Boot camp Melbourne

Mechanics of Metabolism

Metabolism refers to the countless chemical processes that allow you to function and live normally. An easier way of understanding this is to think of your metabolism as your body’s engine, burning fuel (energy or kilojoules) and regulating your energy needs. 

The number of kilojoules you burn at rest is called your resting metabolic rate (RMR), and this accounts for about 60–75 per cent of your metabolism.
Exercise also contributes to your metabolism, but its contribution depends on how active you are.

The third component of your metabolism is the energy you use to eat, digest and metabolise food, which is also known as the thermic effect of food. A mixed diet accounts for about 5–15 per cent of your metabolism. 

Metabolism alone does not determine your weight. However, if you have a fast metabolism, you will definitely find it a whole lot easier to manage your weight. Your metabolism is somewhat genetically determined, but there are many ways to speed it up.


Here are the five best ways to boost your metabolism to help achieve long-term weight loss and maintenance.

1. Exercise Regularly

The best way to boost your metabolism is to get your body moving. There is an enormous amount of evidence which supports the role of regular exercise in maintaining muscle mass, and hence your metabolism. The harder and longer you work out, the faster you burn kilojoules. Research shows that when we’re recovering after exercise, our metabolism is elevated, in a process that is called the Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). While exercise
itself plays the biggest role in maintaining our metabolism and body composition, EPOC (and therefore our metabolism) can remain elevated for up to 24 hours after exercise. However, this metabolic boost is only likely if you are exercising for more than 50 minutes, at more than 70 per cent of your VO²max (maximum effort).

2. Eat Breakfast

According to numerous studies, people who eat breakfast tend to be in a healthier weight range than those who don’t, and eating breakfast can actually prevent weight gain too. Researchers believe the early morning meal kick-starts our metabolism into gear for the day. So this one is simple – enjoy a healthy breakfast every day.

3. Ditch the Crash Diets

Inadequate food encourages your body to conserve energy. It does this by slowing your metabolism – you burn fewer kilojoules to compensate for eating less. A review of 22 studies found that eating less than 4000kJ a day caused a significant decrease in resting metabolic rate. With a slower metabolism, your body needs fewer kilojoules to maintain its current weight, which means you’re depriving yourself for nothing.
Also, the more severe the restriction, the less effect exercise has on conserving your muscle mass and hence your metabolism.

4. Do Strength Training

Resistance training increases your muscle mass and, as muscle is your furnace, the more muscle you have, the more kilojoules you will burn – even when you’re doing nothing. Fat cells, on the other hand, are dead weight meaning they don’t burn many kilojoules compared to other organs in the body. Combining a large amount of muscle mass with high intensity physical activity has been shown to contribute up to 51 per cent of total energy use. Include strength training in your regimen at least twice a week.

5. Fidget

Fidgeting or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) as it is also known, contributes more to the number of kilojoules you burn in a day than exercise. The more you move around in your day, the higher your NEAT is likely to be. If you spend most of your day sitting down, it doesn’t mean that you are destined for a life with a sluggish metabolism. Instead, boost your NEAT by jiggling, wiggling, squirming, fidgeting and tapping your feet whenever you can.
 
 

Thermic effect of food

Different foods will affect your metabolism differently. Here is the thermic effect of food for the different macronutrients:
Protein: 20–30 per cent increase in metabolic rate.
Carbohydrate: 5–10 per cent increase in metabolic rate.
Fat: 0–3 per cent increase in metabolic rate.


Boost your metabolism when losing weight

Many studies have found that when we lose weight, 75 per cent of it is fat, while 25 per cent is muscle mass. From reading this article, you’re probably well aware that your overall muscle mass is important for boosting your
metabolism and losing weight. 

In order to help increase your metabolism during your weight loss program, follow a kilojoule restricted diet (reducing by 15–20 per cent) while exercising regularly (a mix of cardiovascular and strength training routines at least four times per week).

The addition of exercise to a kilojoule-restricted diet plan will accelerate fat loss, preserve muscle mass and prevent or decelerate the decline in resting metabolic rate, much more effectively than diet alone.


Metabolism woes you can't change

Age: As you age, your muscle mass decreases and your metabolism slows.
Gender: Males generally have a larger muscle mass than females, which equates to a faster metabolism too.
Genetics: Some of us are lucky enough to be born with a fast metabolism, while others have to put in more effort to speed it up.

Caitlin Reid is a dietitian and exercise physiologist who runs regularly and strength trains two to three times a week.

Article Contributed by Healthy Food Guide

Healthy Food Guide
www.healthyfoodguide.com.au