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Improving your metabolic efficiency

By: Jamaal Harrison Metabolism is a mouthful, but it means something very simple: all living creatures need energy to stay alive. Changing materials like food into energy is the process of metabolism. Some energy is readily available in the enviroment; solar energy is all around us, at least during the day. Heat energy is in ready supply. But even plants need more than just sunlight to create the energy they need for life. They, and all other living things, need additional chemicals to complete the process.

In humans, metabolism is closely related to weight gain and loss. When metabolism is low, we tend to gain weight because we take in more food than we need for our energy demands. When metabolism is high, we tend to lose weight. Speeding up the metabolism burns more calories, increasing energy demands, and using up the food we take in. In order to determine the best way to increase metabolism, it is important to understand the process of metabolism.

Central to such studies is a clear understanding of the mechanics behind metabolism. A person's metabolism is actually a mixture of chemical and physiological processes called anabolism and catabolism. Anabolism is the positive phase of this cycle, in which living cells create protoplasm for their own development and repair. Catabolism, on the other hand, is a negative process during which complex substances are broken down into even simpler compounds; through this process, energy is released from the substances, which is necessary for the appropriate performance of one's body. Working together, these twin processes distribute nutrients contained in the bloodstream following digestion and allow the extraction of energy.

There is a basal metabolic rate, which can be thought of as a baseline operating level. This is the amount of energy you need for basic survival. If you laid in bed all day and did nothing, you would still need energy, and the amount you used would be your basal rate. Any additional activity--walking, talking, even digesting--adds to this.

To increase your overall metabolism, you need to increase both your basal rate and your additional energy needs. The best way to do this is through exercise. Of course, the exercise itself will increase your overall energy use, but it will also help you to build muscle. The process of growing muscle and repairing muscle after exercise raises the basal rate. Your minimum energy needs are raised, even when you are not exercising. Thus, you are burning more calories long after you exercise. Aerobic exercise is the best for raising the metabolic rate, keeping it high for 4 to 8 hours after the workout ends.