Can You Increase Your Metabolic Rate?

One of my students told me she'd heard that if she drank lots of green tea, she could increase her metabolism and loose weight.  I told her I wasn't sure that was correct so I looked it up and the piece I read said "It may" increase metabolism.

It turns out most of us are using two terms interchangeably when in reality they aren't.  Metabolism actually refers to all chemical reactions the happen in the body while metabolic rate which is the rate your body burns calories.

They are related to each other because the calories our bodies burn cause the chemical reactions to occur.  So the higher your metabolism, the higher your metabolic rate.  It is well known that as women age, their metabolism tends to slow and they gain weight because they are loosing muscle mass but there are things you can do to keep from gaining weight as you age.

One of the first things people do when they want to loose weight is to cut their calories but this is not necessarily the best move because your body is used to a certain weight and when you cut the calories significantly, your body cuts it metabolism rate because it assumes you are starving.  It is suggested you eat the number of calories equal to your weight times 11 so you can loose weight while maintaining your metabolism.

Another thing about your diet is to make sure you eat because your metabolism has slowed due to sleeping and it won't rev up until you've eaten something.  Studies indicate people who eat breakfast tend to lose more weight than those who skip that meal.  You don't have to eat much but it needs to be in the 300 calorie range but it should contain protein and high fiber carbohydrates rather than high fat foods.

Furthermore, you need to make sure you eat enough protein because that can help raise your metabolism.  It is recommended that your daily diet should be made up of between 10 to 35 percent protein.  Make sure the protein comes from lean animal sources or low fat dairy sources such as yogurt or cheese.  Your body finds it harder to break down protein due to its amino acids and thus your body burns more calories doing it.  This is why they recommend you eat protein.

It is also recommended you eat five to six smaller meals each day rather than three large meals because it prevents you from becoming hungry and over eating.  Try to schedule. meals so you do not go over four hours between meals and include protein with each meal.  It is recommended one eat a nice breakfast, a small snack during mid morning and mid afternoon, a small lunch, and a small dinner with perhaps a small evening snack.

In addition, make sure you include more high fiber carbohydrates from vegetables, fruit, and grains rather than relying on processed foods as much.  Don't be afraid to add spicy peppers and other spices to your cooking because research has found the spiciness tends to make people fill fuller faster.

Yes, it is highly recommended people, especially women, continue exercising as they age because it helps their metabolism.  It is important to include weight training because one pound of muscle burns more calories than one pound of fat so if you have more muscle on our body, you burn more calories. In fact, increasing your muscle increases your at rest metabolism so you even burn more calories while sitting down.

In addition, add some interval training to your regular workout sessions because studies indicate that people who do interval training twice a week to their regular cardio workout, can double their weight loss due to their increased metabolism.  Throw in a couple cross training sessions per week and you make your body work harder but you don't have to exercise all in one session.  Instead of exercising for one hour straight, break it up into two 30 minute sessions so that you you keep your metabolism elevated.

Finally, be sure to get enough sleep and relax.  If you don't get enough sleep, your body is tired and unable to burn calories as efficiently as normal.  Make sure you find time to relax and chill out because stress can cause fat cells in your body to begin storing fat and you get bigger.  With just a few changes to your lifestyle, you can improve your metabolism and increase your metabolic rate.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.