Most of you have heard the word/term “metabolism”, but do you really know what it is or what it means? You may know that it is important to your weight, which it is, but that is not all. Your metabolism is quite important to your overall health too. Okay, so metabolism is your body’s “engine”; it is what burns “fuel” a.k.a. calories for energy. By this definition you may have figured out that your metabolism will determine not only your weight, but your energy levels as well. Your overall metabolic rate is important, very important, so it is time to learn how to control it.
Your metabolism determined by food and physical activity
As you can tell, by the previously stated definition, the calories you consume fuel your metabolic engine. Without calories, your metabolism has nothing to run on. Therefore, you must eat in order to keep a healthy metabolic rate. Having a healthy metabolic rate means that you will burn calories at a pretty rapid rate. Additionally, your body will burn calories even when it is resting (i.e. sleeping).
For a good number of people, metabolic rate is not an issue in younger years. Regardless, as you age your metabolism slows down. Some will tell you this is a natural part of aging – true – and that there is nothing you can do about it – false. By the time you reach your 40s and 50s your metabolic rate is likely to have slowed by an entire 30%! What this means for you is that you not only have less energy but you have more fatty deposits than you should. You may not be able to see them or you may not see a huge difference on the scale, but it is there.
Think about it, your body has no choice but to store calories that are not being used; unfortunately, the body stores these excess calories as fat. This is where the vicious cycle begins because fat, also, slows down your metabolism. Now, for some people, a healthy metabolism has never been something they were “blessed” with. This would mean that these people have always had to work at keeping a decent metabolic rate or they have always struggled with weight. Either way, lucky or not, your metabolism can – and will – determine your weight and health.
What influences your metabolism?
There are a number of things that influence your metabolic rate; one of which is diet. Surprisingly, if you cut calories too significantly your body thinks – or knows – it is being starved so it prepares for this food shortage by storing calories (food). In turn it will burn less because it only has two choices – burn or store. This is not to say that you will not lose weight by starving yourself, but it won’t be the weight you need to lose; instead it will be water and muscle weight that is disappearing – along with energy.
Muscle weight is very important when it comes to your health and your metabolism. See, muscle burns fat and helps to keep your metabolic engine pumping whereas fat does not. When you lose muscle weight you are depriving your body of the backbone to keeping itself healthy and fit. Muscle also has this great advantage that it burns fat – energy, calories – even when you are resting. Therefore, the more muscle you have the more you will burn resting or not.
Your metabolic rate can not go it alone
Yes, metabolism and muscle go hand in hand. If you have a healthy muscle mass, your metabolic will naturally be higher. Maintain a healthy level of muscle mass via a proper strength training routine and you will be well on your way to a healthy metabolic rate. Additionally, eating the right amount of food – 1500 to 1800 calories a day – gives your muscles and metabolic engine the “fuel” it needs to function efficiently. Workout and eat right and you will not have to struggle with weight issues and the “aging” process ever again.
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