Targeting the metabolism is indeed a good idea, altering your lifestyle to make more healthy choice and learning how to work with your metabolism can offer some good benefits, it can be your biggest supporter and act as your personal trainer.
Some people can eat whatever they want while others gain weight simply by smelling a donut and struggle with weight for decades. There are a number of environmental and genetic variables involved with a core contributing factor being the metabolism, specifically the metabolic rate. It is not fully understood why metabolism varies, but it is possible the explanations can include age, gender, and genetics.
Metabolism involves many chemical processes, it is more than a mechanism that can be tweaked, it is required to sustain life as the chemical processes occur in every cell within the body such as helping turn food into usable energy; resting metabolism accounts for most of the energy the body burns. The faster the metabolism is the more calories the body will burn. Resting metabolic rates will vary from person to person, for most basal resting metabolic rate accounts for 60-80% of total energy expenditure.
It can be challenging to boost the metabolism, but not impossible in most people. To set the record straight before starting a drastic diet plan, one should 100% never do a crash diet, that will significantly impact the resting metabolism and not in a good way. One study involving 4,900 subjects between the ages of 24 to 34 found regular eating and history of no dieting was associated with successful weight management, crash dieting was concluded to lead to more weight gain with age, meaning starving the body of food should be out of the question.
Build up lean muscle mass and switch things up is beneficial as muscle cells require more energy than that of fat cells which is why individuals with more muscle tend to have faster working metabolism. Resistance training can be beneficial mixed with cardio workouts that mix things up with intervals. One study found that women incorporating sprints into cardio workouts lost 3 times more body fat including thigh fat, it is believed that bursts of speed may stimulate greater fat burning responses.
Some studies suggest that 75% of Americans don’t stay hydrated enough. One study found that drinking 12 eight ounce glasses of water a day was associated with higher metabolic rates, and those drinking more water experienced more energy and higher levels of concentration. When 3% of body weight is dehydrated it results in a 3% decrease in ability to burn calories, if you feel thirsty chances are the body has lost 2-3% of weight due to lack of hydration. Green tea can help meet hydration needs and help to boost the metabolism as ECGC active plant compounds within it promote fat burning, 4 cups of green tea a day has been found to help led to a significant reduction in weight and systolic blood pressure.
Lack of sleep can affect mood, ability to focus, and can negatively impact metabolism. Poor sleep patterns can result in key hormone imbalance that help to regulate appetite and energy used. Studies have shown that individuals with poor sleep patterns have higher BMIs.
Studies have shown that diets with high levels of pesticides experience impaired mitochondrial and thyroid function that directly impacts metabolism. Choosing organic foods is the best choice to help boost the metabolism with items such as lentils, nuts, seeds, cinnamon, garlic, chili peppers, and dark leafy greens.
Simple put there is no sure fire quick fix, crash diet, trendy diet, magic pill, or overnight solution when it comes to boosting the metabolism. Aiming to make healthier lifestyle choices including a well balanced diet and active lifestyle will guide you along the way, for which there is no substitute.
