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Discovering your Metabolism Rate – What Is It?

March 22nd, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

You’ve heard about your “metabolism”, and that it’s not that great if you have a low metabolism, so you’re wondering - what is your metabolism rate, and why should you be trying to get yours higher?

Metabolism is a process that takes place inside our body which converts the foods we eat into energy. Metabolism rate is the speed that process takes. People who have a high metabolism rate are less susceptible to weight gain and coronary artery disease. People with a lower rate can take steps to raise their rate to a healthier level.

The foods we eat are broken down into various components which then enter the bloodstream to provide us with energy. The rate these foods are broken down determines whether these foods are used as energy or stored as fat. High fat levels in our bloodstream can lead to serious health problems, even leading up to death.

Increasing Your Metabolism Rate - How to do it

One way to increase your metabolism rate is to get regular exercise. Muscle burns more energy than fat. While increased activity will increase your metabolism rate during activity it will also increase your rate when resting.

Many times metabolism rates are directly related to our genetic makeup. There are also certain medical conditions which can affect rates such as an over-active or under-active thyroid.

Eating healthy foods and staying with a regular exercise program are the best ways to maintain a healthy metabolism rate. Getting 30 minutes of exercise a day for four to five days a week is recommended. Good examples of aerobic exercise are walking, jogging, dancing, or riding a bike. Studies show that your metabolism rate continues to stay at an elevated level for several hours after an exercise session. Lifting weights can be incorporated into your program for building muscle mass. Muscle mass will increase your rate while being active or at rest.

Controlling your weight is an important aspect to your health. Eating a variety of foods is important so you can be sure you get the right balance of nutrients and vitamins. Experiment with the amount of calorie intake you can burn each day without putting on weight. Increasing your level of activity can allow you to eat more food while inactivity will result in stored body fat.

Of course there are those people whose metabolism rate is too high and they feel the need to gain weight. Gaining weight for the purpose of looking better is usually not recommended. If you are one of the lucky people who has this problem it would be healthier for you to try to build muscle mass instead of gaining fat. Muscle weighs more than fat and is much healthier than storing fats in the body.

In conclusion, your although your basal metabolism is determined by your genes, you can raise your metabolism by your lifestyle. Essentially, all it takes to boost your metabolism is to eat healthy foods - don’t starve yourself if you’re trying to lose weight - and a bit of exercise.