Essentially metabolism is the speed at which the motor of our body is running and the rate can be referred to as the amount of calories we burn per day. Approximate 60 to 75 percent of energy is used by the body in such activities when we are at rest or sleeping.
The slower the rate of metabolism, the more people struggle with weight management.
Reasons for lower metabolism include:
- High percentage of body fat & lower percentage of lean muscle mass
- Low calorie diet
- Eating high energy foods particularly containing sugar
- Lack of physical exercise
- Under active thyroid
- Age (younger people have higher metabolic rates due to increased cell activity)
- Fasting
Things to accelerate your metabolism:
- Don’t skip meals
- Exercise everyday
- Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day
- Eat foods with high nutritional value
- Avoid alcohol, fasting & sugar
- Strengthen your muscles to increase percentage of lean muscle tissue
- Vary your calorie intake throughout the week. For example if you are reducing your calories, be sure to have 1-2 days with a slightly higher intake
- Exercise or walk in the evening to increase your metabolism just as it begins to slow down
- Sleep 7-8 hours to allow for body rejuvenation
- Eat protein at each meal as it increases the feeling of fullness & requires more energy to digest
- Green tea, caffeine, turmeric, folic acids, iodine, calcium & chromium all boost metabolism
Steph’s Top Tips:
- Drink 30ml per 1kg of body weight per day & add some lemon for a natural detox
- Have a green & black tea before exercise in the morning
- Sleep 8 hours per day
- Train 30-60mins in the morning on empty stomach (no brekky)
- Eat regularly and avoid having large meals
- Speak with Alison the sport dietician or check out Cabot Health‘s weight management support supplements
