Metabolism

Did you know that muscle burns more calories than fat - even when you are sitting there watching TV?

So...

What is metabolism?

Hormones and enzymes that convert food into fuel and regulate how your body burns that fuel.

Your metabolism is influenced by your age (metabolism naturally slows about 5% per decade after age 40); your sex (men generally burn more calories at rest than women); and proportion of lean body mass (the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate tends to be).

How do I increase my metabolism?

Among the best ways is exercise. This includes aerobic workouts to burn more calories in the short term, and weight training to build the muscles that will boost your metabolism in the long run.

Since muscle burns more calories than fat -- even while at rest -- the more muscles you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate, which means the more calories your body will be burning just to sustain you.

Also eat small, but frequent, meals help keep your metabolism in high gear, and that means you'll burn more calories overall. If you put too many hours between meals, your metabolism actually slows down to compensate for the time between fuel being added to your body.

So to sum it all up - Your best bet for keeping metabolism revved: Build muscles, snack on low-calorie, high-protein foods, and keep moving!

The trick is doing this - I know that I need to get better about doing this and one way that I am working on this goal is Lisa and I signed up for a year of personal training at the gym. I know it was a huge commitment of both time and finances, but I figure if I am willing to go out and spend a couple of hundred dollars at the store on "stuff" then why can't I invest some money into something that will make a change for me in a positive way.

So far I have had 3 sessions with a great trainer (number 4 is today) and he knows how to motivate me and encourage me all at the same time. He is a great guy - it may help that he has been doing this for over 22 years and knows what he is talking about. He has me working on the things above - some cardio to increase my resting heart rate and burn some calories and some weight training to build lean muscle mass. We talked about this from the beginning and he told me what he was going to work on with me - increasing flexibility, endurance, core strength, and building lean muscle. He said that he is not going to focus on the number on the scale, but instead focus on my measurements and how much they change and my body fat percentage. That is the target for our time together.

I'll keep you posted as I travel along this journey and we will see where I am a year from October and I know there will be big changes by then!!!