Baran: Steps To Raise Your Metabolism
- By Matthew Cooper
- Published 11/13/2008
Do you realize that we burn calories while we sleep? The term
“metabolism” refers to the body converting calories from food into fuel
and using that fuel to power everything that occurs in the body, from
the cellular level all the way up to the motor functions of our
appendages. Calories are constantly being burned whether we are
running, eating, sleeping, or simply sitting around breathing.
Obviously the more people exert themselves, the greater the calorie burning is. Ultimately, losing or gaining weight depends on whether the calories burned (metabolic rate) are greater or smaller than the calories consumed. Here are just a few simple tips to boost your metabolic rate that can be easily achieved by most everyone.
Intense intervals during workout: Increasing intensity causes your metabolism to shoot up both during the workout and stay higher for longer afterwards. It would be difficult for most of us to go at maximum speed and effort for an entire cardio workout, so going all out for a couple of minutes and then at a moderate pace for a few minutes and alternating that routine for the length of the workout would be the ideal setup. Some studies in Canada have shown that women who interval train lose more than 33% more fat than those whose entire exercise sessions are at a less intense level.
Increase protein intake: Some studies have shown that metabolism can almost double if a high-protein meal is consumed.
Increase muscle tissue: The sad truth is that the more muscle one has, the more calories the body will burn. Training to increase strength and building a few pounds of extra muscle will pay off big dividends in terms of speeding up your metabolic rate. Even the resting metabolic rate will increase if a few pounds of fat can be replaced by muscle tissue.
More frequent meals:
Heck, some of us don’t even get the three square meals
a day! That is a bad practice. The less frequently we eat, the more our
metabolism slows down. You need to stoke that fire burning furnace, and
consuming five or six small meals a day will accomplish that. Of
course, that still means being vigilant with the total number of
calories consumed. That can be more easily accomplished by selecting
foods that are nutrient dense and calorie poor.
For those looking for some external help to boost their metabolism, here are a couple more suggestions. The caffeine in one cup of coffee can help a person burn 50 or so extra calories. Caffeine does not equate to more calories burned, but can cause jitters and possibly raise blood pressure. If one desires to drink more than one cup of coffee, make it green tea instead. Green tea contains a polyphenol called EGCG, which has been shown to boost metabolism without negative cardiovascular effects.
Andre Baran IV and his brother Bernard Baran, are co-owners of Brothers Nutrition in Edgewater. They can be reached via e-mail at edge@brothersnutrition.com.
Obviously the more people exert themselves, the greater the calorie burning is. Ultimately, losing or gaining weight depends on whether the calories burned (metabolic rate) are greater or smaller than the calories consumed. Here are just a few simple tips to boost your metabolic rate that can be easily achieved by most everyone.
Intense intervals during workout: Increasing intensity causes your metabolism to shoot up both during the workout and stay higher for longer afterwards. It would be difficult for most of us to go at maximum speed and effort for an entire cardio workout, so going all out for a couple of minutes and then at a moderate pace for a few minutes and alternating that routine for the length of the workout would be the ideal setup. Some studies in Canada have shown that women who interval train lose more than 33% more fat than those whose entire exercise sessions are at a less intense level.
Increase protein intake: Some studies have shown that metabolism can almost double if a high-protein meal is consumed.
Increase muscle tissue: The sad truth is that the more muscle one has, the more calories the body will burn. Training to increase strength and building a few pounds of extra muscle will pay off big dividends in terms of speeding up your metabolic rate. Even the resting metabolic rate will increase if a few pounds of fat can be replaced by muscle tissue.
More frequent meals:
For those looking for some external help to boost their metabolism, here are a couple more suggestions. The caffeine in one cup of coffee can help a person burn 50 or so extra calories. Caffeine does not equate to more calories burned, but can cause jitters and possibly raise blood pressure. If one desires to drink more than one cup of coffee, make it green tea instead. Green tea contains a polyphenol called EGCG, which has been shown to boost metabolism without negative cardiovascular effects.
Andre Baran IV and his brother Bernard Baran, are co-owners of Brothers Nutrition in Edgewater. They can be reached via e-mail at edge@brothersnutrition.com.
Matthew Cooper
