How to speed up metabolism to lose weight? The most effective way to lose weight or how to speed up metabolism
Ege-gay, honest people, I am glad to welcome everyone on the pages of the project!
Today we will clean up the tails, namely, we will finish the consideration of the note "How to speed up the metabolism." There will be no abstruse theory (how so :)) , naked practice awaits you. We will look at a concrete example of how to get started with overclocking, get acquainted with the main products that promote metabolism and learn something about training and special exercises that will allow you to achieve the desired result.
So, sit down, my dear, we begin.
How to speed up metabolism: the main ways
The topic of accelerating metabolism is an important topic, especially for women, because our ladies are always unhappy with their weight and every time they jump on the scales and see the slightest creep of numbers up there, they go into a terrible tantrum. And since metabolism and its promotion is the main factor in losing extra pounds, you need to know what activities can lead you to the desired figure. Today I will deviate from the principles and will not delve into the theory, especially since we examined it in full in the first part of the note, here. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you first pay your respects to this article, and only then get acquainted with the current one.
Well, we will start with a general scheme for accelerating metabolism, which I call “ 5 more". It is very simple and is as follows - to speed up your metabolism, you need ...
As you can see, nothing complicated, well, that's all, until we meet again. Joke :) of course.
If it’s clear about drinking more water and pillow pressure, then everything else - products, exercises of aerobic and anaerobic activity will have to be dealt with. But first, let's look at the strategy of accelerating metabolism, i.e. where to start and what first steps to take in this direction.
Note:
For a better understanding of the information, all further narration will be divided into subchapters.
7 Day Metabolism Boost Plan
Stick to this plan, and then the pounds will begin to melt before our eyes.
Day #1. Calculate your metabolism
First you need to find out the current metabolic rate, which depends on the age, height, weight and activity level of a person. The calculation formula is given in the first part of the note, so determine your metabolic rate (basal metabolism). This data will give an answer on how many calories the body can consume before it starts to gain weight.
Day number 2. Cut 100 calories every day
Many, trying to lose weight, either stop eating altogether or drastically reduce their calorie intake. For example, on Sunday they hamstered 2000 kcal, and from Monday they shrank and switched to a diet in 1500 kcal. It shouldn't be done that way. It is necessary to gradually (day by day) reduce calorie intake, otherwise the body will think that the ice age has come and it is necessary to accumulate reserves in order not to starve. As a result, metabolism slows down.
Therefore, an effective way to “shrink” on a diet is to gradually reduce the number of calories.
Day number 3. Add more protein to your diet
Lean protein boosts metabolism, and here's why. When consuming protein, the body spends twice as many calories on its final utilization, in contrast to the digestion of carbohydrates. Be sure to include fish in your diet. (tilapia, halibut, etc.) Not only is it a lean source of protein, but it is also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which increase the activity of fat-burning enzymes.
Day number 4. Eat every 3 hours
An amazing fact about metabolism - the more often you eat, the more active your metabolism becomes. Therefore, if now you are a hamster 2-3 times a day (skipping breakfast), now the number of meals must be brought to 4-5 . If it's hard for you to add two full solid meals right away, then limit yourself to healthy snacks, such as a light green salad with squid/tuna or your own oatmeal cookies, plus 2-3 eggs, a handful of nuts + dried apricots + prunes.
Either way, don't skip snacks. Studies have shown that people who include healthy snacks in their diet 3 times a day (by 150-250 kcal per reception) eat less and have higher metabolic rates.
Day number 5. Drink chilled drinks
Drink beverages that are below room temperature, i.e. cool. For example, you can add a couple of ice cubes to the water. Such “chills” force the body to expend more energy on heating the liquid to its body temperature in order to effectively assimilate it. Green tea and coffee contain caffeine, a substance that naturally boosts metabolism.
Day 6: Eat zinc
Zinc suppresses hunger by increasing levels of leptin, a key hormone that signals the body when a person is full. This way you won't keep eating when you're no longer hungry. Zinc can be bought in pharmacies (drug zincteral, zinc chelate) or get this mineral from a multivitamin.
Day number 7. Exercise in short sessions
When you train in short sessions, you wake up your muscles, causing them to immediately require more calories and then burn them faster. The following metabolism-boosting exercises can be done at home:
- sit on the floor and rise up without using the handrails and hands;
- do squats on one leg;
- do push-ups from the floor.
This seven-day plan should be your starting point in boosting your metabolism, so stick to it with a new step each day.
Note:
It may seem to many that all this can fit in one day, but only a gradual introduction will allow the body to better tune in to the accelerating metabolic process. And even more so, a person is such a creature that he quickly lights up with some goal, and then also quickly goes out, he needs the habit of taking actions every day in relation to improving his condition. Therefore, if everything is done in one day, it will not be interesting :).
So, with the plan finished, let's move on to ...
10 Metabolism Boosting Foods
There are recognized food metabolism boosters, and these include.
No. 1. Red pepper
Jalapeno, Habanero, capsicum and other forms of spicy peppers directly stimulate metabolism and blood circulation. In fact, hot peppers not only speed up metabolism, they reduce food cravings. This is due to its content of capsaicin, a compound that stimulates the body's pain receptors, temporarily increasing blood circulation and metabolism. Studies have shown that eating hot peppers increases metabolism up to 25% for the period up to 3 hours.
No. 2. Whole grains: oatmeal and brown rice
Whole grains are full of nutrients and complex carbohydrates that boost metabolism by stabilizing insulin levels. slow release carbohydrates (like oatmeal and brown rice) give energy for a long time, without creating peaks associated with an increase in blood sugar levels.
Number 3. Broccoli
Broccoli is high in calcium (known weight reducer), as well as vitamins C and A. One serving provides a large amount of folic acid, dietary fiber, and various antioxidants. Also, broccoli is one of the best foods to reduce body detoxification.
No. 4. Soups
A Penn State University study found that a combination of liquid and solid foods has a positive effect on reducing appetite, speeding up metabolism and burning fat. In addition, solid food, mashed and added to the broth, allows the body to stay full longer.
No. 5. Green tea
Green tea extract can significantly boost metabolism as well as provide a variety of other health benefits. In particular, it is rich in antioxidants that actively fight harmful free radicals.
No. 6. Apples and pears
Studies show that these two fruits help boost metabolism and speed up weight loss. Apples should not be sweet, but have sourness, moreover, green apples are preferable to use in matters of weight loss.
No. 7. Spices
Garlic, cinnamon are some of the best spices for boosting metabolism. More spicy spices - black pepper, mustard seeds, ginger allow you to control the metabolic rate much more effectively, increasing it. A Canadian study found that spices allowed people to burn up to 1000 more calories daily compared to those who did not include them in their diet.
No. 8. Citrus
Grapefruit, pamelo - these fruits help burn fat and keep metabolic processes at a high level. This is primarily due to the high content of vitamin C - a component that reduces insulin peaks.
No. 9. Foods High in Calcium
A study conducted at the University of Tennessee found that people who consumed 1200-1300 mg of calcium per day, lost almost twice as much weight as those whose diet was depleted of this mineral. To increase your metabolism, eat plenty of foods that are high in calcium. Include in the diet - milk, cottage cheese, Oltermani cheese 9% , calcium orotate tablets.
No. 10. Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids
So, to recap... here's what a summary basket of metabolism-boosting foods looks like.
As you can see, water comes first, and this is true. In fact, you should be drinking more than your current level, and this is because most likely your body is in a state of dehydration. This means that you drink when you feel thirsty, and not always clean water, replacing it with tea, coffee, let's dance :).
In fact, the body uses water to maintain natural physiological processes, in particular the following.
You, in addition to closing the “basic needs”, also need a pillow to promote metabolic processes, so increase your consumption of clean water to 2-2,5 liters (men) and 1,5-1,8 liters (women).
Actually, we figured out the power, let's move on to the second part of the note.
Physical activity to speed up metabolism
Metabolism is reduced by 2-4% every decade, as a person tends to lose muscle mass with age. However, a combination of strength training and aerobic exercise will give you the best control over your metabolism. (keeping it elevated) despite age.
So, let's look at each type of activity.
I. Anaerobic training and exercises to speed up the metabolism
The purpose of anaerobic exercise is to build muscle (creation of new contractile proteins), increasing the power and strength of the athlete. Such training is carried out at high intensity and for a shorter period of time. In general, the muscle should be under load 40-60 seconds, and the training lasts no more 60 minutes.
In anaerobic training, oxygen is not used for energy during exercise, but a by-product, lactic acid lactate, is produced and acidifies the muscles. During the recovery period, oxygen is used to “refuel” the muscles – to replenish the energy that was used up during the intense exercise.
As for specific exercises, let's look at some of them.
No. 1. Combined plank
The exercise consists in performing the following movements at a time ...
Hold 30 seconds, start with 2 approaches to 6-8 repetitions. Rest m / y approaches 45-60 seconds.
No. 2. Diagonal lunges with leg changes
From a standing position, begin to perform diagonal lunges, each time changing the leg.
1 set lasts 45-60 seconds, total such sets 2-3 . Rest m / y approaches 45-60 seconds.
Number 3. "Bear Crawl"
The exercise is performed as follows.
Take the position of emphasis on outstretched arms. Then bend your knees and place them under your hips with your heels up (A). Lifting your knees off the ground, begin to move quickly from side to side and forward back (B). Complete 2-3 approach to 45-60 seconds each. Rest m / y approaches 45-60 seconds.
Note:
Over time, bring the number of sets in each exercise to 5 .
No. 4. Weight training program
Do the following workout three times a week if you want to kickstart your metabolism.
Exercises are performed in the specified sequence in the amount 3 set by 5-7 repetitions in the approach and 90 seconds of rest m / y sets. You can alternate workouts according to scheme A and B.
II. Aerobic Exercise to Boost Your Metabolism
They aim to improve the body's oxygen consumption. The term "aerobic" refers to our body's use of oxygen in its metabolic processes. Most aerobic exercise is performed at moderate intensity levels for longer periods compared to other categories of exercise. An aerobic session includes warming up, exercising at least 30 minutes of activity, and then cooling.
The main condition for an effective cardio session is an increase in heart rate (compared to rest) and bringing the pulse to the fat burning zone. Each person has their own and is calculated based on the maximum heart rate and the following plate.
It turns out that the fat burning regime is 60-80% from the maximum heart rate.
The highest fat-burning and accelerating metabolism effect has circular training for the whole body. It is to them that Hollywood stars and fitness trainers resort when it is necessary to achieve a functional body with visible muscles and a small amount of subcutaneous fat in the shortest possible time.
In a study by Professor Talanian (USA), women who did interval training on a stationary bike burned 36% more fat than in the case of constant pedaling (steady ride). This is because bursts of speed caused 20% an increase in the size of mitochondria in muscle cells. Which eventually allowed women to use fat rather than carbohydrates as an energy source. Thus, bursts of speed and a return to the initial state allow the body to more effectively part with the fat mass.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is one of the fastest ways to get your body (to increase its potential) use fat as a fuel source. HIIT is a workout 2 in 1 - a short cardio session and strength work with sequential alternation of maximum and moderate levels of exercise. It is after HIIT that calories will be burned over the next 36 hours, so it's a very effective type of metabolism-boosting workout.
The HIIT full body training program itself, lasting 10-15 minutes might look like this...
or so...
Exercises are performed with a high degree of intensity, one after another for 30 seconds with a rest period m / y for each subsequent exercise 10-15 seconds. As a result, the entire training takes no more than 7-10 minutes. The number of circles varies from 2 before 6 . Despite its short duration, its effectiveness is comparable to 60-90 minutes of running or pedaling a bike.
Thus, it turns out that the training program to speed up the metabolism should combine aerobic and anaerobic exercises. The ideal solution is high-intensity interval training.
So, we figured out nutrition and types of activity, it’s clear about sleeping - at least 7-8 hours, ideally apply pressure on the pillow during the day 30-40 minutes.
Well, it seems that everything has been considered, now let's sum up and say goodbye.
Afterword
Today we answered the question - how to speed up the metabolism. Now you have in your hands a step-by-step plan of action to promote your metabolism and effectively lose weight. The only thing left to do is to put all this boltology into practice, but I'm sure you can handle this without me.
It was a pleasure to write for you, see you soon!
PS. We are active in the comments and talk about our acceleration methods, let's go!
P.P.S. Did the project help? Then leave a link to it in the status of your social network - plus 100 points to karma, guaranteed.
With respect and gratitude, Dmitry Protasov.
Metabolism is the chemical process to sustain life. In this article, we will tell you how to speed up metabolism for weight loss, what foods speed up metabolism and what else can be done to increase the rate of fat breakdown in the body.
The speed at which it proceeds depends on the individual person. Those with a slow metabolism tend to have more of their remaining calories stored as fat.
On the other hand, people with a fast metabolism burn more calories and are less likely to store fat.
In this article, we'll look at why some people have a fast metabolism and how you can speed up your metabolism to burn more calories.
Metabolism is a term that refers to the totality of all chemical processes in the body. The faster your metabolism, the more calories your body needs.
In simple terms, metabolism is the process of converting the food we eat into energy. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins and minerals that we consume, are absorbed and processed by the body to build new cells, hormonal and enzyme metabolism. The metabolic rate depends on many factors: on heredity, on the state of health, but the main role is on eating habits and proper nutrition. If you watch your diet, do not consume excessive amounts of carbohydrates, but still cannot lose weight, most likely you have a slow metabolism. With age, metabolism slows down and the body accumulates fat deposits.
Metabolism can be improved by eating small, frequent meals, exercising, eating metabolism-boosting foods such as citrus fruits, bran bread, oatmeal, green vegetables, nuts, hot peppers, ginger, cinnamon, fish, low-fat dairy products, drink green tea, coffee.
It is for this reason that some people can eat a lot without gaining weight, while others eat less but gain fat.
Thus, the "metabolic rate" is the number of calories that you burn in a given period of time, i.e. calorie consumption.
The metabolic rate can be divided into several categories:
- Basal metabolic rate(BMR): Metabolic rate when you are sleeping or in deep rest. This is the minimum metabolic rate. Energy is spent on breathing, blood circulation, heartbeat, brain function.
- BX(RMR): The minimum metabolic rate required to keep the body alive and functioning. On average, it is 50-75% of total calorie consumption.
- The thermal effect of food(TEF): The number of calories needed for digestion and digestion. The increase in metabolic rate after a meal typically accounts for about 10% of total energy expenditure.
- The thermal effect of exercise(TEE): The number of calories burned during exercise.
- Thermogenesis of daily activities(NEAT): The number of calories burned during physical activities other than exercise and sports. This is fidgeting in a chair, walking down the street, various standing poses.
Conclusion: Metabolic rate is also known as calorie expenditure. This is the number of calories used by the body in a given period of time.
What factors affect metabolic rate?
Numerous factors affect the metabolic rate. Here are a few of them:
- Age: The older you get, the slower your metabolic rate becomes. This is one of the reasons why people tend to gain weight as they age.
- Muscle mass:H the more your muscle mass, the more calories you consume.
- body size: The bigger you are, the more calories you burn.
- Ambient temperature: When your body is exposed to cold, it needs more calories to keep your body temperature from dropping.
- Physical activity: All body movements require calories. The more active you are, the more calories you will burn. Metabolism will speed up accordingly.
- Hormonal disorders:Cushing's syndrome and hypothyroidism slow down the metabolic rate and increase the risk of weight gain.
Conclusion: Several factors affect the metabolic rate. These include age, lean body mass, body size, and physical activity.
Are some people really born with a fast metabolism?
The metabolic rate is different in all people, even in newborns.
In other words, some people are born with a faster metabolism than others.
While genetics may contribute to these differences, scientists cannot reach a general conclusion about its effect on metabolic rate, weight gain, and obesity.
However, most studies show that obese people have a higher overall metabolic rate than people of average weight.
The researchers noted that this is because obese people have more muscles, which provide extra weight.
However, studies show that obese people have higher metabolic rates, regardless of the amount of muscle mass they have.
In contrast, other studies show that obese people have an average 3-8% lower metabolic rate than those who have never been obese.
One thing is clear - everyone is different when it comes to metabolic rate.
Most of these differences are due to people's age, as well as their environment and behaviour. However, the role of genetics in these individual differences needs to be further explored in more detail.
Conclusion:m speed metabolism varies by individual, even among newborns. However, the influence of genetics on these differences remains unclear.
Metabolic adaptation
Metabolic adaptation, also known as adaptive thermogenesis or "fasting mode", may also play a role in the development of obesity.
Fasting is the body's response to a calorie deficit. When your body is not getting enough food, it tries to compensate by lowering the metabolic rate and the number of calories burned.
The degree of metabolic rate reduction varies greatly between different people.
This metabolic slowdown is more pronounced in obese people. The greater the slowdown, the more difficult it is to lose weight through dieting or fasting.
The fasting regimen is likely partly down to genetics, but previous attempts at weight loss or exercise may also play a role.
Conclusion: Metabolic adaptation or fasting occurs when the metabolic rate slows down during a low-calorie diet. It varies between people, but is more noticeable in obese individuals.
How to improve the metabolism in the body to lose weight?
Losing weight isn't just about eating fewer calories. Effective weight loss programs also include strategies to speed up your metabolism.
Fortunately, there are several ways to speed up your metabolism and lose weight. Here are eight simple methods.
1. Move more
All body movements lead to the burning of calories. The more active you are, the higher your metabolic rate will be.
Even very simple activities, such as standing, walking, or doing housework, give good results in the long run.
This increase in metabolic rate is known as daily activity thermogenesis (NEAT).
In severely obese individuals, NEAT may represent a significant portion of daily caloric expenditure.
There are several ways you can increase NEAT. Here are some suggestions if you spend a lot of time sitting:
- Get up and walk regularly;
- If possible, walk only up the stairs;
- Do housework;
- Move more, swing your leg, tap your fingers;
- Chew low-calorie chewing gum;
- Use a high desk for standing work.
If you have an office job, using a standing desk can increase calories burned by 16%.
Another study found that using a standing desk burned an additional 174 calories compared to sitting.
Even seemingly insignificant activities, such as typing on a computer, will help increase your metabolic rate by 8% compared to doing nothing.
In the same way, restlessness can make a significant difference.
One study found that people who sat still for 20 minutes increased their calorie expenditure by 4% compared to when they lay down. Also, fidgeting in a chair increases calorie expenditure by as much as 54%.
Regular exercise is highly recommended for those looking to lose weight or improve their health. But even light activities like walking, housework, or mobility can give you an edge later on.
Conclusion: The more you move, the faster your metabolic rate becomes. If you have a sedentary job, you can improve your metabolic rate by walking regularly, chewing gum, or using a high desk.
2. Do High Intensity Workouts
The most effective form of exercise is high intensity interval training (HIIT).
Their essence lies in the fact that the exercises are built from fast and very intense approaches, such as sprints or quick push-ups.
It really speeds up the metabolism, even when the workout is over.
Conclusion:High Intensity Interval Training are one of the most effective ways to boost your metabolic rate and burn more calories.
3. Strength training
Strength training is another great way to improve your metabolism.
Strength training promotes muscle growth, which is a great bonus to the immediate effect of the exercise itself.
The amount of muscle in the body is directly related to the metabolic rate. Unlike fat mass, muscle mass significantly increases the number of calories you burn at rest.
The study showed that doing strength training for 11 minutes a day, three times a week, increased metabolic rate by an average of 7.4% after six months at rest. That is, 125 additional calories are burned per day.
In old age, as a rule, muscle mass decreases, and, accordingly, the metabolic rate decreases, but regular strength exercises can partially counteract this unfavorable process.
Similarly, dietary weight loss often results in muscle loss and a decrease in metabolic rate. But strength training can help prevent this.
In fact, a study done on overweight women found that strength training on a low-calorie diet of 800 calories daily prevented the reduction in muscle mass and metabolic rate compared to those who did not exercise or did only aerobic exercise.
Conclusion: Strength training can increase your metabolic rate by stimulating muscle growth. It may even counteract the decrease in metabolic rate associated with the aging process and a low-calorie diet.
4. Eat protein
Eating enough protein is essential if you want to build or maintain muscle mass. But dietary protein also has other benefits, such as boosting your metabolism for weight loss.
All food results in a temporary increase in metabolic rate. A process known as the thermal effect of food (TEF). However, this effect is much stronger after eating a protein meal than after a meal rich in carbohydrates and fats.
In fact, protein increases the metabolic rate by 20-30%, while carbohydrates and fat only increase by 3-10% or even less.
This increase in calorie expenditure may contribute to weight loss or prevent weight gain after weight loss.
TEF is highest in the morning or within the first few hours after you wake up. For this reason, try to consume the majority of your daily calories early in the day to maximize this effect.
Eating plenty of protein can also help counteract the loss of muscle mass and slow metabolism associated with weight loss.
Conclusion: Eating enough protein is essential for gaining or maintaining muscle mass and metabolic rate.
5. Don't Starve Yourself
While people start eating less to lose weight, this tends to backfire later on.
The fact is that calorie restriction leads to a decrease in metabolic rate and, consequently, the number of calories burned.
This effect is known as metabolic adaptation. It is the body's way of protecting itself from potential starvation and death.
Studies show that consuming less than 1000 calories per day leads to a significant decrease in metabolic rate.
Studies in obese people show that metabolic adaptation can significantly reduce calories burned, sometimes as much as 504 calories per day. It is better to consume foods that improve metabolism without feeling hungry.
Conclusion: Prolonged calorie restriction slows down the metabolic rate. This effect is called metabolic adaptation.
6. Drink water
Raising your metabolic rate for a short time is not so difficult. It's as simple as going for a walk or drinking a glass of cold water.
Many studies show that water leads to an increase in calories burned.
Cold drinking water has an even greater effect than warm water, as the body needs energy first to warm it up to body temperature.
Studies on this phenomenon have yielded varying results. About half a liter of cold water can cause a 5-30% increase in calories burned within 60-90 minutes afterward.
Increasing your water intake is also good for your waist. Some studies have shown that 1-1.5 liters of water per day can lead to significant weight loss over time.
To maximize the benefits of drinking water, drink it before meals as it promotes satiety and reduces calorie intake.
Conclusion: Water will help improve metabolism and may even lead to weight loss over time. Cold water is the most effective.
7. Drink Caffeinated Drinks
While plain water is good in its own way, low-calorie caffeinated drinks such as coffee or green tea are also healthy.
Numerous studies have shown that drinking caffeinated beverages can temporarily boost your metabolic rate by 3-11%.
However, in people with obesity, as well as in older people, this effect is less pronounced. In addition, longtime coffee drinkers may have become resistant to its effects.
In order to lose weight, it is best to drink drinks such as plain black coffee without sugar. Like water, cold coffee can be even more beneficial.
Conclusion: Drinking caffeinated drinks can temporarily increase your metabolic rate.
8. Get good sleep
Not only is unreasonably little sleep bad for your overall health, but it can also slow down your metabolic rate and increase your risk of gaining weight.
One study found that metabolic rate decreased by 2.6% when healthy adults slept only four hours a night for five consecutive days.
Another five-week study showed that long-term sleep disturbance, along with irregular sleep times, reduced metabolic rate by an average of 8%.
Conclusion: Lack and poor quality of sleep can reduce the metabolic rate. For proper metabolism, you must strive to get enough healthy sleep.
Thought Message
While your basal metabolic rate is largely out of your control, there are various ways to increase the amount of calories you burn.
The 8 ways above can go a long way in helping you lose weight.
Video - how much to eat and lose weight?
Ecology of health: How to get rid of excess weight? One answer to this question: learn to control your metabolism.
We live in a happy time. Despite all the crises and problems that are on the news, we certainly live better than our ancestors a hundred, a thousand and a hundred thousand years ago. We have electricity, gas, running water and iPhones. And we also have food, a lot of fast and affordable food that we take for granted, but in reality it was not always so.
Our ancestors lived in a completely different way, remaining without food for a long time. Short moments of saturation after a successful hunt gave way to long days and weeks when they had to eat roots, berries and other pasture. The bodies of ancient people over millions of years have adapted well to this regime and have learned to store energy, and then spend it.
All the same mechanisms work in the body of a modern person, although we have long been hunting not in the forest, but in the supermarket, and we eat several times a day. But the body does not care, it continues to live according to the laws of the cave and uses every opportunity to stock up on energy. Everyone knows what this leads to - excess weight appears.
How to get rid of excess weight? The two logical ways are to move more (spend energy) and eat less (gain energy). But not everything is so simple - the body cannot be deceived, it feels great when they begin to starve it and goes into the mode of even more fat storage. There are “swings” when at first you are on a diet, and then you break down and eventually gain even more weight. And, as I see it, the main issue of losing weight now is not just to lose weight, but to how to consistently lose weight to the desired weight for a long time.
One answer to this question: learn to control your metabolism.
A bit of science
Metabolism is the process of exchanging substances in the body. It's a complex process and has many miraculous properties, but for the purposes of this article, we're only interested in one thing: metabolic flexibility.
Metabolic flexibility is the ability to switch between two sources of energy, glucose (from carbohydrates) and fatty acids (from fats).
Here is how our body uses food as energy:
When we eat, insulin levels rise in the blood, a hormone that stimulates cells to make more glucose. Then the mitochondria in the cells produce ATP from glucose (a substance that is an energy source for any processes occurring in the body). If there is more glucose than the body needs, then it needs to be put somewhere.
Part of the glucose is stored in the liver and partly in the muscles as glycogen, a "fast" store that is used when the body needs a lot of energy in a short period of time. When you sprint or lift weights, it is glycogen that is consumed. Everything else is stored as fat.
How well your body manages these two sources of energy depends on your metabolic flexibility. And there were no problems literally until recently.
Three things happened:
1. Food has become more accessible. We no longer have to spend weeks on food for ourselves, and if we have money, we can afford to eat not only to satisfy our hunger, but also for fun or company.
2. The quality of food has changed. In the diet of an ordinary city dweller, there is less natural and more processed food, poor in nutrients and containing excess sugar and chemical additives.
3. People began to move less.
All this leads to the fact that the body begins to react incorrectly to incoming food. The more we eat (especially sugary foods), the more insulin is produced. Gradually, the body gets used to it and considers it normal. This is called insulin resistance: in order to transport glucose into the cells, the concentration of insulin in the blood must be even higher. The body is tangled losing the ability to properly switch from one energy source to another, and fat, which in the "cave" conditions was stored and spent evenly, begins to accumulate in large quantities, leading to obesity.
You must be aware of the more terrible consequences of high blood sugar. Over time, the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin can no longer cope with the load, and this leads to type II diabetes. But now it's not about that.
The inability of the body to work with energy sources, as opposed to metabolic flexibility, is called metabolic rigidity.
How to determine that you have lost metabolic flexibility?
- It is difficult for you to go several hours without food (sufficiently developed metabolic flexibility allows you not to eat for a day or more).
- After a large meal, you need to take a nap.
- If you eat sweets in the morning and feel tired.
- You feel tired more often than alert.
- You fail to follow a diet, dietary restrictions - you easily break down
If you can apply at least one of the points to yourself, then your metabolism has probably lost its flexibility, and you should definitely check your blood sugar levels.
But the good news is that everything can be fixed, even if you are genetically predisposed to metabolic rigidity. Changing your lifestyle, quantity and timing of food intake will reset your body.
5 Ways to Restore Metabolic Flexibility
Any doctor to improve your metabolism will advise you to lose weight and move more. But these are interconnected things - how successfully you lose weight and how hard you train also depends on your metabolism. So here are five specific ways to restore metabolic flexibility.
1. Practice intermittent fasting
Paul Bragg wrote about the health benefits of fasting, and no matter how charlatan he is, it works.
Intermittent fasting is when you eat only within a certain time window during the day, and fast the rest of the time. In this it differs from what we used to understand as "normal" fasting, when a person does not eat for a whole day or more.
There are studies that show that eating in the first half of the day, when the metabolism is most active, and fasting in the second, improve metabolism and promote weight loss.
For example, a recent study by the University of Alabama found that eating between 8:00 am and 2:00 pm followed by an 18-hour fast was significantly better for metabolism than a standard diet where we eat from morning to evening.
The effect of intermittent fasting is based on the property of our body to distribute energy in accordance with daily, or circadian rhythms. The change of day and night, the change of hungry and full state - the body works in cycles, and its work is optimal when you obey these cycles. Being constantly full without hunger can be compared to being constantly awake without sleep. If the full state lasts for weeks and months, then it is not surprising that the body begins to act up and the metabolism slows down.
So regular intermittent fasting is a great way to boost your metabolism.
If you have not had the experience of intermittent fasting, then you need to enter the process gradually. See how long can you go without food? Try to start with three hours, gradually increasing this time. And, in order to avoid breakdowns, at first you should not limit yourself to your usual food. Let your brain firmly know that fasting is temporary, and the next morning you will have a good meal.
2. Limit carbs
The fewer carbs you eat, the more your body turns to fat stores for energy. It is a fact.
You should not give up carbohydrates completely, since glucose is the main fuel for our brain. But you can afford to give up processed foods with a high sugar content - sweets, flour products, carbonated drinks, fruit juices, nectars and sweetened dairy products (yogurts and curds with additives).
Healthy carbohydrate foods like vegetables tend to be much lower in carbs than sweets and don't cause insulin problems.
3. Eat natural food
I don’t remember who said it, but I liked the definition itself: natural food is something that was grown on the ground or walked on the ground.
On the ground, not in a factory, bakery, or laboratory.
Eat more vegetables. Eat fruits, nuts, and berries, but don't overdo it if you're overweight. I myself try to stick to a vegetarian diet, but if you don’t have any special problems about this, then eat meat, fish and seafood. But not semi-finished products and not products of the chemical industry, which, according to the label, contain many components with complex names.
In all this, the third point echoes the second.
4. Pump Your Body With Antioxidants
Your body is made up of countless molecules. Need more accurate data? OK, you have about a hundred trillion trillion. And yes, I was not mistaken in writing the last word twice.
Now imagine that among this multitude of molecules there are defective ones - oxygen molecules, the atoms of which are deprived of one or more electrons. And these defective ones strive in every possible way to eliminate injustice, taking electrons from normal molecules, which, because of this, become, in turn, defective and unstable. Cells made up of these molecules are damaged - this is called oxidative stress. If you do not remember chemistry, then know that the reaction between molecules is called oxidation, and defective molecules are free radicals.
In a normal body, oxidative processes are under supervision. But under adverse conditions - from stress and fatty foods to increased solar activity and radiation - our defenses fail and reactions get out of control.
Free radicals lead to the development of inflammation and changes in metabolism. It is also believed that free radicals can provoke all kinds of inflammation and diseases such as arthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis and other heart diseases, cataracts and even cancer. But what matters now is the effect of free radicals on metabolism - and how to deal with them.
Antioxidants, or antioxidants, are used to fight free radicals. They are found in large quantities in vegetables and herbs - for example, in cabbage, spinach, peppers - and in berries - cranberries, blueberries, plums, blackberries. There are also antioxidants in green tea and cocoa. To add antioxidants to your daily food, use spices - turmeric, cinnamon, cloves.
5. Vary your exercise
The more active you are, the more energy you need, and the more your body takes from stored reserves. Hence another tip - move more, and if you already move a lot, add variety to your workouts so that the body constantly adapts to new loads. In addition to depleting body fat, this will give you a bunch of all sorts of bonuses. And also aerobic exercise directly promotes fat oxidation– that is, their use as energy.
Let's summarize:
You can set up the correct functioning of the metabolism and pump metabolic flexibility.
Eat less, move more
And also:
- Practice intermittent fasting
- Reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your diet and get rid of unnatural foods
- Take Antioxidants
- Move more and surprise your body with different loads.
We live in a happy time. Despite all the crises and problems that are on the news, we certainly live better than our ancestors a hundred, a thousand and a hundred thousand years ago. We have electricity, gas, running water and iPhones. And we also have food, a lot of fast and affordable food that we take for granted, but in reality it was not always so.
Our ancestors lived in a completely different way, remaining without food for a long time. Short moments of saturation after a successful hunt gave way to long days and weeks when they had to eat roots, berries and other pasture. The bodies of ancient people over millions of years have adapted well to this regime and have learned to store energy, and then spend it.
All the same mechanisms work in the body of a modern person, although we have long been hunting not in the forest, but in the supermarket, and we eat several times a day. But the body does not care, it continues to live according to the laws of the cave and uses every opportunity to stock up on energy. Everyone knows what this leads to - excess weight appears.
How to get rid of excess weight? The two logical ways are to move more (spend energy) and eat less (gain energy). But not everything is so simple - the body cannot be deceived, it feels great when they begin to starve it and goes into the mode of even more fat storage. There are “swings” when at first you are on a diet, and then you break down and eventually gain even more weight. And, as I see it, the main issue of losing weight now is not just to lose weight, but to how to consistently lose weight to the desired weight for a long time.
One answer to this question: learn to control your metabolism.
A bit of science
Metabolism is the process of exchanging substances in the body. It's a complex process and has many miraculous properties, but for the purposes of this article, we're only interested in one thing: metabolic flexibility.
Metabolic flexibility is the ability to switch between two sources of energy, glucose (from carbohydrates) and fatty acids (from fats).
Here is how our body uses food as energy:
When we eat, insulin levels rise in the blood, a hormone that stimulates cells to make more glucose. Then the mitochondria in the cells produce ATP from glucose (a substance that is an energy source for any processes occurring in the body). If there is more glucose than the body needs, then it needs to be put somewhere.
Part of the glucose is stored in the liver and partly in the muscles as glycogen, a "fast" store that is used when the body needs a lot of energy in a short period of time. When you sprint or lift weights, it is glycogen that is consumed. Everything else is stored as fat.
How well your body manages these two sources of energy depends on your metabolic flexibility. And there were no problems literally until recently.
Three things happened:
1. Food has become more accessible. We no longer have to spend weeks on food for ourselves, and if we have money, we can afford to eat not only to satisfy our hunger, but also for fun or company.
2. The quality of food has changed. In the diet of an ordinary city dweller, there is less natural and more processed food, poor in nutrients and containing excess sugar and chemical additives.
3. People began to move less.
All this leads to the fact that the body begins to react incorrectly to incoming food. The more we eat (especially sugary foods), the more insulin is produced. Gradually, the body gets used to it and considers it normal. This is called insulin resistance: in order to transport glucose into the cells, the concentration of insulin in the blood must be even higher. The body is tangled losing the ability to properly switch from one energy source to another, and fat, which in the "cave" conditions was stored and spent evenly, begins to accumulate in large quantities, leading to obesity.
You must be aware of the more terrible consequences of high blood sugar. Over time, the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin can no longer cope with the load, and this leads to type II diabetes. But now it's not about that.
The inability of the body to work with energy sources, as opposed to metabolic flexibility, is called metabolic rigidity.
How to determine that you have lost metabolic flexibility?
- It is difficult for you to go several hours without food (sufficiently developed metabolic flexibility allows you not to eat for a day or more).
- After a large meal, you need to take a nap.
- If you eat sweets in the morning and feel tired.
- You feel tired more often than alert.
- You fail to follow a diet, dietary restrictions - you easily break down
If you can apply at least one of the points to yourself, then your metabolism has probably lost its flexibility, and you should definitely check your blood sugar levels.
But the good news is that everything can be fixed, even if you are genetically predisposed to metabolic rigidity. Changing your lifestyle, quantity and timing of food intake will reset your body.
5 Ways to Restore Metabolic Flexibility
Any doctor to improve your metabolism will advise you to lose weight and move more. But these are interconnected things - how successfully you lose weight and how hard you train also depends on your metabolism. So here are five specific ways to restore metabolic flexibility.
1. Practice intermittent fasting
Paul Bragg wrote about the health benefits of fasting, and no matter how charlatan he is, it works.
Intermittent fasting is when you eat only within a certain time window during the day, and fast the rest of the time. In this it differs from what we used to understand as "normal" fasting, when a person does not eat for a whole day or more.
There are studies that show that eating in the first half of the day, when the metabolism is most active, and fasting in the second, improve metabolism and promote weight loss.
For example, a recent study by the University of Alabama found that eating between 8:00 am and 2:00 pm followed by an 18-hour fast was significantly better for metabolism than a standard diet where we eat from morning to evening.
The effect of intermittent fasting is based on the property of our body to distribute energy in accordance with daily, or circadian rhythms. The change of day and night, the change of hungry and full state - the body works in cycles, and its work is optimal when you obey these cycles. Being constantly full without hunger can be compared to being constantly awake without sleep. If the full state lasts for weeks and months, then it is not surprising that the body begins to act up and the metabolism slows down.
So regular intermittent fasting is a great way to boost your metabolism.
If you have not had the experience of intermittent fasting, then you need to enter the process gradually. See how long can you go without food? Try to start with three hours, gradually increasing this time. And, in order to avoid breakdowns, at first you should not limit yourself to your usual food. Let your brain firmly know that fasting is temporary, and the next morning you will have a good meal.
2. Limit carbs
The fewer carbs you eat, the more your body turns to fat stores for energy. It is a fact.
You should not give up carbohydrates completely, since glucose is the main fuel for our brain. But you can afford to give up processed foods with a high sugar content - sweets, flour products, carbonated drinks, fruit juices, nectars and sweetened dairy products (yogurts and curds with additives).
Healthy carbohydrate foods like vegetables tend to be much lower in carbs than sweets and don't cause insulin problems.
3. Eat natural food
I don’t remember who said it, but I liked the definition itself: natural food is something that was grown on the ground or walked on the ground.
On the ground, not in a factory, bakery, or laboratory.
Eat more vegetables. Eat fruits, nuts, and berries, but don't overdo it if you're overweight. I myself try to stick to a vegetarian diet, but if you don’t have any special problems about this, then eat meat, fish and seafood. But not semi-finished products and not products of the chemical industry, which, according to the label, contain many components with complex names.
In all this, the third point echoes the second.
4. Pump Your Body With Antioxidants
Your body is made up of countless molecules. Need more accurate data? OK, you have about a hundred trillion trillion. And yes, I was not mistaken in writing the last word twice.
Now imagine that among this multitude of molecules there are defective ones - oxygen molecules, the atoms of which are deprived of one or more electrons. And these defective ones strive in every possible way to eliminate injustice, taking electrons from normal molecules, which, because of this, become, in turn, defective and unstable. Cells made up of these molecules are damaged - this is called oxidative stress. If you do not remember chemistry, then know that the reaction between molecules is called oxidation, and defective molecules are free radicals.
In a normal body, oxidative processes are under supervision. But under adverse conditions - from stress and fatty foods to increased solar activity and radiation - our defenses fail and reactions get out of control.
Free radicals lead to the development of inflammation and changes in metabolism. It is also believed that free radicals can provoke all kinds of inflammation and diseases such as arthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis and other heart diseases, cataracts and even cancer. But what matters now is the effect of free radicals on metabolism - and how to deal with them.
Antioxidants, or antioxidants, are used to fight free radicals. They are found in large quantities in vegetables and herbs - for example, in cabbage, spinach, peppers - and in berries - cranberries, blueberries, plums, blackberries. There are also antioxidants in green tea and cocoa. To add antioxidants to your daily food, use spices - turmeric, cinnamon, cloves.
5. Vary your exercise
The more active you are, the more energy you need, and the more your body takes from stored reserves. Hence another tip - move more, and if you already move a lot, add variety to your workouts so that the body constantly adapts to new loads. In addition to depleting body fat, this will give you a bunch of all sorts of bonuses. And also aerobic exercise directly promotes fat oxidation– that is, their use as energy.
Let's summarize:
You can set up the correct functioning of the metabolism and pump metabolic flexibility.
Eat less, move more
- Practice intermittent fasting
- Reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your diet and get rid of unnatural foods
- Take Antioxidants
- Move more and surprise your body with different loads.
Metabolism, or as it is commonly called "metabolism" is a chain of chemical reactions during which the food we eat is converted into energy (or its accumulation in the form of fat).
Metabolism (metabolism) is accelerated, normal and slow. This, most often, is genetically determined, and also develops under the influence of many factors.
Let's see what determines the speed of metabolic processes in our body?
There are many factors that affect the metabolic rate. This is the level of thyroid and pancreatic hormones, physical and mental activity, principles of nutrition, the usefulness of night sleep, the level of psychological stress, taking vitamins and much more.
In men, as a rule, metabolic processes are faster and more active, in women - more slowly. It depends on the different ratio of muscle and fat mass in the body of men and women. Age also affects the metabolic rate. The younger and more active a person is, the faster food is converted into energy!
What affects the metabolic rate in the body?
It's no secret that the weight, and, consequently, the appearance of a person depends on the metabolic rate. In addition, people suffering from a slow metabolism, as a rule, are lethargic and lethargic.
How to determine what your metabolism is?
This analysis is done in a hospital, using special equipment. However, almost every person can easily talk about their metabolism.
Here are some signs of a slow metabolism: feeling of lack of heat, low body temperature, muscle sluggishness, being overweight, unstable stools.
Did you recognize yourself? Do not despair! Even the sleepiest metabolism can be shaken up, one has only to correct mistakes and learn to live in a different mode.
And so, about the most important thing:
How to speed up metabolism and make the body burn fat?
1. Down with low-calorie diets
A person practicing starvation diets gradually “kills” his metabolism himself. After all, metabolism is the processing of food into energy, from the receipt of food in the stomach to the removal of decay products from the body. And what to work with if you are always in a state of hunger? Your body has simply forgotten how to work. And as soon as the diet ends, he (the body) in a frantic rhythm accumulates food in stocks, so as not to starve later. What kind of accelerated metabolism are we talking about here?
2. Fractional nutrition
In order for the body to constantly work, you should eat every 2-3 hours. And it is not just words! Do not wait for hunger to come, warn him by sitting at the table before he begins to "rumble" in the stomach. So the body will not feel stress and there will be no need for it to put food in reserve. He will take what he needs from the food, and bring the rest out.
3. Moderate consumption of fats and carbohydrates
Depending on what rhythm of life you lead, you must find out for yourself how much protein, fat and carbohydrates you need to consume. Try to give priority to protein foods: lean meat, eggs, cottage cheese. Protein food, being processed slowly, significantly speeds up metabolism. In turn, products such as sugar and simple carbohydrates do not bring any benefit to the body, only harm. Try not to eat them.
To make the body work, you should learn to drink water. If there is a lack of water in your body, then the liver and kidneys work hard, trying to cleanse the body. Yes, and other functions of the body go into water saving mode. And this has a very unfavorable effect on metabolism, because, as you know, most chemical reactions are not possible without water. Learn to drink before each meal 40 minutes before and one hour after. Start and end your day with a glass of water. Tea, coffee and other liquids are not considered water! The exception is green tea. It is also useful for metabolism, like pure water.
Separately, I would like to say about fiber, that is, about foods rich in fiber - vegetables. Eat them as much as possible, and weight loss will not take long! You will simply be surprised how vegetables wake up your body. Ideally, vegetables should be consumed at every meal. And make one snack fruity. Details on how to lose weight by eating a large amount of vegetables and combining them correctly with other foods are described in ours.
5. Pay attention to vitamins
Sometimes metabolism decreases with a lack of vitamins and microelements, so periodically “please” your body with the use of vitamin complexes.
It is breakfast that turns on the metabolic processes in the body, which slow down overnight. Just do not think that if you eat all night, then these same processes will not slow down and in the morning you will not need to accelerate them again. Your body has its own rhythm and needs rest at night too! And in the morning, after a glass of water, you should properly reinforce your body. For people seeking to lose weight, it is better to eat for breakfast not the usual carbohydrates, but proteins: omelettes, fish, meat, cottage cheese. You can combine animal and vegetable proteins: lentils, beans, beans, chickpeas, soy. And if you like to eat porridge in the morning - to your health! The main thing is to eat!
The presence of muscle tissue in the body significantly speeds up the metabolism, because the body needs to spend a lot of energy to maintain these same muscles. And during physical activity, all processes in the body are accelerated. That's why physical activity is almost the most important thing in speeding up your metabolism.
7. Try to get more rest
In today's world, people are increasingly obese. In addition to popular and such harmful fast foods, the quality of rest and the abundance of stress also affect this. Try to give yourself enough time to rest. It is better to postpone things for later, but go to bed on time. If your body does not have time to restore strength overnight, then it will simply fall into energy saving mode. And this is a slow metabolism. As for stress, under their influence, the hormone cortisol is produced, which increases cravings for sweets. Cortisol breaks down proteins and promotes fat storage. In case of stress, it is better not to start eating sweets, but to give your body physical activity, because cortisol during physical activity will even help break down fats! Do not play sports? - Just walk around!
