This word “metabolism” is thrown around a lot these days. You know that if yours is too slow you might gain weight. But what exactly does this all mean? Well technically “metabolism” is the word to describe all of the biochemical reactions in your body. It's how you take in nutrients and oxygen and use them to fuel everything you do. Your body has an incredible ability to grow, heal, and generally stay alive. And without this amazing biochemistry you would not be possible. eabolism includes how the cells in your body:
So when you put all of these processes together into your metabolism you can imagine that these processes can work too quickly, too slowly, or just right. Which brings us to the “metabolic rate”. Metabolic rate This is how fast your metabolism works and is measured in calories (yup, those calories!). The calories you eat can go to one of three places:
As you can imagine the more calories you burn as work or creating heat the easier it is to lose weight and keep it off because there will be fewer “leftover” calories to store for later. There are a couple of different ways to measure metabolic rate. One is the “resting metabolic rate” (RMR) which is how much energy your body uses when you're not being physically active. The other is the “total daily energy expenditure” (TDEE) which measures both the resting metabolic rate as well as the energy used for “work” (e.g. exercise) throughout a 24-hour period. What affects your metabolic rate? In a nutshell: a lot! The first thing you may think of is your thyroid. This gland at the front of your throat releases hormones to tell your body to “speed up” your metabolism. Of course, the more thyroid hormone there is the faster things will work and the more calories you'll burn. But that's not the only thing that affects your metabolic rate. How big you are counts too! Larger people have higher metabolic rates; but your body composition is crucial! As you can imagine muscles that actively move and do work need more energy than fat does. So the more lean muscle mass you have the more energy your body will burn and the higher your metabolic rate will be. Even when you're not working out. This is exactly why weight training is often recommended as a part of a weight loss program. Because you want muscles to be burning those calories for you. The thing is, when people lose weight their metabolic rate often slows down which you don't want to happen. So you definitely want to offset that with more muscle mass. Aerobic exercise also temporarily increases your metabolic rate. Your muscles are burning fuel to move so they're doing “work”. The type of food you eat also affects your metabolic rate! Your body actually burns calories to absorb, digest, and metabolize your food. This is called the “thermic effect of food” (TEF). You can use it to your advantage when you understand how your body metabolizes foods differently. Fats, for example increase your TEF by 0-3%; carbs increase it by 5-10%, and protein increases it by 15-30%. By trading some of your fat or carbs for lean protein you can slightly increase your metabolic rate. Another bonus of protein is that your muscles need it to grow. By working them out and feeding them what they need they will help you to lose weight and keep it off. And don't forget the mind-body connection. There is plenty of research that shows the influence that things like stress and sleep have on the metabolic rate. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to metabolism and how so many different things can work to increase (or decrease) your metabolic rate. Until next time, Susan References: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-energy-balance https://authoritynutrition.com/10-ways-to-boost-metabolism/
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As I type this I can hardly contain my excitement!
I have been praying and thinking...and thinking and praying about this group and how I can best use it to help women. My goal is to have a community where women can grow in mind, body and spirit...together. Where I can teach to and learn from the members who are ready to pour their love and support into a tribe of women who are tired. Tired of feeling like they are unworthy of anything different. Tired of putting themselves last because they feel obligated to do so. Tired of the negativity in social media and ready for encouragement and support. The details about the group will be revealed during a Facebook LIVE event on Monday, August 20th at 7:00 pm (cst). I am so very excited about what we will be working on together and it will even include a weekly Zoom call. The relaunch will also include a special guest who has graciously agreed to share her story of regained health through simple daily decisions...that we can all do. You will not want to miss it! Ready to join the group? Click here to request to join and wait. Monday night at 6:30 pm (cst) you will be approved and then get ready...the LIVE will start at 7:00 pm (cst). Hope to see you there! Until next time, Susan So they say a journey begins with a single step ...it seems I have taken two steps forward and three steps back with launching this blog. What causes me to move as if I am stuck in sinking sand and question every move I make toward the goal set before me? That my beautiful ones is the million dollar question. It has been an idea for a while to begin a blog where I can pour my heart out and connect with women like myself who have spent way too many years.... stuck. Stuck in their own self-limiting beliefs. Stuck in a pit of low self-esteem. Stuck in the trap of living their lives on other people's terms. Stuck in the past and frozen by fear of the future. Not long ago, while sitting on a beautiful beach in South Carolina, I had a conversation about this blog with a dear friend. I told her that my dream was to inspire women who for too long have felt like they are less. Women afraid to speak what they really think for fear of being mocked or laughed at......and just not taken seriously. Women who spent high school as an invisible person and that just seemed to follow them into adulthood. Women who compare themselves to others and let that comparison steal them from the God given gifts and talents they have been given. Women who question everything they do because their confidence is gone. Women who have been putting themselves last on the list and let their health go by the wayside. Beautiful ones...enough is enough. This will be a place of rest for all of that. No more comparing or feeling like you are not enough. You are enough. Here you will find encouragement and someone who gets it. The struggle is real and there is strength in numbers. We have to stick together and build each other up....and I hope you find it here. If you want to join the Simple Beautiful Life Facebook Group click here. I am a Wellness Mentor. So.....I will talk about natural health, nutrition, fitness, mindset and other random topics unassigned. I hope you find some inspiration and motivation as well as just feel better from being here! Until next time - Susan If you get to know me you will soon find out that I like to plan. I suppose I think that if I plan for something it will turn out exactly as I planned. Right?! Right...
We both know that this is NOT the case. When it comes to your health and fitness goals it may seem silly to make a list and plan. I mean, all you need to do is change your diet and move your body, right? Well yes..but there is a bit more to it. The bottom line is if you must be serious about your goals. They hold you accountable and build a framework for you to succeed and also evaluate what needs to be done differently. Your goal may be to lose 10 pounds. It sounds good enough but unless you have a blueprint on how to reach your goal it will be all too easy to eat that plate of chocolate chip cookies because you are not invested in this whole 10 pound goal. The best way to plan this is by using a SMART goal.
Let's use the SMART goal formula for the 10 pound weight loss. So put it in to SMART terms: I am going to lose 10 pounds in two months.
Now that you have the SMART goal established the real work begins. Here are a few tips to get you started.
That is enough for now...we will look at ideas for meals next week. Remember...keep it simple...small changes over time add up to big results. Until next time - Susan |
Susan Sloop
Jesus Follower. Kingdom Builder. Wife. Mom, CrossFitter. Nutrition Lover. Motivator. Sister. Friend. Dog Lover. Beach Seeker. Archives |