So You Want to Burn Calories, eh?
Your body CAN be a calorie burning machine…even while you AREN’T doing crazy cardio.
WAHOOOOOOOOO!
Sounds amazing, right?
BUT, there are a few things you have to do on your end to facilitate the burn.
What is metabolism anyways?
Mayoclinic.com states it like this:
“Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. During this complex biochemical process, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function.
Even when you’re at rest, your body needs energy for all its “hidden” functions, such as breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, and growing and repairing cells.
The number of calories your body uses to carry out these basic functions is known as your basal metabolic rate — what you might call metabolism.“
So, it’s the work involved inside your body to create energy! The more it’s working, the more calories are getting used up. To dive into how to speed up your metabolism, we need to realize there are a few more factors involved that are typically out of your control.
You either love it or hate it
These 3 factors play a part in determining whether your metabolism is ROCKING or in slow-mo.
1. The size of you. If you are larger or ESPECIALLY if you have more muscle, you will burn more, even while you are sleeping.
2. Are you male? If so, it’s proven, you have an ADVANTAGE, dang it! Men have less body fat and more muscle, thereby burning more than us women that have to work oh so hard. Ha!
3. Oh no! I’m getting older! Want to know how to speed up your metabolism? Stop aging! Ha! With age comes less muscle and more fat which equals a slower metabolism.
So those 3 factors were more a matter of God than of your own choosing..so, not much you can do there.
How to speed up your metabolism
The other 2 factors that affect metabolism are exercise and digestion. NOW we are getting somewhere.
So we’ve got to speed this sucker up. I’m not suggesting any crazy diet pills or unnatural, unhealthy, unsustainable tactics. Then you will have a whole other set of problems on your hands. There ARE little tricks to speed up your metabolism like drinking coffee or eating hot sauce or chugging cold water that will get your body going, therefore burning. But how much Sriracha can one person consume in a day!??! Ha! We have to focus on what we can control and that is digestion and exercise.
Exercise. Plain and simple. The more calories you burn, the more weight you lose. To lose a pound you need to burn 3500 more calories than you are consuming. If you eat 3500 calories and burn 3500 calories, you stay the same. There has to be a deficit to lose weight. I suggest you complete a 30 minute workout 5-6 days a week (everybody has 30 minutes). But also, don’t skip the small stuff. Take the stairs when available. Park further away in the parking lot. Tighten your core in the check out line. Go for a walk with your family. Be active.
Digestion. In order for you body to start the digestive process, it needs food! No matter what, NEVER…I mean…NEVER skip breakfast. This is what gets your engine going. Without gas, it won’t move. And, if you aren’t giving your body the fuel it needs, it will actually HOLD ONTO THE FAT, for fear that it will need it since it’s not getting what it needs. We call that starvation mode. Any time you skip meals, this happens. You are doing your metabolism a complete disservice. You think you are eating less calories, so it should work. But it actually works against you. Instead, it will attack the muscle (conserving the fat), which will also slow your metabolism down more since muscle is what revs it up! AHHHHH!
Moral of the story: Don’t skip meals, ESPECIALLY breakfast.
“But I just don’t have time.” Make time. I have my shakeology every morning. It takes about 1 minute and 35 seconds from start to finish to prepare and that includes rinsing the lid. Not only does it get my metabolism going, it wakes me up, provides mental clarity, and makes me a nicer person and this is ALL before 7:00 am. Ha! And I’m thinking you could easily start setting your alarm 1 minute and 35 seconds earlier and you wouldn’t even realize it, right?
I also eat 4-5 small meals throughout the day vs 1-3 huge ones. This keeps the engine burning and my energy high. I made this change after going into several “food comas”…you know the feeling? You eat a huge meal and immediately need a nap or to lie flat?!? Ha! No more!
So, hopefully this helped you understand how to speed up your metabolism the healthy way and just how it works altogether. If you need help finding a 30 minute workout program that will get you crazy results and burning a heck of a lot of calories, email me personally at jessica@jessicabowsernelson.com.
Digging Deeper,
Jessica Bowser Nelson
