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Metabolism Basics
Metabolism is the biochemical process by which nutrients are combined with oxygen to release the energy needed for bodily functions. An individual's total energy needs are a combination of the following requirements:
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The metabolism needed to maintain basic functions such as the beating of your heart, brain function and breathing, take more calories than any other category. If you were at total rest all day, your body would still need energy for these functions. This level of energy use is called your resting metabolic rate (RMR). For the totally sedentary person it can represent up to 100% of all metabolic needs. More typically it amounts to 60-75% of daily caloric expenditure.
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Next in importance is the energy needed for normal daily activity that go beyond a purely sedentary existence. Whether you go shopping or drive to work, you are expending energy beyond the sedentary or RMR level. This lifestyle and occupation category usually accounts for 20-30% of energy needs.
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The process of digesting your food, called the thermic effect of food, also requires calories. This is usually amounts to 5-10% of the calories you take in, but can go a high as 25% for protein.
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Any formal exercise, like walking on a treadmill, will be in addition to the above first three requirements. If you burn 300 calories on the treadmill, this obviously adds 300 calories to your daily calorie expenditure.
The most efficient way to manage your weight is to work on all four of these areas, not just the calories you burn exercising. Since resting metabolism accounts for the most calories over the course of a day, this is an obvious place to start. Here are six things you can do to boost your RMR:
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Build Muscle Mass - Strength training builds the muscle tissue, which burns most calories whether you are at work or at rest. Fat tissue burns very few calories. The more lean muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be. Every pound of muscle burns 35 to 50 calories per day. Don't worry about putting on too much muscle - very few people, particularly women, have enough testosterone in their body to make this an issue.
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Do Not Skip Meals or Drastically Reduce Your Caloric Intake - If your body senses that food is in short supply, it will slow your metabolism to conserve energy. Over time, the result is that when you do eat (even if you consume the same foods as always) your body will be slower to use the calories as fuel, thus creating a backlog of unwanted pounds. Once you determine your goal for calorie consumption, divide those calories into 5 or 6 different small meals/snacks through out the day.
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Increase the Amount of Protein in your Diet - Most researchers agree that protein helps to stabilize the secretion of insulin into your blood stream, a process that can affect metabolism. The average person can probably benefit from protein intake at a minimum of 70 grams each day.
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Eat a healthy breakfast to get your metabolism cranked up for the day.
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Go For an Evening Walk - Although exercising any time is good for you, evening activity may be particularly beneficial. Many people's metabolism slows down toward the end of the day. Thirty minutes of aerobic activity before dinner increases your metabolic rate and may keep it elevated for another two or three hours. What that means for you: those dinner calories have less of a chance to take up permanent residence on your hips!
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Get Adequate Sleep As funny as it sounds, sleep deprivation may make you fat and not just because you're susceptible to cases of the late-night munchies. According to researchers at the University of Chicago, women who got less than four hours of sleep per night had a slower metabolism than those who slept for a full eight hours.
The next thing to do is increase your level of activity - both formal exercise and anything else that involves movement. The more you move, the more calories you burn! You can make a significant addition to energy used by relatively minor changes in lifestyle. This can be as simple as taking the stairs instead of the elevator; park a distance from the mall or office; walk the dog instead of just letting him out; do a little gardening or clean house while you talk on the phone. If these kinds of changes get you moving instead of sitting for 20 minutes a day, you can burn an additional 100 calories which amount to 3,000 calories a month or the loss of almost one pound each month. Making more of these changes may burn as much as an additional 1,000 calories per day!
Planned aerobic exercise allows you to burn calories quickly. Aerobic exercise refers to the rhythmic use of large muscle groups as required by activities such as walking, swimming, or biking. Since, it takes a deficit of 3500 calories to lose one pound, you must either eat 3,500 fewer calories or burn 3,500 more calories. The best strategy is a combination of the two approaches. If your goal is to lose a pound a week, expending 250 calories a day through exercise, while reducing food intake by day 250 calories a day below maintenance level should work well. And remember, all the "side effects" of exercise are all positive - it is the best single thing you can do for your health.
Eating mini meals is a great way to increase your daily caloric expenditure without much effort. Another advantage is that eating smaller meals more frequently cuts down on cravings and low energy levels. After some time, skipping a meal may make you feel dizzy, nauseous, irritable, sleepy, or get a headache. This means that your metabolism is now working the way it should be and it’s your body’s way of telling you that you need food NOW! Everyone gets super busy and forgets to eat from time to time. Be prepared by having snack bars, fruit, vegetables, yogurt, low fat cheese, nuts, or meal replacement shakes handy. This will ensure that you continue to burn the maximum number of calories and fat throughout the day.
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