Working on our metabolism is as important to being fit and healthy as much as a regular exercise habit. Every effort in terms of regularly working out, eating healthy and taking additional supplements is not of much use if one is not focused on keeping the metabolism high.
I am sure that most of you know that Metabolism is nothing but the chemical process by which our cells produce the substances and energy needed to sustain life. A good weights session or a run in the park is a sure way to increase your metabolism. However what are the absolute, sure fire ways to fire up your metabolism & most importantly to keep it high through the day? Some pointers which I follow are –
Choose Whole Foods:All foods are not created equal. The more you focus on eating processed food which includes loads of Trans fat, the less effort it takes to digest in your system thereby spiking up your blood sugar levels and worse your waistline. You main focus needs to be on wholesome foods like whole wheat, lean meat, fruits, vegetables & eggs which takes more time and energy to get processed inside your system. The act of breaking down the nutrients in the food requires energy and hence this helps in burning more calories. Yes, you got it right by eating good food you burn more calories.
Put on Some Muscle:Working on building muscle is the simplest way of spiking your metabolism. Your objective needs to be to build lean muscle which requires energy to build it and also to maintain it. You can compare this to the fat tissue in the body – all it does, is occupy space without burning any calories at all. The best way to develop muscle mass is by, you guessed it, weight training. This means that even if fat loss is your main goal you should always keep weight training as part of your long term plan.
Increase Protein Intake, Especially At Breakfast:Protein is one of the most important components to crank up your metabolism and having the maximum at the first meal of the day helps you to spike your metabolism. This is because, it requires a lot of energy to break down and digest protein based food. Ensure you have a protein rich breakfast including eggs, lean meat and dairy products. For someone like me who is a vegetarian I need to depend upon dairy and plant sources. Just the act of eating protein can crank up your metabolism. Additionally what i have observed over the years is that,people who eat protein at breakfast tend to ingest fewer calories throughout the remainder of the day. So not only are you burning more calories by eating protein you’re likely to take less in as well.
Stay hydrated:Being hydrated is the key which sadly most of the people whom I interact with on a regular basis miss out on. Without enough water in your system you cannot efficiently and completely extract all the nutrients from the food you take in. Work on drinking at the least 2-3 lts of water during your regular day and increase it accordingly, depending upon your activity level. What I have realized is that most of the time I am not hungry but thirsty. A good gulp of sparkling water does the job for me.
Ensure you get a good period of rest: At the end of the day what is most important and required to ensure that your metabolism is at the peak is a good sleep of 7-8 hours. Yes this is also the period when most of the work is done both physically and emotionally. Ensure that all the electronic gizmos and distractions are out of the bedroom before you hit the sack.This is one area i do see many compromise and complain later that they are not able to see results.
Working on being healthy is definitely a challenge, but over a period of time it becomes a habit and most of the things I have mentioned above, will be done like clockwork. I do not even think of doing so many things because it has become a part of my Sub conscious. Focus your energy on developing lean muscle, getting more whole foods and protein into your diet and knocking out a few gym sessions each week. You’ll be on your way to having a metabolism which will stand you in good stead.
Even though I did go a little deep in this blog, I have tried to keep it as simple as possible. In any case if you have any questions or do not agree with my thoughts do feel free to connect with me on my Facebook Fan Page or mail me on coach@satishrao.in . I will be glad to answer the queries of yours.