Day 2 - Working With Your Metabolism

Understanding your metabolism is key to weight loss. Your metabolism is not a function any one organ or tissue in your body performs but rather a process by which your entire body utilizes the fuel (food) you give it. Everything you eat consists of either fat molecules, protein molecules or sugar (carbohydrate) molecules which when broken down by your body have a certain amount of associated energy (or fuel). This energy (fuel) is counted in units - the calorie, and is essential to perform any and every function of life. Click here to learn more about calories. Your body's job is to then utilize this fuel or to store it.

For your body to utilize the fuel, instead of store it, your body must metabolize it. No matter what you are doing; sleeping, walking, running a marathon or typing on your computer, your metabolism is running. You are burning calories to even keep your vital processes running (for example: the muscles in your heart require energy to contract and pump blood through your circulatory system). However, your metabolism during all of these activities is not running at the same level. Although there are many cellular processes occurring while you sleep, it is not even close to the number of processes that occur while performing a strenuous activity. Your body needs a lot more energy during exercise (or even just wakefulness) than it does during sleep - and so your metabolism works at a much higher level to put out enough energy.

The higher your metabolism is running the more fuel you are using, and therefore the less you are storing as fat. If you are using more than you are ingesting then your metabolism begins to use the stored energy as well. So an important aspect of weightloss (if not the most important) is understanding your metabolism, and how to get it working at its highest level.

1. Metabolism Genetics

Not only is it written in our DNA for a person's metabolism to slow down as they age. But it's true - some people are blessed with a faster metabolism than others. You know who they are; the ones who eat and eat and eat, yet never seem to gain a pound? Yup. That's because of a higher than average metabolism due to genetics. If you don't fall into this category though don't despair, there are several ways to increase your metabolism to make your life a little easier.

2. Muscle Burns More Than Fat

It may seem intuitive now that you have a little more knowledge about your metabolism but; muscle burns more fuel than fat. Fat cells have very little function and so needs very little energy to sustain them, muscle cells on the other hand are used for everything we do. So pound for pound, muscle burns more energy than fat. Meaning someone who weighs the same as another individual, but has a higher percentage of muscle has a metabolism working at a higher level. This is why getting active is so important. Even 20 minutes a day will begin building muscle and increasing your metabolism.

You do not need to be at the gym for hours trying to burn off hundreds of calories to lose weight (you can, if you enjoy it - do it, but you don't need to). By slowly building muscle mass with small activities each day you're increasing the speed at which your body burns calories - and so less of the food you ingest is stored as fat.

So today's first goal is:

Incorporate 20 minutes of activity you don't normally do into your day.

And switch it up! Not only will it keep you from boredom-induced tears, but you'll be working different muscle groups every time. You also don't have to do 20 minutes at a time, but a 5 minute dance to your favourite song here, a fast 10 minute walk to the grocery store there and 5 minutes spent wrestling with your dog and you're done. You can click on 'Being Active' in the topics section on the right for a bunch of fun ideas on how to add activity to your life. You can also use this tracking sheet to monitor your progress, if you find that helpful!

3. Eating More

Another way to increase your metabolic rate is to eat more. No joke. Well, not necessarily more but more often. You metabolism is at one of its highest levels right after you eat, actually roughly 10% of the calories you eat with each meal are used just to ingest and digest the food you just ate. Your body has a ton of work to do after you eat a meal - and it continues to stay revved up for quite some time afterwards. If you eat 5-6 small meals a day, instead of the typical 3, you prevent your metabolism from dropping back down to a lower level.

You also prevent your body from entering 'starvation mode'. Your body is built to survive famine, maybe a little too well for our modern way of living. If you go too long between meals your body begins to go into survival (or starvation) mode - and any food you do give it is packed away as fat for use later, during the 'famine' that it expects.

So your second goal today is:

Try to eat 5-6 meals a day

Enjoy your regular 3 meals, but try to include a light, healthy snack between each meal, and replace your night time munching with a healthy snack. Cheese and crackers, an apple or other type of fruit, a bowl of yogurt or a granola bar - it doesn't have to be big, but it should be healthy and delicious. If you downloaded the tracking sheet I mentioned before, you'll notice it has space for you to track your meals as well! You can also find great snack and meal ideas in the 'Recipe' section on the right.

Enjoy your day, I hope you've learnt something, and I'll talk to you tomorrow!