Posted: 11/23/2007 12:06:01 PM EDT
| Is there anyway to safely speed up your metabolism for us in our 40's and have noticed a few more pounds |
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If you exercise consistently and maintain a good diet, your metabolism will have no direction to go but UP. Some people increase meal frequency (5-7 feedings per day) because they believe it will help speed metabolism up, but that is only theoretical. At this time, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that eating 7 meals a day results in any higher a metabolism than eating 3. A greater number of feedings does make it easier to get all of your calories in as your metabolism rises, though. |
AGW's already got it covered, so here's the long answer:  Increase Metabolism Through Exercise When we exercise, our bodies require more energy and our metabolism increases in order to supply it. However, most of the time we are not all that active, which is the reason people want to increase their metabolism. The idea is to burn more calories when doing very little, like sitting around or even sleeping. Metabolism is defined as: "Chemical changes that utilize energy and result in tissue and compound building (anabolism) or breakdown of substrates and release of energy (catabolism)."
There are three ways strength training can increase metabolism: The Workout Session: Muscles contracting under heavy loads require energy. They also produce heat which is a by-product of muscular contraction. How much strength training will increase metabolism will vary depending upon the amount of muscle tissue involved in an exercise and the level of resistance weight that is used. For example, doing squats using your leg muscles will require far more energy than doing bicep curl's using your arms. Post-Workout Oxygen Consumption: There are several factors which influence the excess post exercise oxygen consumption (resynthesis of creatine phosphate in muscle, lactate removal, restoration of muscle and blood oxygen stores, elevated body temperature, post exercise elevation of heart rate and breathing, elevated hormones). In one study researchers examined the post-exercise oxygen consumption of strength training exercise to increase metabolism. Metabolic rate was measured for nine subjects after 40 minutes of cycling (80 percent of maximal heart rate), 40 minutes of circuit training (50% of individuals' 1 RM x 15 repetitions for 4 sets), 40 minutes of heavy resistance lifting (80-90% of 1 RM x 3-8 repetitions x 3 sets), and a control interval. All forms of exercise increased the metabolic rate immediately after exertion. For circuit training and heavy resistance lifting, the metabolism increase was also significant 30 minutes after exertion. The absolute total increment in caloric use after exertion was comparable among circuit training, heavy lifting, and cycling. However, cycling alone was far less than both forms of weight training. In any case when one actually examines the energy cost or calories burned during the post-exercise period it is relatively small. Some researchers have commented that the post-exercise effect is sufficiently small and that it does not have a major role in the control of weight loss by itself. However, if you combine the entire exercise session with proper diet, weight loss and an increase in metabolism can be substantial. The other factor to consider with the post-exercise is the fuel which is utilized. Strength training exercise tends to burn/utilize carbohydrate during the actual training session. However, after a workout more fat is burned to meet the energy demands of your body. The more carbohydrate burned during an exercise period, the more fat burned after exercise. The higher the exercise intensity, proportionately more fat will be burned during the recovery (resting) phase. Addition of Muscle Mass: It has been proven time and time again that properly performed high intensity strength training stimulates the development of muscle mass which in turn will alter metabolism in two different ways. First, resting metabolic rate is increased when one gains muscle mass. While the energy expenditure per pound of lean body mass does not change, the addition of more muscle mass means higher energy expenditure or increased metabolism at rest. Second, the more muscle mass an individual has the greater the post exercise oxygen consumption. When strength trained individuals were compared to non-trained individuals, there was no difference in post exercise oxygen consumption per pound of muscle. However, since the strength training individuals have more muscle mass, they burn more calories during the post exercise period. Conclusion: Strength training increases energy expenditure during a training session. The high intensity or anaerobic nature of strength training indicates a higher utilization of carbohydrates during a training session. During the post-exercise recovery period, energy expenditure is elevated for a period ranging from two to fifteen hours. The increased energy demands are obtained by burning more calories, and a good portion of those calories are coming from stored fat. The addition of muscle mass on an individual will cause an increase in the number of calories that are utilized at rest. So it is comforting to know while one is exerting themselves through a high intensity workout, that the hard work will result in an increase in metabolism that continues to burn calories hours after a workout. |