Can you hear yourself blaming your slow metabolism for your weight gain? I hear a lot of people do it and I know it sounds harsh, but sometimes I think it’s just an excuse. Everybody seems to know a person who has an apparently fast metabolism. They can eat what they like when they like without gaining a pound. Doesn’t seem fair really, does it? From the outside it’s very straight forward and logical but is it really that simple? If you are determined to lose weight, there are ways you can take control and make your metabolism work harder.
We all seem to use the metabolism word a lot, but do we really understand what it is?
What is metabolism?
To put it into simple terms, your metabolism is the speed at which your body breaks down nutrients from the food you eat to produce energy. This helps your body to do all sorts of amazing things like breathing, keeping your organs functioning, repairing tissue and cells and much more. The quicker your body changes calories to energy the higher your metabolism is. For some lucky people, this helps to keep the extra weight off.
According to scientists the Global metabolic rate is increasing because of our modern lifestyle changes. We don’t exercise as much as we used to, and this is triggering many diseases that are caused by poor metabolic health such as heart disease or diabetes. Even if you believe your slow metabolic rate is hereditary and in your family genes, there are things you can do about it. It is possible to make your metabolism work harder.
No more excuses, let’s dive straight in!
5 ways to make your metabolism work harder
1. Develop lean muscle
Believe it or not, muscle can burn energy much faster than fat, so you need to focus on building up your lean muscle. What this means is the more muscles you have, the more calories you will be burning while doing nothing. Increasing your muscle mass can be done through regular weight training and resistance training. Ideally twice a week. This will increase your metabolic rate in the long term. Great News! You don’t need to visit the gym to be able to do this. Having a good long session digging in the garden or mowing the lawn will give you lots of opportunities to incorporate some strength training. It’s not necessary to visit the gym and lift weights if that’s not your thing.
Try to mix up your muscle exercises with a bit of cardiovascular exercise. Going for a fast walk or a good long swim can really help to burn fat. Just 30 minutes each time is all you need. Find an exercise that works for you. Cycling or running is good but be careful because it can be tough on the knees.
If 30 minutes non-stop is too much for you, mix it up by doing a couple of minutes running then a couple of minutes walking and keep repeating that.
2. Just don’t stop.
Making sure you are moving regularly throughout the day, rather than just doing one burst in the morning or in the evening is a much better way to train your body to use energy. You don’t have to do traditional exercises. Hoovering the house, tidying or even cooking will count. The best thing about this is you are ticking off chores while burning calories. It’s a win/win situation.
3. Make sure you take a break.
Your stress levels can affect your metabolic rate. This is more difficult to control but there are things you can do to make your metabolism work harder. If you are feeling permanently stressed, this will slow down your metabolic rate. So, if you are trying to lose weight, it’s going to take longer.
If you can find a way to decrease your stress levels then you may be able to increase your metabolism. Making sure that you take a break at some point in the day is so important. If you can do some form of meditation that would be ideal. For some tips on how to do this, check out my post Om for Meditation – 18 Surprising Benefits of Chanting Om.
If there are specific contributing factors to your stress levels such as your environment or your job then maybe it’s worth considering how you can improve these.
4. Changing your diet will make your metabolism work harder.
This may seem a bit obvious but the food you eat can definitely contribute to the speed at which your metabolism functions. If you want to see your metabolism work harder you need to find a good balance between eating enough food to get the energy you need without overeating. 2000 calories is the recommended intake for ladies (2500 for gentlemen) each day. So, you might like to consider implementing a calorie controlled diet if you think you are eating too many. Luckily the food packaging in our supermarkets has become really good about labelling and it’s clear to see all the calories that each item contains. Keeping track of what you’re eating is now easier than it’s ever been.
If you eat too much food and you don’t burn off the calories, your body will just store it as fat. If you eat too little then your body will think you’re starving, and it will automatically slow down your metabolic rate to save energy. So, the best combination here is to reduce your calorie intake slightly and increase your activity levels to burn more energy.
5. Get enough sleep.
If you are consistently not getting enough sleep, this can slow down your metabolism. If dieting isn’t your thing then maybe you focus more on making sure you’re getting to bed on time at night. Some studies have found that people who don’t get enough sleep have a greater appetite and therefore eat more. Their calorie intake goes up making it a lot more difficult to lose weight. Getting the right amount of sleep for your age helps to keep your metabolism ticking over at the best rate for your body.
Myths about metabolism
You may think you know all about your own metabolism. However, it’s possible that all this time, what you thought was true is only a myth. Let’s have a look. Woman and Home Magazine highlights some myths about metabolism that many people believe are true.
- You’re overweight because your metabolism is slow – No, this isn’t the case. Some studies have shown that larger people can sometimes have a faster metabolism because their body needs more energy to carry it around. The more likely answer here is that the calorie intake is too high, and they’re just not being burnt off.
- Breakfast boosts your metabolism – I bet you’ve been told in the past that breakfast kick starts your metabolism in the morning. Everybody is different and eating breakfast in the morning makes no difference to your metabolism at all. Some people need to eat because of their low blood sugar levels and some people don’t.
- When you lose a lot of weight fast, your metabolism speeds up – This is completely false. In fact, the opposite is actually the case. If you start to lose weight quickly, your body reacts and will slow down your metabolism to protect it.
- Exercise affects metabolism differently during the day – Nope! Whatever time of the day you want to exercise is great. Morning or night, it makes no difference whatsoever.
- Coffee and green tea naturally increase your metabolic rate – There is very little evidence to suggest that this one is true at all. I wish it was, because with the amount of coffee I drink I would be the slimmest person out there.
- Your metabolism gets slower as you get older – For many years, people thought this one was true. But studies have recently shown this isn’t the case. Our bodies usually continue to use energy at the same rate until we’re around 60 years old, unless you do start to slow down on the exercise front. In which case your metabolic rate will slow down too. This will mean you lose muscle mass as well, so that will contribute to it. The change in your metabolism is usually linked to your lifestyle rather than age.
What we have learnt about how to make your metabolism work harder
It is very possible to adjust the rate at which your metabolism works. Don’t just accept the fact that yours is slow and there’s nothing you can do about it. If you want to lose weight you have the information right here, so no more excuses! Put a weight loss action plan together and start getting fit. Go for it. You’ve got this.
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