Metabolism: Give It a Boost
Posted by Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.
on Mon, Jul 31, 2006, 9:15 am PDT
There are two things that can help boost your metabolism: food and exercise.
When it comes to FOOD...
- Don't eat less than 1000 calories. Your body and metabolism thrive on food. When you fast, crash diet, or restrict calories below 1000, your metabolism will slow down in a response to conserve energy. Imagine your metabolism as a blazing fire... Feed the fire consistently with the appropriate amount of high-quality wood and it continues to burn at a good rate. If there is not enough wood, the fire goes out... Too much wood, it grows out of control -- just like your waistline!
- Eat every 4 to 5 hours. Because our bodies work hard to digest and absorb the foods we eat, your metabolism revs in response. This is called the thermic effect of food. Take full advantage and schedule meals and snacks every 4 to 5 hours.
- Make breakfast a priority. Studies show that people who regularly eat a healthy breakfast within 2 hours of rising are more likely to control their weight. Some of the reason may be because you're lifting your metabolic rate after it's been in a "resting phase" throughout the night.
- Protein with every meal. Eating all types of food creates a thermic effect and will slightly boost metabolism after consumption. However, the consumption of protein has the greatest metabolic boost when compared to carbohydrate and fat. Plus, eating the appropriate amount of protein will ensure you're able to maintain and build muscle mass (the more muscle mass you have, the greater your metabolism). Make sure to incorporate lean protein into most every meal (together with high-quality carbs) and get an appropriate amount each day.
Daily Protein Requirements:
Approximately 50% of your weight = daily grams of protein you need
Some of the best protein sources include: - Fish
- Chicken breast
- Turkey breast
- Lean red meat
- Skim milk
- Nonfat yogurt
- Eggs and egg substitutes
- Tofu
- Beans and lentils
When it comes to EXERCISE...
- Do aerobic exercise 4 to 5 days each week. It’s obvious that aerobic activities like running, brisk walking, swimming, and bike riding burn calories and increase metabolism while you’re working out. But interestingly enough, several studies show that aerobic activities cause your metabolism to stay increased for a period of time after exercising. Aim to do some type of activity for at least 30 minutes, 4 to 5 times each week.
- Do strength training exercise 2 to 3 days each week. Lifting weights and/or doing other strengthening activities like push-ups and crunches on a regular basis will boost your resting metabolism 24/7. That’s because these activities build muscle, and muscle burns more calories than body fat. In fact, if you have more muscle, you burn more calories -- even while sitting still.
5 comments:
WoooHOooo! This is a great post and I'll def. apply it - My favorite was the last - MUSCLE BURNS FAT! More muscle = less fat - even when you're not trying to work out!
The 4-5 hour thing surprises me. I have always heard the opposite, you are supposed to eat every 2 hours to keep yourself in the right blood sugars...hmm.
Jules
Yeah, that's the one thing that I question. I've been averaging a small snack every two hours or so in between meals. But I thought the other info was great.
Good information to have. Thank you.
Great article...I agree about eating more frequently than advised here. At least, I know it's working for me to eat at about every 2 hours!
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