How To Maximize Your Metabolism

Your metabolism is a measure of how many calories you are burning each day. But, food, exercise and lifestyle choices have a significant impact on your metabolism. For example, skipping meals and cutting calories too severely can actually slow down your metabolism! Below is a list of some of the ways you can boost your metabolism:

  1. Don't Starve! Eating too few calories actually slows down your metabolism and causes your body to lose water weight and muscle. Never eat below 1200 calories for women and 1800 calories for men. For your basal metabolic needs (the calories you need at rest, just for your vital organs to function) a GENERAL calculation is ideal body weight times 10. Add 300-500 extra for exercise.
  2. Eat Breakfast! If you go 12 or more hours without food, your metabolism slows down to conserve energy since it isn't receiving any nutrition.
  3. Eat 6-8 smaller meals a day to keep your blood sugars level. Focus on lean proteins, vegetables and fruits.
  4. Control your blood sugars with high energy foods. Simple carbohydrates (sugars) raise insulin levels which interferes with fat burning. In addition, they metabolize quicker so you feel hungrier sooner. Combine complex carbohydrates with lean proteins and use healthy fats. Examples of these kind of snacks are: an apple with natural peanut butter, pear and 15 almonds, humus and carrot/celery sticks, low sugar and low fat yogurts.
  5. Eat 1.1 grams of protein per pound of body weight. It's best to use your lean body mass if you know it.
  6. Water!!!! Shoot for 6 - 8 (8 oz) glasses a day, depending on exercise levels.
  7. Avoid drinking your calories! Water is the best beverage. Juices, soda and especially alcohol are empty calories. Also, alcohol prevents fat burning!!! Men, did you know that alcohol decreases testosterone levels? This is an important hormone in building muscle and burning fat!
  8. Work out!!! Cardio burns fat - 30-60 minutes is ideal. Just as important is strength training (muscle work) because muscle in your body at rest burns more calories than fat!
Jean Turcotte
2 Meadow Pond Lane
Natick,MA 01760
Email: jtfitness2@aol.com
(508)650-0388
(508)735-5367