As the secret for weight loss, metabolism is simple. Metabolism is basically all of the chemical processes taking place in your body, summed up. In other words, the faster your metabolism is, the more calories you burn. Although it is true that your metabolic rate is subject to your genes, your workout can really have a metabolism boosting impact.
The Metabolism Boosting Effect of Exercise:
- Working out burns calories. During the time you are working out your metabolism is burning calories!
- Studies have shown that there is an after-burn affect. This means that your workout has a metabolism boosting effect for up to 48 hours.
- Working out increases calorie-burning lean muscle mass. Burning one pound of muscle, results in up to 50 calories extra burnt daily.
With that in mind, when it comes metabolism boosting workouts, not every exercise makes the cut. Here is how to rev up your metabolism:
1. Aerobics and Cardio Endurance
Running is a great way to burn calories. However running doesn’t give you the benefit of building muscle or the after-burn effect. Overdoing can also have a negative impact on your metabolism. A study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, found that six long runs in seven days resulted in a weight loss of 6.1%. Out of this percentage however, 5% of this weight loss was in fact lean muscle compared to 1.1% being fat loss. If you choose running as a metabolism boosting method, make sure to keep at a short runs of approximately 30 minutes. Additionally, make sure that you run on days following strength training. By doing so you prevent yourself from burning through muscle.
2. Strength Training
Weights boost your metabolism in all 3 ways listed above. This should be your first priority, if your goal is to burn fat easier. A good way to demonstrate this is by looking at the difference between men and women. Men can easily loose weight by just not touching that chocolate bar as a evening snack. Yet women, have to count every calorie before seeing that scale budge. But why is that? This is because, generally men have more metabolically active muscle compared to women. By completing a total-body strength-training program 2-3 days a week, you can build a significant lean muscle mass. This ultimately has a metabolic boosting effect.
3. Interval Training
Interval training is a type of cardio, pushing your workout intensity for a short period of time followed by a recovery time. This certainly will make you burn calories throughout the exercise and give you that after-burn effect. A study was performed that compared the effects of interval training with steady-state endurance training. The results showed that participants who completed interval workouts, lost 9X more fat compared to those who performed endurance workouts.
Conclusion
Exercise is important to your health both mentally and physically. There is no doubt that by moving you are having a positive impact on your health. With that in mind, if you want to optimize your workout you need to boost your metabolism. By doing so you are ensuring that you benefit from each session during the workout and long term. Implementing the right exercises will give you that after-burn effect letting your metabolism keep burning fat, even after your session!
