Start burning more calories today by incorporating these two easy tips. First, learn how to increase your metabolism with a good diet and strength training program. Second, workout smarter with compound exercises. These should have your body melting fat away!
To increase your metabolism, you must know about BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). The basal metabolic rate is the minimum amount of calories needed at rest to sustain normal function. Everybody is different and lifestyle choices can have a huge effect on it. In sedentary people it accounts for 60-75% of their total energy expenditure. So as you can see it plays a huge role in how many calories you burn in a day. If you can increase your basal metabolic rate, it will be easy to scorch calories! So how can you do this? It all comes down to a healthy diet and a strength training program.
A meal that contains a lot of fat or is hard to digest will temporarily decrease your BMR. Imagine your body with a set number of available energy, lets say 100 units. The more units it takes to break down and store food, the less units are available otherwise. This is why you feel so zapped of energy after eating a large meal or something hard to digest. What I have found works best is to eat small frequent meals beginning as soon as you wake up. While fasting overnight your metabolisms slows, so eating breakfast will get it revved back up. If your really serious about tracking calories, have your BMR tested. It is easier to consume the adequate amount if you know how much you burn.
My favorite part is what a good strength training program can do for your basal metabolic rate. Did you ever wonder why your metabolism slows down as you get older? A large part of this has been linked to a natural decline in muscle after age 25. As much as one half percent reduction in BMR every year for those who don’t train their muscles effectively. If you stress the muscles with resistance exercises, they will adapt by adding more tissue. A 20 minute routine, three times a week, is a great place to start.
Now you might be wondering what your strength program should consist of. That all depends on the ultimate goal in mind. Most people can greatly benefit from compound exercises because they involve the body as a whole. Combining upper body with lower body exercises can cut your workout time in half. Isolating your muscles is a great way to increase strength. Lets face it though, bicep curls alone don’t burn many calories. Add in a lunge with it and now we’re talking! Not only do your legs burn way more calories, but doing the two together fires up your entire body because it has to stabilize. Doing so will activate the muscles in your core. These muscles surrounding your spine are essential for overall strength, so make sure you engage them with every exercise. In other words, the more muscle you can involve in each exercise, the more calories you will burn.
Turn your body into a machine. You’ve learned how, so get going! Soon you’ll be blasting away calories and feeling fabulous!
