There are many women over 40 who complain that they have a
slow metabolism and buy products that claim to "boost your
metabolism". But how do you increase your metabolism, and what is metabolism
exactly? How do diets affect your metabolism?
The largest part of your metabolism, called basal metabolism,
is the amount of fuel your body burns to support your basic bodily functions. These
vital functions include your heartbeat, breathing, brain function and numerous
other important, but invisible, activities going on inside of you at all times.
Even eating, digesting and processing food contribute to your metabolism.
Even when you're sleeping or sitting still, your body is
still actively working. It's just like a car; when the engine is running, it's
burning fuel-even if it's just sitting in the driveway.
Move More to Increase
Your Metabolism
Your activity level is another significant part of your fuel
needs. On top of your basal metabolism, your body's workload increases with any
type of activity, from brushing your teeth and taking a shower, to walking
around your home, school or office.
This extra work increases the number of calories the cells
burn, because the "labor" of the cells has increased. For instance,
your lung cells must work to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide, but
they work harder when you're walking at a brisk pace than when you're sitting
in a chair.
Increase Muscle Mass
to Boost Your Metabolism
Another piece to this metabolic puzzle is your body composition. Your body is composed
of water, adipose tissue (better known as fat) and lean tissue, which is
everything else (muscle, bone, hair, and other tissues).
Your muscle mass is
an important part of your lean tissue. In fact a majority of your body's
machinery is composed of muscle, including many of your internal organs. The
tiny engines of muscle cells are
"metabolically active" because they require energy to perform
their work.
Not only do muscle
cells require more energy to do their work, but it also takes energy to build and maintain
them. Whenever you do a little more than your body is accustomed to, your body
will build more muscle to accommodate the new workload. Building this new
muscle tissue requires more fuel.
It's like a factory; as the number of workers increases, the productivity or
output goes up.
Diets Affect on
Metabolism
There is another significant part of metabolism-food. To
your body, food is the fuel that keeps this process running smoothly. Your
cells must have an energy supply in order to perform their required tasks.
Without an adequate amount of fuel, your cells cannot function properly,
resulting in unfavorable consequences.
Think about your car again. If it runs out of gasoline, it
will putter and stop. However, in order to stay alive, your body's cells cannot
all just shut off. When your cells are
low on fuel from food, your body will turn to its "reserve tanks"
to utilize other energy sources. Initially, it will use up carbohydrate that
has been stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver. When that is gone, it
will begin to break down certain tissues to use for its energy supply, specifically,
fat and muscle.
Under strict dieting conditions, initially you will lose water and some of the stored fat. Eventually
survival mechanisms kick in and your metabolism
decreases to conserve energy and some of your muscle mass may be lost. This is simply the way your body adapts to
being under-fueled.
On the other hand, to optimally support your metabolism you
can choose to take three important steps:
- live an active lifestyle,
- engage in a reasonable exercise program to maintain and build muscle,
- eat an appropriate amount of food to fuel your cells.
- use natural health supplements to manage nutritional deficiencies.
With a greater appreciation for the processes that affect your metabolism, you can take these critical steps to boost and fuel your metabolism so it will work for you.
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