast is imperative.

The same can be said about skipping meals or going too long between meals/snacks.  You should attempt to eat something about every 3-4 hours.  It doesn't have to be huge meals.  But, each meal and snack should contain a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fats.  Skipping meals and allowing too much time to elapse between meals once again put the body into a fasting mode and the metabolism slows down to accommodate.  In fact, if weight loss is your goal, the worst thing you could do is eat a too low a calorie diet, skip breakfast or other meals throughout the day.

So, that brings us to the question raised – what are easy ways to increase your metabolism.  There are several ways to do this:

1)  If you are not involved in a resistance/strength program, then start now. The more you can increase your muscle mass, the more active your metabolism will be.  It is known that muscle mass burns more calories than  fat, so the goal of everyone should be to change their body composition and increase their lean body mass.  This can best be achieved through a properly designed exercise program that involves strength training and conditioning.

2) If you don't eat breakfast – then you must start now to include this most important meal.

3)  Never skip meals. Even a a small snack of fruit/yogurt/nuts can be enough to maintain an active metabolism throughout the day.

4)  Try to ensure that you are doing something in the way of physical activity every day for at least 20 minutes.

5)  Make sure that your exercise program is of a necessary intensity to create EPOC (post exercise oxygen consumption).  If your exercise program is of a high enough intensity, your metabolism will remain elevated for several hours after you have finished exercising = bonus!!

Increasing your metabolism is not that difficult, but you must be consistent and incorporate the above noted items to make a difference.   In a nutshell:

1)  Eat breakfast
2)  Never skip meals
3)  Weight train minimum 3x/week
4)  Do some form of conditioning (aerobic work) every day – minimum 20 minutes
5)  Clean up your diet – eliminate wheat, sugars, all junk food –     period!

If you have any specific questions regarding metabolism, how to make necessary lifestyle changes or how to incorporate an exercise program into your life.

Till next time,
Narina
“Monitoring, Mentoring, Motivation”

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Filed Under: Fitness

The Holy Grail

March 8, 2010 By Michael Mahony, ISSA CPT 1 Comment

The Muscle Building Fat Burning Video Blog #128
March 7, 2010

What's on my mind today?

Day 864
Day 174 of 335

Today is the start of my Holy Grail transformation.  I am going to be using a system prescribed by Tom Venuto.  I am quite excited because this system really fits the things I already know about my body and how it does its best work.  The training programming is called TNB and is also created by Tom Venuto.  My goal is to lose fat and maintain lean body mass over the next 84 days.  When this program is done I will be 12 weeks away from my bodybuilding competition.  I am planning to be at about 8% body fat.  This will require me to lose 1% per week.  That should be pretty easy for the next 8 to 10 weeks, but at that point things are going to get tough.  It is hard to get under 10%, but I am going to do it.  Failure is not an option.  Today’s video discusses how I feel about what I am embarking on.  I share my true feelings and my hope for the future.  This is the Holy Grail!

Body Weight:  240 lbs.
Fat %: 19.15%
Change: –0.87%
4 week trend:  -3.27%

Calories: 2471
Training:  Rest day

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Planning Ahead

March 7, 2010 By Michael Mahony, ISSA CPT Leave a Comment

The Muscle Building Fat Burning Video Blog #127
March 6, 2010

What's on my mind today?

Day 863
Day 173 of 335

Things are bound to happen in an unexpected fashion.  You can be caught without food if you don’t plan ahead.  One of the keys to successful physique transformation is eating every 3 hours to keep the metabolism on high.  The way to achieve this is to always plan ahead and have food of some sort on hand.  This keeps you out of the fast food drive thru.  This is the topic of today’s video.  It is a must watch!

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Get Focused on Nutrition

March 6, 2010 By Michael Mahony, ISSA CPT Leave a Comment

The Muscle Building Fat Burning Video Blog #126
March 5, 2010

What's on my mind today?

Day 862
Day 172 of 335

Nutrition is an extremely important aspect of any physique transformation.  No matter how much exercising you do, eating incorrectly will make it hard to progress.  Today’s episode discusses the importance of focusing on your nutrition.

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Supplements Don’t Make the Man

March 5, 2010 By Michael Mahony, ISSA CPT Leave a Comment

The Muscle Building Fat Burning Video Blog #125
March 4, 2010

What's on my mind today?

Day 861
Day 171 of 335

Supplements are a hot topic in the fitness industry.  I’ve tried my fair share.  At this point I am down to just a few because they actually work.  In today’s video blog I discuss what supplements I use and why.  I also talk about supplements I no longer use and why. 

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