Metabolism refers to all the chemical processes that use energy and happen inside our bodies to keep us alive and our organs functioning normally, such as breathing, repairing cells and digesting food.
The minimum amount of energy our bodies require to carry out these chemical processes is called the basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is about 70% of our metabolism. It’s the amount of energy our bodies burn to keep itself functioning while at rest.
We understand that you would like to learn how you can increase your metabolic rate. One thing you need to know is that there’s no conclusive evidence that particular foods can significantly and permanently change our total metabolism. This is because metabolism is mostly determined by factors which we can’t change, like our age, gender, and genetics.
We can, however, control how much energy we put in our bodies and how much we spend it by being active (the remaining 30% of our metabolism). Here are some helpful tips on how to do this:
1. Build and maintain body muscle mass:
Muscle cells require more energy to maintain than fat cells, so people with more muscle than fat tend to have a faster metabolism.
When we lose weight, we could not only lose fat, but also muscle mass as well. So, if you lose muscle, your basal metabolic rate will tend to go down and make it harder to burn calories to lose weight.
This goes to show how important it is to have muscle-strengthening & resistance training exercises as we aim to increase our activity levels.
Aim to do muscle-strengthening activities that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on 2 or more days a week.
Let us know if you would like to get in touch with our Antara Fitness Instructor who can guide you through such exercises.
2. Count your calories:
Research suggests people tend to eat more than they think they do.
More often than not, the reason we gain weight isn't because of a slow metabolism, it's because we're eating and drinking more calories than we're burning.
It may be hard to accept, but staying on top of the number of calories you eat is key to losing weight and keeping it off.
Based on your nutrition consultation, we established that you need a 1500-calorie diet per day, with light activity levels. You can use calorie counting apps like these to help you track your daily calorie intake.
3. Eat smaller meals throughout the day:
Every time we eat, we give our metabolism a slight boost since food creates energy in our body. It’s known as the thermic effect of food (TEF) and accounts for 10% of your overall metabolism.
Therefore, if we eat smaller and more frequent meals (after every 3-4 hours), our metabolism can increase slightly.
While if we eat large meals and then don’t eat for a long time, our metabolism slows down between those eating sessions.
4. Avoid late night meals:
We tend to be less active in the evening, since we spend most of our time sleeping, and this is when our metabolism is at its lowest point.
Try and have your last meal at least 4 hours before bedtime to have enough time to burn the calories off.
5. Drink enough water:
Water is really important in the metabolic process, as it helps in the digestion of food. If we don’t have enough water we can slow down our metabolism.
Drinking 1.5 to 2 litres of water daily is recommended, but the best way to judge your hydration level is by the color of your urine. You want to drink enough to dilute it until it runs clear (Yellow = drink more water).
Let your Antara Nutritionist know if you are having any difficulties or challenges in managing your diet. Book a session with an Antara Nutritionist through the Antara App or by clicking here.