Most of envisage cardio or aerobic exercises such as running and cycling as the best exercises for increasing metabolism. Well they do help of course but to really increase your burn rate you want to include some weight training in your exercise regime.
The reason weight or resistance training is of such benefit is that lean muscle requires more calories to just exist. So those with more lean muscle will naturally have a higher metabolic rate. The great thing about this of course is that you will be burning up more calories even while you are resting or even sleeping.
For best results you want to partake in regular weight training sessions, so instead of a once a week trip to the gym try and do a bit less more often. In fact the metabolism is raised for a few hours after a training session while the body builds the new muscle.
So get started on building that muscle because for every pound of lean muscle you will be burning more calories night and day.
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
A Healthy Breakfast Revs Up Your Metabolism
If you are seriously working on increasing metabolism, it is very important not to skip meals throughout the day.
It is much better to eat 5 or 6 small meals daily, as around ten percent of the calories which we use are used to absorb and digest our food, so it makes good sense to keep things moving slowly throughout the day.
However the most important meal of the day is breakfast. Many people that are trying to lose weight miss breakfast as they feel it is an easy way to cut down on calorie intake. The truth is though that as your body has slowed down while you have been sleeping your metabolism really needs a kickstart to get those calories burning.
So leave the muffins and sweet pastries to one side and have some wholegrain cereal maybe with some low fat probiotic yoghurt, or perhaps an omelette or some fresh fruit. The options are only limited by your imagination, and what's in the refridgerator of course.
It is much better to eat 5 or 6 small meals daily, as around ten percent of the calories which we use are used to absorb and digest our food, so it makes good sense to keep things moving slowly throughout the day.
However the most important meal of the day is breakfast. Many people that are trying to lose weight miss breakfast as they feel it is an easy way to cut down on calorie intake. The truth is though that as your body has slowed down while you have been sleeping your metabolism really needs a kickstart to get those calories burning.
So leave the muffins and sweet pastries to one side and have some wholegrain cereal maybe with some low fat probiotic yoghurt, or perhaps an omelette or some fresh fruit. The options are only limited by your imagination, and what's in the refridgerator of course.
Sunday, 9 February 2014
Foods That Increase Metabolism
The majority of foods that help to increase metabolism and fresh natural foods, especially those made up of complex carbohydrates and proteins. These require the body to use up more energy to break them down in the digestive system.
This results in extra calories being burned in the digestive and metabolic processes. Another benefit is that release of the calorific energy is spread out over a longer period which results in less insulin being released into the blood stream and a more consistent energy flow. So you feel less hungry and less keen to snack during the day.
In addition, most of the complex carbs come from fresh vegetables and fruit which are full of fibre which takes much longer to be processed by the digestive system, further increasing the metabolism.
Some examples of foods that are good for increasing metabolism are:
Asparagus, Beans, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumbers, Garlic, Leeks, Lettuce, Marrow, Peppers, Radish, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip, Apples, Apricots, Most Berries, Clementines, Grapefruit, Guava, Lemon, Melons, Oranges, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Tangerines, Cayenne pepper, Extra virgin olive oil, Fish especially oily fish like salmon and mackerel, Flaxseed & Green tea.
This results in extra calories being burned in the digestive and metabolic processes. Another benefit is that release of the calorific energy is spread out over a longer period which results in less insulin being released into the blood stream and a more consistent energy flow. So you feel less hungry and less keen to snack during the day.
In addition, most of the complex carbs come from fresh vegetables and fruit which are full of fibre which takes much longer to be processed by the digestive system, further increasing the metabolism.
Some examples of foods that are good for increasing metabolism are:
Asparagus, Beans, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumbers, Garlic, Leeks, Lettuce, Marrow, Peppers, Radish, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip, Apples, Apricots, Most Berries, Clementines, Grapefruit, Guava, Lemon, Melons, Oranges, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Tangerines, Cayenne pepper, Extra virgin olive oil, Fish especially oily fish like salmon and mackerel, Flaxseed & Green tea.
Thursday, 6 February 2014
Why Low Calorie Diets Do Not Work!
I'm sure that most people that have tried to lose weight have been on a low calorie diet at some time. And most of those people, including me, have discovered that trying to lose weight by drastically cutting down calories doesn’t work. In fact it is detremental to your health and general wellbeing.
The reason for this is that the body’s ability to lose weight is not controlled by calories. Calories are just energy units and it is how your body uses that energy that determines whether weight is gained or lost. So it is your metabolism that determines the rate that the energy is used up.
The way metabolism works is that when you cut down on calories your body will slow down the rate at which calories are used, to preserve your energy, and therefore slowing your metabolism. The trouble with this of course is that, when you increase your calorie intake again, your body will have to deal with that via a slower metabolic engine. So the chances are you will start to gain weight following a cut down on calorie consumption when you return to higher calorie intake.
So instead of cutting calories you need to make better choices in the food that you eat while inceasing your physical activity.
The reason for this is that the body’s ability to lose weight is not controlled by calories. Calories are just energy units and it is how your body uses that energy that determines whether weight is gained or lost. So it is your metabolism that determines the rate that the energy is used up.
The way metabolism works is that when you cut down on calories your body will slow down the rate at which calories are used, to preserve your energy, and therefore slowing your metabolism. The trouble with this of course is that, when you increase your calorie intake again, your body will have to deal with that via a slower metabolic engine. So the chances are you will start to gain weight following a cut down on calorie consumption when you return to higher calorie intake.
So instead of cutting calories you need to make better choices in the food that you eat while inceasing your physical activity.
Tuesday, 4 February 2014
Drink Tea To Increase Your Metabolism
Do you drink tea? Well if you are serious about your health and weight loss it is a very good idea to start if you do not already drink a few cups of tea each day.
Tea has been used in medicine for centuries and scientists and health researchers today are discovering what our ancenstors knew: tea is good for you. All teas are packed with anti-oxidants which help to prevent damage caused by free radicals that are formed in the body, but some teas are better than others.
Black tea is made from the young leaves and buds and are fermented after drying. Green tea comes from the same plant but does not go through the fermentation process and is higher in antioxidants. White tea also comes from the same plant but is the least processed and therefore retains more of the beneficial nutrients than the other teas.
Studies have suggested that tea can raise your metabolism due to a combination of the caffeine and antioxidants naturally occuring in the tea. This increase encourages the body to burn more fat and is a great addition to your diet and exercise regime.
Tea has been used in medicine for centuries and scientists and health researchers today are discovering what our ancenstors knew: tea is good for you. All teas are packed with anti-oxidants which help to prevent damage caused by free radicals that are formed in the body, but some teas are better than others.
Black tea is made from the young leaves and buds and are fermented after drying. Green tea comes from the same plant but does not go through the fermentation process and is higher in antioxidants. White tea also comes from the same plant but is the least processed and therefore retains more of the beneficial nutrients than the other teas.
Studies have suggested that tea can raise your metabolism due to a combination of the caffeine and antioxidants naturally occuring in the tea. This increase encourages the body to burn more fat and is a great addition to your diet and exercise regime.
Monday, 3 February 2014
Increasing Metabolism By Being More Active
There are plenty of things which you can do in your everyday life which will help to increase your metabolism, and most of them just take a little thinking about and maybe a little extra time.
The first and most obvious way how to increase metabolism is to be more active. This doesn’t mean that you have to go the gym for a couple of hours every night after work, but just by increasing the exercise in your normal daily routine can go a long way to help.
Why not try getting up a little earlier and walking to work instead of driving, or, if you take the bus, why not try getting off a couple of stops early and walking the last mile or so, you might even enjoy the walk if the weathers nice and will arrive at work feeling more fresh and ready for a busy day.
It is important just to get out and about, walk the dog, use the stairs instead of the elevator, buy a bicycle, the possibilities and endless and I promise you that the more you do it the more you will begin to enjoy it.
The first and most obvious way how to increase metabolism is to be more active. This doesn’t mean that you have to go the gym for a couple of hours every night after work, but just by increasing the exercise in your normal daily routine can go a long way to help.
Why not try getting up a little earlier and walking to work instead of driving, or, if you take the bus, why not try getting off a couple of stops early and walking the last mile or so, you might even enjoy the walk if the weathers nice and will arrive at work feeling more fresh and ready for a busy day.
It is important just to get out and about, walk the dog, use the stairs instead of the elevator, buy a bicycle, the possibilities and endless and I promise you that the more you do it the more you will begin to enjoy it.
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