boost metabolism naturally and burn belly fat
When you boost metabolism naturally you lose weight even when you are sleeping. You don’t require natural supplements or even vitamins to lose weight.Many people are now concerned about being overweight, obese, and want to lose belly fat. None of these can be achieved unless you boost metabolism . But “what is metabolism? You cannot talk about weight loss or fat loss without talking about metabolism.
There is a lot of confusion out there about the term “metabolism” but it is a biochemical term that refers to either the biochemical changes within the human body or in any living organism to maintain life. Because of these changes human beings and other organisms can grow and even reproduce. They are able to repair damages that occur from day to day injuries as well as respond to environmental changes such as cold weather or hot and humid weather. Quite often metabolism is associated with anabolism and catabolism. Catabolism means to breakdown larger molecules to smaller molecules such as fat starch or glycogen in order to provide energy. Catabolism refers to building up bigger molecules from smaller molecules such as proteins, fats or glycogen from simple molecules using the energy derived from catabolism. Anabolism is usually associated with growth, repair and storage of fuel or other large molecules.When you boost metabolism,you are somehow increasing the rate of catabolism.
Many people tend to think that metabolism is a synonym for catabolism. Metabolism in weight loss indirectly refers to basal metabolic rate (BMR). It refers to the basic calorie use derived from the breakdown of fuel for a person to stay a sleep all day. This is the energy you require to breath, stay warm, pump the blood all over the body and keep the various organs functioning well. When you boost metabolism you are in a sense increasing the basal metabolic rate. This rate is dependent on several factors which we will discuss below.
At birth a child will have a very high basal metabolic rate. The rate begins to slow down from the early thirties by 3-5 percent after every 10 years. What does this mean in terms of energy needs? It has been estimated that a man of 55 years will need at least 150 calories less than what they needed at age 30. This figure could be significantly higher and will also depend on the person’s weight. Unless the person eats less food and includes foods that boost metabolism in the diet or does regular fat burning exercises there will be a weight increase and belly fat accumulation.
Physical activity is measured by the physical activity level (PAL) index. It is the total energy you spend in 24 hours divided by the basal metabolic rate. For example in table 1 below the physical activity level index of the 100 pounds sedentary man is 1527/1091 = 1.4. This is the highest physical activity level for a person who is completely inactive. A person who is completely sedentary has a range of physical activity level of 1.4-1.69. Such a person leads a life characterized by sitting for a long time at one spot such as watching television, studying or reading, playing computer games or just surfing the internet. All these activities do not involve significant physical exertion. A sedentary person can boost metabolism by increasing the PAL. Increased PAL over a period of time will result in decrease in the body fat level and an increase in muscle which will increase the BMR. People who are sedentary will quite often add extra weight so that they are either obese or overweight.
A person with physical activity level index of 1.77 to 1.99 is considered to be moderately inactive. At this exercise level such a person can burn belly fat if there is no overindulgence in high calorie foods. If you were medium frame and weighed 160 pounds with a height of 5ft 8 inches you would be able to burn 1745 calories per day through physical activity alone. If you have a physical activity level of 2.0 -2.4 you could be considered as active and involved in fat burning exercises. You will lose belly fat and weight as well. An active person could swim for two ours every day. An extremely active person has a physical activity level greater than 2.4. It’s important to realize that not everyone can reach these levels of physical activity. For most males their physical activity level rises and reaches a maximum between ages 18-29 and then begins to decline. The physical activity level index decreases with age. Most people recommend 20-30 minutes of exercises of moderate intensity to maintain throughout the week. Others recommend 60 minutes three times a week of moderate intensity. It has long been shown that if you undertake moderate intensity exercise you will burn fat than if you take high intensity exercise.To burn belly fat you will benefit greatly if you undertake both aerobic and resistance exercise.
If a person has a fast metabolism it means they have a fast BMR. It could be considered that the body breaks down food faster than the body of a person with slower metabolism.If you have a slower metabolism you will have to lookfor ways to boost metablism. The BMR is however influenced by several factors.
The first factor we will consider is persons genetic make up. This has been found to affect a person’s metabolism significantly. We know of people who tend to add weight without eating much food. Such people are born with very slow metabolism and there are others who are born with a faster metabolism. Those born with a slower metabolism would be looking for ways to boost metabolism because they tend to accumulate body fat especially visceral and subcutaneous fat. People with a faster metabolism tend to be thin and skinny and may not have much concern about belly fat.
Men and women tend to have some differences in their metabolism. An average man has 10-20 % faster metabolism than an average woman. This is because men have more muscle than women. Muscle tends to increase the basal metabolic. As we all grow older the need to boost metabolism increases as BMR decreases.
Your basal metabolic rate will depend on your weight and height.
Table 1 shows calculated values of basal metabolic rate and calorie requirements per day for a medium frame sedentary man of 5ft 8 inches as he increases his weight from 100 pounds to 300 pounds. As the man adds more weight the body adjusts the basal metabolic rate and the daily energy requirements. The basal metabolic rate and the energy requirements increases or decreases depending on whether the person is losing or gaining weight. For example when the person weighed 100 pounds the basal metabolic rate was 1091 calories but when his weight increased up to 200 pounds, the basal metabolic rate was 2182 calories and the total calorie requirements went up to 3055 calories. It clear from table 1 that you can control your weight by considering the number of calories you take in every day.
To lose weight and burn fat the person can decrease the calorie intake. They will cause weight loss up to a certain point and then begin to decline. The decline is associated with lowered basal metabolic rate. The only way you can avoid this is by committing yourself to regular exercise. There are several ways to boost metabolism and you should consider food and exercise as they are very important. The exercises could be strength training, aerobic exercise or even flexibility exercises. Develop cardio work out routines and have your own cardio workout plans. Many people have a 20 minute work but you can choose your own time depending on your circumstances. All these exercises have some benefits but strength training is the most effective as it will boost metabolism.
Another factor which affects your basal metabolic rate is your surface area.There is not much you can do about it because you cant change your height.You can only change your weight and fat content. A tall thin person has greater surface area than a shorter person. The higher the body surface area the higher the body surface area the higher the basal metabolic rate. Tall thin people have a higher basal metabolic rate than short thin or fat people. There is nothing you can do about this factor to boost metabolism.
Another factor we should consider is the amount of fat a person has. Most fat is stored as subcutaneous fat and as visceral fat. Fat does not increase your basal metabolic rate. Only protein increases your basal metabolic rate. You can reduce the percent of your body fat to normal or optimal body fat by exercising your body regularly. You may also want to reduce the fat and carbohydrate content of your food.
Starvation or serious calorie reduction such as fasting for weight loss or extreme dieting will significantly lower your basal metabolic rate to as low as 70% of its original value. It has been found that diets with as low as 1300 calories per day will cause your body to go to starvation mode. This can seriously cause your body to lower its basal metabolic rate. If you are going to fast for weight loss or diet for weight loss, you should do this for a very short time. If you diet for a year or longer, your basal metabolic rate may be lowered permanently and will require a lot of effort to raise it. You may still accumulate body fat if you do not increase your physical activity level because your body adjusts to a new BMR. You will require exercises to boost metabolism to burn excess fat in the body.
You must avoid lowering your basal metabolic rate due to starvation or extended dieting.You can boost your metabolism if you could divide your meals into 5-6 small portions instead of taking three big portions as well as increase your physical activity level as discussed above.