You might think of yourself as having a slow metabolism or being one of the lucky ones with a very fast one, but have you ever thought about whether it is possible to change your metabolism? Metabolism may be affected by many factors, such as how old you are, your diet, weight, sleep patterns, and even your genetics, but there is evidence suggesting that you can improve it with exercise.
How Does Metabolism Work?
Your metabolism is, simply put, the process whereby your body converts fuel (food and drink) into energy. This process takes place all the time, even when you are at rest as the energy produced is used for breathing, growing or repairing cells, and circulating your blood (among other things). When you are moving your metabolic rate will increase as the more activity you are doing, the more energy is required to fuel your body.
There are many different factors that influence your metabolism, such as those mentioned above, like age and weight, and your baseline metabolism is determined based on those factors. Every day, your body burns a specified amount of calories to simply maintain your body. However, there are two extra factors that influence your daily calorie burn:
- Food intake and process: Energy is required when your body is processing the food you are eating, which will burn more calories. Your dietary choices will affect how much energy you are taking in and storing, versus burning off.
- Physical activity and exercise: All activity you perform throughout the day, from walking around your house to going to the gym, burns calories. The more activity you perform, the more calories are burned (If you are consuming significantly more calories than you are burning, it is more probable that you will gain weight).
While it can seem like some people are blessed with an incredible metabolism that allows them to eat whatever they want and not need to burn it off, everyone can improve and activate their metabolism!
The Effect Of Exercise
Unfortunately, owing to metabolism being based on genetics, gender, and age, you cannot drastically change your baseline metabolism. However, you can maintain and boost your current metabolism!
Muscle cells burn more calories than fat cells, so you will be improving your metabolism by increasing your muscle mass. Therefore, any exercise will be an improvement! But it goes further than this because as we age our muscles begin to lose mass, but if you are consistently active you can slow down the effects and keep your metabolism running at a healthier level for a longer period of time.
It is important to challenge your muscles and regularly exercise your body. To see the best results, you need to perform high-intensity activities, cardio, and weight-lifting exercises which will allow you to build muscle, improve stamina, and maintain a consistent metabolic rate.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
Improving metabolic health is vital to help you remain in tip-top shape. Make sure that you know how to keep your nutrition in check by doing our Specialised Nutrition Course. Read more about it here.
