Understanding how to enhance and maximise your individual metabolic rate is the key to achieving permanent weight control and feeling good about yourself – FOR LIFE !

Most of us have heard of the word “Metabolism”, but what does it really mean?

In basic terms it means the amount of energy (calories) a person burns to be alive. The faster your metabolism the more energy you will burn up. Obviously we all want to have a fast metabolism because we always relate this to slim or thinner people. Having a slow metabolism generally means that a person has the tendency to “put weight on” much easier than a person with a fast metabolism. We’ve all heard the saying “I just look at food and put weight on!” This is always a statement by someone who knows they have a slow metabolism.

Once you learn how to positively manipulate your own metabolism (ie. to increase and maximise your body’s energy expenditure), the process of decreasing body fat levels and stabilising your bodyweight becomes much easier.

Learning how to increase your metabolism and create your “Perfect Personal Metabolism” takes time and patience. However once you adapt and improve it, your metabolism will be super-efficient and constantly cranking! And this means a thinner, healthier you – FOR LIFE!

To fully understand the workings of your metabolism, it must be separated into two interrelated categories:

1. ACTIVE METABOLIC RATE (AMR) day-time
2. BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR) night-time

Your AMR is the total energy expenditure from your daily lifestyle activities, job-related activities, exercising and sports and also food digestion. All these factors help you to burn calories throughout the day and all incidental activities like gardening, shopping and playing with the kids or example, helps to burn calories ! It all adds up.

Your BMR is the combination of energy expenditure required for basic bodily functions
(essential metabolic processes - breathing, pumping blood around the body, regeneration of cells). Your BMR is active even when you sleep. That’s right you burn calories while you are at rest. Your BMR is the key to permanent weight control because it is working all the time and the higher your BMR is the more calories you are going to burn at rest, plus the extra calories you burn with your AMR.

Linking your AMR and BMR energy expenditures together results in your total amount of energy (calories) burned in a 24 hour period. Linking this total energy expenditure to a low-carb eating plan males sense as during the daytime hours, your metabolism is active and efficient, therefore consumption of some carbohydrate foods is fine as they will be readily used as energy and keep us going (food for thought).
At night however when your metabolism begins to slow-down and a 6 to 10 hour “hibernation mode” occurs (sleep), energy expenditure decreases to the bear minimum. Therefore, high carbohydrate dinners are not needed and the surplus calories from a high carb dinner (rice, potatoe, pasta and bread for example) are just stored as fat! Now that is something none of us want.

Below are some tips on how you can increase your energy expenditure (calories burned) which will help to decrease body fat levels.

10 simple ways to increase your METABOLISM:

1.  Regular AEROBIC exercise (before breakfast for best results)
     Frequency 3 to 5 times a week
     Intensity 60% to 75% of your Maximum heart rate
     MAX HR = 220 minus your age x .60 to .75
     Example = 220 – 42 = 178 x .60 = 106 up to 134 bpm

     Time 30 to 60 minutes
     Moderate intensity classes (often called “fat-burners” etc.)

2.   Eat a nutritious BREAKFAST - every morning without fail
3.   Eat every 2 to 3 HOURS called “grazing” - 6 to 8 small meals per day
4.   Follow a “low-carb” dinner plan - at least 5 nights a week
5.   Eat low-fat PROTEIN BASED FOODS - whenever possible
6.   Consistently lift WEIGHTS - 2 to 4 times a week
7.   Regularly cycle “Fat Burners” - throughout the year to periodically help increase your
      metabolism (*check with your Doctor first)
8.   Strictly avoid DIETS OF ANY KIND and calorie restriction plans!
9.   Drink plenty of water. 2 to 3 litres a day - to keep your body functioning properly &       efficiently
10. REMEMBER - Energy Out (exercise) ALWAYS exceeds Energy In (food)

If you follow these basic guidelines you are on the road to increasing your metabolism and burning more calories everyday. Give it a try for at least 1 month and see for yourself.
Good Luck!