21 Aug 2012

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Everybody talks about boosting your metabolism but what exactly does it mean? Also referred to as BMR or basal metabolic rate, metabolism is the physical and chemical reactions in the body that break food down to produce the energy required to keep our bodies alive. It accounts for 60 to 70% of the total energy used by the body. The rest is required for the digestion of food and for physical activity.

BMR is determined predominantly by the mass of the bodies muscles and organs. Therefore metabolism is driven by muscle mass - so the more muscle you have the faster your metabolism will run. This explains why our metabolism slows down as we age as most people lose muscle mass as we get older.

So what else impacts BMR - Gender(most males have more muscle mass therefore faster metabolism) and diet(repeated restrictive dieting slows BMR to conserve energy). Losing weight through FAD diets can decrease metabolism by up to 20%!

So here is how to kickstart your metabolism -

Breakfast - eating brekkie is a must - it will make you more alert and manage your overall appetite more effectively. Great food options are oats, wholegrain cereals or breads, fresh fruits and low fat yoghurt.

Eat less, more often - smaller, more frequent meals keep your blood sugar stable and prevent the munchies providing a steady source of energy to fuel metabolism. Skipping meals will send the body into starvation mode and slow down the metabolism. Fruit and yoghurt make great, healthy snacks.

Water - we need to drink plenty of water, it is essential for your metabolism to convert food into energy. Have a glass with every meal!

Training - Strength and aerobic training are a must. Even a small muscle mass gain of 2kg can burn an extra 1000kj per day! It is very important to complete strength and aerobic training as often as you can.

So which foods can increase my metabolism?

Capsaicin - found in chillis and chilli peppers is a great one - it is also known to suppress the appetite and reduce food intake.

Green tea - green tea contains powerful antioxidants and when taken after exercise can increase fat burning.

Protein - protein containing foods require more energy for digestion than carbs and fat so increasing BMR! Think lean cuts of meat, eggs, fish etc.

Caffeine - Caffeine can stimulate your metabolic rate however excessive consumption will increase your rate and blood pressure so one cup a day is good!

I hope you found this interesting and gave you a few ideas.....

Little tiny tweeks to our diets can create huge results..... something to think about.