Strategies to Boost
Metabolism
Grazing
Forget what you’ve been taught. If you want to
control your appetite, regulate your blood sugar level to stay energized and
alert, and build lean muscle mass, you need to more often, not less. Aim for
five to six small- to medium-size meals or snacks each day. That equates to
eating, on average, every three hours. Think of yourself as “grazing” all day,
instead of sitting down for three massive feedings.
It’s possible to fit in six meals a day
regardless of your job or lifestyle. Remember that six “meals” should not be
long, sit-down affairs. A few could be, but three of those meals should just be
snacks; one or two of which might just be shakes before and after your workout. And since you’re eating more often, your
traditional breakfasts, lunches and dinners probably will be lighter.
Benefits:
§ Controlling blood sugar levels improves
concentration and helps regulate appetite. If you can do those two things,
you’ll be in much better control of your body. After all, having consistent
levels of blood sugar gives you consistent energy and makes you feel good, since
you’re avoiding huge swings in hunger and mood.
§ Over the course of the day, your mood,
concentration, and energy levels go up and down. Aside from the stresses of
your day, this is partly a function of your blood sugar levels. When these
levels go down there’s a tendency to grab the first food available, and that’s
usually not something good for you.
§ Frequent eating is like constantly throwing
wood on the fire. Digesting food cranks up your metabolism and burns more
calories every time you eat. By not eating often, the fire smolders and dies. A
hot fire, on the other hand, burns wood continuously. Those six smaller meals
keep the fire hot. And since you know you’ll eat in a few hours, you’re less
likely to overeat.
Eat Breakfast
When you wake up in the morning, your
metabolism is running at the lowest metabolic rate of the entire day.
Basically, your body is running on fumes. The second you eat something, your
body cranks into gear and metabolically starts working at a higher rate. Your
morning shower may wake up your mind, but breakfast wakes up your metabolism.
Build Muscle
Many people try to get thin by not eating.
They deprive their bodies of nutrients, and while they might look healthy, they
have dangerous blood profiles and a high ratio of fat to lean muscle. Their
bodies are what we call “skinny fat”.
The last thing you want to do is lose lean
mass. After all, you train hard to build muscle, which produces power,
stabilizes joints, promotes movement, and is critical for optimal performance
throughout life, not to mention on the athletic field. Moreover, the average
person loses a pound of lean mass per year, so it’s imperative to take action
to maintain your muscle.
What’s more, every pound of muscle you pack on
requires approximately 20 additional calories. So add muscle and more of your
food will go towards sustaining your physique.
If you don’t eat often, the most readily
available substance for the body to consume is muscle. There’s a misconception
that the body first eats away its fat. But the body is remarkably resistant to
fat loss and will turn to its lean muscle first, a process known as catabolism,
keeping stored body fat in reserve as long as necessary. In other words, eating
less often can actually waste muscle.
Fuel with Protein
You should include a lean protein source with
every meal. Protein has the highest “thermic effect” of all the macronutrients.
To use the analogy that frequent eating is like throwing wood on a fire, when
you eat protein, it is like throwing lighter fluid onto that fire. So include a
lean protein source with every meal to get a little extra burst of metabolic Power
exercise,diet,health and wellness,education,fitness,personal training,group fitness training,
David Knapp NCSF-CPT,CNS
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