We all have that one friend who could eat all the sweet and savory food in the world, yet there isn’t any visible change in their body size.
As the popular saying goes – blame the player not the game! Well, here the game is metabolism. The word metabolism refers to how much energy your body uses.
In other words, it means how many calories you burn in a day. A starting point to measure your metabolism is calculating BMR (basal metabolic rate), which measures how many calories you burn at rest.
Basically, BMR is a measure of how many calories you can lose by doing nothing. Then comes the calories you lose by actually doing some form of physical activity. You add both these digits up and there you go, that’s your metabolism.
Now just because your metabolism is slow doesn’t mean you are the victim! Someone with a fast metabolism will not lose weight by eating junk food and not exercising while someone with a slow metabolism will not gain weight after a vigorous workout.
Now that these little myths have been debunked, let’s talk about the importance of good metabolism.
Small changes towards improving your metabolism will bring about great health benefits. Also, it will help burn fat and ward off weight easily!
It’s essential to get 7 hours of consecutive sleep to get proper rest which is needed by the body. Lack of sleep can really slow down the rate of metabolism.
It’s one of the easiest and fastest ways to rev up your metabolism. 3-5 cups a day can help you burn 70 calories! So it's basically a calorie-free way to really increase your metabolism. Now isn’t that a win-win situation?
Regular cardio raises your metabolism while you’re doing it but once you’re down it drops back down to normal.
A high-intensity workout jumpstarts the metabolism and keeps it going even after you’re done working out. That way you burn fat and calories during as well as after your workout.
Actually, scratch that. Make sure you have 4-5 small meals a day including breakfast! Digesting food takes energy which is basically your metabolism.
So instead of your metabolism rising just thrice a day, it raises 4-5 times a day thus increasing your BMR. The rundown on its effects, now it’s your turn to choose your side. Pro coffee or anti-coffee?
Drinking water speeds up digestion and burns calories. Being dehydrated causes cravings which makes our body think you are hungry.
By drinking water regularly you keep your bodily fluids balanced and also prevent any wrong messages being sent by your body.
Experts say that after you leave weights your metabolic rate stays raised for up to 48 hours after your workout! Also, that means all your fat is getting converted into muscle and muscle is way more metabolically active than fat.
Caffeine alters our fuel usage so we use fat for energy rather than glucose. Also, caffeine can increase your basal metabolic rate by around five to ten percent for two hours. It also helps break down fat. But be careful not to go overboard cause too much can cause nervousness or insomnia.
So even though our BMR depends on genetics, gender, size, sex, weight and many more factors, there are some ways to keep it in control!
It's always beneficial to have a well-balanced metabolic rate, especially for its health benefits. But remember just like metabolism is more than energy burning, there’s more to our nutritional needs than just calorie counting!
In case of any related query related to diet or weight loss book an appointment with Dt. Silky Mahajan please send us a mail at info@foodsandnutrition.in or call on 080 6741 7780 (Dial Extension: 778).
