Ways To Boost Metabolism

Our metabolism is most affected by these things:

• Nutrition - the type, and amount of food eaten
• Hydration - the amount of water we drink
• Our level of physical activity
• Our bone structure, body type, genetic make-up, and, body composition - that is, the amount of muscle we have compared to the amount of fat

Muscle tissue uses more calories to maintain itself than fatty tissue. Therefore, people who are more muscular (and have a lower percentage of body fat) tend to have a higher metabolism than those who are less muscular or who have a higher percentage of body fat.

People who are more active or exercise more also burn more calories than someone who is less active, so these people also have a higher metabolism. That's why increasing our muscle mass through strength training, or increasing our activity levels through cardiovascular training, are such effective ways to boost metabolism.

Ways to boost metabolism by increasing muscle mass - resistance exercises, like weight lifting, push-ups, sit-ups, and others. Try to find something you enjoy, and vary your routine if you're getting bored with it.

Ways to boost metabolism by decreasing the amount of fat in our bodies - aerobic exercise, at least 3 times a week, for longer than 20 minutes each session. This can include jogging, walking, either high or low impact aerobics, swimming, cycling, or many others.

Metabolism and The Thyroid Gland

Many of the herbs and foods that boost metabolism have a beneficial effect on the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland releases hormones that regulate energy, metabolism, and growth.

The thyroid hormones:

• increase metabolism in all the body's tissues except the retina of the eye, the lungs, spleen, and testes
• the basal metabolic rate can increase by 60 - 100% above normal when large amounts of the thyroid hormone thyroxin, are released
• when this happens, glucose (from carbohydrates), fat, and protein use by the body increases
• fats stored in our body are released, the breakdown of cholesterol by the liver is increased
• proteins stored in the muscle are also broken down and used as fuel
• more glucose is also absorbed from the intestinal tract
• increase production of gastrointestinal secretions
• increase appetite, but more calories are also used, hence weight loss usually occurs

Coconut Oil  (REMEMBER, do not get the kind of coconut oil that was dried in processing, it can be more dangerous than useful!--"Cheyenne Cin")

Coconut Oil has a beneficial effect on the thyroid gland. It is a medium chain fatty acid, and is said to 'activate' the metabolism. These types of fats are used directly by the liver instead of being stored in the body's tissues as fat. Dr Ray Peat has a very interesting article here on coconut oil - This article provides a greater understanding on how coconut oil is one of the may ways to boost metabolism available to us.

In the article above, Dr Peat tells this interesting story:

"In the l940s, farmers attempted to use cheap coconut oil for fattening their animals, but they found that it made them lean, active and hungry. For a few years, an antithyroid drug was found to make the livestock get fat while eating less food, but then it was found to be a strong carcinogen, and it also probably produced hypothyroidism in the people who ate the meat. By the late l940s, it was found that the same antithyroid effect, causing animals to get fat without eating much food, could be achieved by using soy beans and corn as feed." (www.efn.org)

He also describes how two people, G. W. Crile and his wife, found that people in the Yucutan had a higher metabolic rate (25%) than people in the US. And this was despite living in a tropical climate where the metabolic rate is usually lower than in a cold climate. Coconuts are a staple in the Yucutan. So, using coconut oil instead of regular cooking oil, or taking 2 tablespoons of coconut oil directly per day, is another of the various ways to boost metabolism through nutrition.

Green Tea

Green tea has a mild thermogenic effect. This means it increases, by 3 to 4 percent, the amount of energy used in heat production by the body that is unrelated to either physical activity or resting metabolism. It is not the caffeine in green tea which does this, and you can get caffeine free green tea if you are sensitive to it.

The catechin polyphenols in green tea extract are believed to alter the body's use of norepinephrine, which is a chemical transmitter in the nervous system, to increase the rate of calorie burning. Thus green tea may be a mild and pleasant way to boost metabolism.

More information on green tea here: Green tea weight loss

Kelp

Kelp has metabolic precursors of the active hormones of the thyroid gland (Fisher and Painter)

It also has naturally occurring iodine in it, which together with the above precursors, is believed to increase basal metabolic rate, and help with fat metabolism. Fisher and Painter describe a clinical trial that found those taking kelp lost twice as much weight as those who didn't take it. Both groups were on the same calorie controlled diet, and the study lasted 60 days. They do say that they don't know how effective kelp would be helping those people with no 'obvious' thyroid problem, however. Like vitamins, it may be something that can help only those who have a need for a particular vitamin, or in this case, thyroid benefiting herb.

If taking kelp, don't take more than the equivalent of 1000mcg of iodine per day. The label usually has recommendations taking this into account.

Finally, one of the old tried and true ways to boost metabolism, is to eat 5 or 6 smaller meals per day instead of 3 larger ones.