How to Boost Your Metabolism
I know you want the answer. It's ok, go ahead and click.
How to Boost Your Metabolism
We've all asked Google this question before: "How do I boost my metabolism?"
Unfortunately, Google has most likely given you tons and tons of different sources for answers. Some may have been similar, some may have differed. Point is, you're sick and tired of feeling unsure.
Don't worry, we'll answer your question without hesitation or doubt in this article. But before we begin to answer the question of "can or how do I boost my metabolism?", we must first go over what the metabolism actually is.
Metabolism
The Merriam-Webster definition of metabolism is:
- The sum of the processes in the buildup and destruction of protoplasm; specifically the chemical changes in living cells by which energy is provided for vital processes and activities and new material is assimilated.
If you're like me, you read that over five different times, took a break from the computer, did some errands, came back to the computer, read it five more times, still thought you were reading Chinese, and proceeded to follow up with this statement:
So let's simplify things. When we're talking about metabolism in health, fitness, and nutrition, we're referring to the amount of calories our body burns in a day without activity. If your metabolism is slow, it means that your body is burning minimal amounts of calories in a day. If your metabolism if fast, it means that your body is burning tons and tons of calories in a day.
So if we want to know how to "boost our metabolism", we need to know a couple of things:
1. What determines current metabolic rate
2. How to improve the determinant of metabolic rate
What Determines Metabolic Rate?
When determining how many calories you're burning in a day, it's likely that you'll want to figure out your Basal Metabolic Rate. Your BMR will tell you how many calories you burn in a day while at rest. Essentially, BMR will tell you how many calories your body will burn while you Netflix and chill all day long.
So how do you figure out your basal metabolic rate? Well, there are a lot of factors that play into your BMR like sex, age, weight, and height. As you can see, all of these factors change over time and there's not much we can do about it. We age, and as we age our bodies change. Unfortunately a lot of those changes are out of our control.
Although some of those changes are inevitable, there is one big factor that we can control well with physical activity. It's our lean muscle mass.
Lean muscle mass has been shown to be one of the greatest determinants of metabolic rate (1). Someone with the same age, weight, height, but lower lean mass will have a lower Basal Metabolic Rate than someone else with the same age, weight, and height, but higher lean mass.
Simply put, the more lean muscle tissue that your body carries, the more calories your body will burn at rest.
But what does this mean for you along your fitness journey? How can you apply this knowledge to your life and use it to benefit your health and physique?
How to Increase Lean Muscle Mass
There are plenty of things we can do to in order to burn more calories throughout the day like walk more, do a killer circuit workout, or add 30 minutes of cardio to the end of every single weight lifting session. When it comes to thinking about burning calories, have you noticed that we almost always think of what kind of additional activity we can do to burn more calories? The last time you ate more food than you were supposed to I can almost guarantee you told yourself you'd work twice as hard in the gym to make up for it. Why do we do that? Why don't we think more about what we can do to make sure our body is burning more calories while we do nothing? After all, if we're trying to ensure that our approach to fitness is optimal, practical, and sustainable, wouldn't it be best to be burning more calories at rest, rather than working more and more and more?
So what's the solution? What can we do to make sure our body is a calorie furnace 24/7? The answer is:
Increasing lean muscle mass through resistance training.
Resistance training should be the staple of every workout program whether you're trying to build muscle, burn fat, or do both. It sends a signal to your body that it needs to be stronger, leaner, and build more mass in order to adapt to the load that's being placed upon it. Cardio however, sends a signal to your body telling it to be more efficient with the energy that it has. Therefore the more frequently you do cardio, the better your body will be at using less calories in order to fuel the activity.
Am I saying that you have to or should cut out cardio completely? Of course not. But I do believe that if you're trying to lose fat, avoid a plateau, and avoid getting burnt out, cardio should be a supplement to your resistance training.
If you're at a plateau and you're doing more and more cardio, stop. Lift weights. Apply the same intensity in your cardio sessions to your weight lifting sessions and I'm willing to bet that your body will begin to build a faster metabolism.
So how do you boost your metabolism?
Increase your lean muscle mass by lifting weights!
Short, sweet, and to the point.
References
(1) Speakman, J R, and C Selman. “Physical Activity and Resting Metabolic Rate.” The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2003
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14692598.
Thanks for reading!
Be sure to follow Poehlmann Fitness and Subscribe to the YouTube channel! Why? Because you'll get notified when awesome videos get uploaded for you to watch. And that's never been a bad thing.
Adam is a fitness professional, Chipotle fanatic, and cookie enthusiast based in Fort Collins, CO. After hanging up the baseball cleats, he found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere.
Adam is an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist. His years of experience in fat loss, muscle hypertrophy, and sports performance training have helped people improve in all walks of life. If you're interested in hiring Adam as your coach, fill out an application here.
5 Reasons Your Metabolism is Slow
Feel like you're not burning fat? Check out this article. You might find out why.
Do you feel like your metabolism is slow and getting even slower? Does it feel like your body just holds on to whatever you eat regardless of what it is? Do you find it easy to use your "slow metabolism" as crutch to justify weight gain?
At some point or another, we all can relate to one of those questions. In fact, odds are that your feeling isn't just a feeling. Your metabolism might actually be slow and here's why.
REASON #1 - Too Much Cardio
"Too much cardio? I thought all that cardio is supposed to speed up my metabolism." Yes and no. Increasing your heart rate will most certainly speed things up, but the long term effect isn't there. This is why it is extremely important to train with weights. The more muscle tissue your body has, the more calories it burns at a resting state. So, if you're spending hours and hours on the treadmill each week, there's a good chance your body is actually utilizing that muscle tissue for energy. Cardio is important, but there needs to be a healthy balance. Remember, we want to look lean and sexy, not skinny and flabby. For more information on what type of cardio is best, check out the blog here.
REASON #2 - YOUR EATING ISN'T CONSISTENT
In order to keep fat-burning a continuous action, our metabolism must be stimulated as often as possible. One way to keep it stimulated is by eating smaller, more frequent meals. When we eat frequently, we keep our blood sugar levels stable all while preventing hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia occurs when we eat a massive meal. It causes insulin to spike and also makes us feel lethargic. Our bodies tend to store more fat when there is an insulin spike. To avoid this, spread your daily calories throughout the day. I recommend eating 4-5 meals per day. Remember, that doesn't mean you eat more, it just means you eat less, more often. At the end of the day, your calorie count should be the same.
REASON #3 - YOU DON'T EAT ENOUGH PROTEIN
This is a big issue with most of the general population today. People simply aren't eating enough protein. There's a good chance you aren't either, and that could be a contributing factor to your slow metabolism. Did you know, between carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, protein has the biggest thermogenic effect. This means that it takes the most energy to digest, meaning more calories burned. So take advantage of this opportunity! I'm telling you to eat more. How could you say no?
But how much protein is enough? My recommendation is to eat .6-.8 grams per pound of body weight each day. Anything over .8 grams is usually wasted or stored as fat.
REASON #4 - YOU DON'T DRINK ENOUGH WATER
This is another paralyzer for most people. You might not know it, but there's a possibility you could be dehydrated.
Yes, drinking water can boost your metabolism! How? The big picture is this: while dehydrated, your chances of having cravings go through the roof. More cravings most likely means more cheating. So let's prevent that by drinking more. On a scientific level, a German study showed that metabolic rates increased in both men and women after drinking 17 oz. of water. You can find that study here. My recommendation is to drink .5 - 1 oz. of water per pound of body weight each day. An easy way to track this is by getting a water bottle that you love, and don't mind carrying around. Here are a couple that I carry around with me. No, my bottle isn't pink. But if it was, I would rock it. You can pick your color once you click the link!
The Hydro Flask is pricey, but one of the greatest investments I've ever made. The water stays cold for days. I don't know how they do it so well, but I'll just say it's magic.
REASON #5 - YOU DON'T SLEEP ENOUGH
Sleep is crucial. I can't emphasize this enough. Not only does a lack of sleep make you grouchy and miserable to be around, but it also can make you not give a crap about anything. When you don't give any, you eat any. #quoteoftheday. Also, when your body is tired and at a state where it lacks energy, it has a hard time managing those blood sugar levels I was talking about earlier. Remember, we are trying to avoid hypoglycemia! Aim to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.
FINAL WORD
If there's one thing that I really want you to get out of this article, it's this statement: You DO have control over your metabolism. There are choices you can make in your day-to-day life that can improve your metabolic rate. Think about the choices you make and compare them to this article. I am willing to bet that at least one of these items is what's keeping you from burning extra fat.
If you have more questions on what you can do to change your metabolism and burn more fat, please feel free to send any questions via email to: adam@poehlmannfitness.com
For more tips and advice, make sure to "like" my Facebook page and follow me on Instagram!
Facebook: poehlmannfitness
Instagram: @poehlmann_fitness
Thanks for reading!
References:
Boschmann, Michael, Jochen Steiniger, Uta Hille, Jens Tank, Frauke Adams, Arya M. Sharma, Susanne Klaus, Friedrich C. Luft, and Jens Jordan. "Water-Induced Thermogenesis." The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 88.12 (2003): 6015-019. Web.