One of the key factors in losing weight is your
metabolism. Metabolism is a chemical
reaction in your cells that changes the calories (energy) in the food you eat
into energy that you can use in your daily life. In other words, it's the rate you burn the
calories in the foods you eat.
Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is how much energy your body
uses when it is at rest. If you take
your present weight and multiply it by 10, you will get your BMR. This energy is measured in calories, so it is
easy to understand that if you consume more calories than your body needs on a
daily basis, you will gain weight. Conversely,
if you consume less calories, you will lose weight.
One good way to increase the amount of calories you burn,
and to burn calories more quickly and efficiently, is to increase the amount of
exercise in your daily routine.
As you grow older, your metabolism may automatically slow
down. This is what causes people to gain
weight as they age. Nothing else changes
in their lifestyle, but their bodies burn less calories each day and, as a
result, they start to slowly gain weight.
Some easy ways to combat this "creeping weight gain" is to eat
less or to exercise more. Aerobics or
strength training are both great ways to increase your metabolism and
strengthen your body - and protect your heart.
Strength training, especially, offers two benefits that help
with your metabolism. In the first
instance, strength training increases your muscle mass. Using your muscles burns fat so, consequently,
the more muscle mass you have the more fat you will burn when you do other
exercise, or just going about your daily chores.
There is a theory that metabolic typing may also be
important to successful weight loss.
There are many "tests" you can take online to determine if you
are a "carbohydrate" type, "protein" type, or a
"mixed" type. Which type you
are determines the most efficient proportion of carbohydrates, protein, and fat
you should consume each day for optimal health and weight control. There is a free metabolic typing test
available at www.mercola.com. It's worth
your time to take this simple survey.
Your weight loss efforts will be well-rewarded.
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