Fitness Tips Article Series, 2

Did you go to any holiday parties last night (newbies, see Part 1)?!

People with a lower percentage of body fat have a higher metabolism than those who are less muscular because muscle uses more calories to maintain itself. A slow metabolism actually causes you to store fat. Use these tips to speed up your metabolism, burn more fat and lose more weight:

Some Things That Slow Your Metabolism

1. Fasting. It causes your body to switch to survival mode and store fat.
2. A diet that is too low-calorie. See number 1.
3. Snacking throughout the day on high sugared foods (such as candy and sodas).
4. Drinking too many sugary drinks.
5. A lack of physical activity (cardio and weight training).
6. You have an underactive thyroid.

Some Things That Speed Up Your Metabolism

1. Do not skip meals (eat 4 to 6 small meals a day).
2. Regular exercise (cardio 2-3 days/weight training 3 days).
3. Build more muscle.
4. Avoid too much alcohol and sugar.
5. Drink only water or unsweetened tea for beverages.
6. Eat foods with high nutritional values (such as fiber).

Other Facts About The Body's Metabolism

Fact #1 A slow or sluggish metabolism is not the major cause of weight gain.

A caloric imbalance is the cause of weight gain (taking in more calories than you burn in a day). If you have a slow or sluggish metabolism? A brisk 30 minute walk each day would get you started in the right direction to speed it up.

Fact #2 Lifting weights (or other resistance exercises) and cardio exercise will give you a higher metabolic rate.

Most aerobic exercises give you a calorie afterburn of 10% to 15% of calories used during a workout. So, if you burned 300 calories in a cardio session, you'll burn an additional 30 to 45 calories over several hours. You should do at least 30 minutes of cardio 5-6 times per week (with intensity at least 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate). Combine your cardio with weight/resistance training (at least 3days a week) and it will speed up your metabolism even more because muscle increases your body's capacity to burn calories during and after exercise.

Fact #3 Sweating is not a gauge of how many calories you are burning.

Weight loss or gain is a product of calories consumed or burned. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight and vice-versa.

Fact #4 The best time to exercise is whenever you have the most energy.

Working out at any time of the day will increase metabolism for several hours, depending on intensity.

Fact #5 Your metabolism doesn't necessarily have to slow down as you get older.

Your metabolism may get sluggish because of fat gain and lost muscle mass. The easiest way to keep a healthy metabolic rate for life is to engage in consistent exercise.

Now, go speed up your metabolism!

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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About Mark

Hi, I'm Mark Dilworth, Nutritionist, Dietary Strategies Specialist, Nutrition for Metabolic Health Specialist and Lifestyle Weight Management Specialist. Since 2006, I have helped thousands of clients and readers make lifestyle habit changes which includes body transformation and ideal body weight.